EDITOR'S NOTE: Luke Air Force Base on March 13 said the Luke Days 2020 Airshow scheduled for March 21-22, 2020 is canceled due to growing COVID-19 concerns and to mitigate health risks to attendees. Because of this, the Bugatti v. F-35 races are also not going to happen.

It’s not Ford v. Ferrari. But Bugatti v. F-35 might have as thrilling of an impact on those who witness the supercar and aircraft race.

Those attending Luke Days 2020 on March 21 and 22 have the chance to see Maj. Justin “Fuego” Miller pilot an F-35A Lightning II down the runway against a 2008 Bugatti Veyron supercar driven by Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson.

The race will take place on runways 21 left and right at Luke Air Force Base around 12:45 p.m. Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22.

“Racing the Veyron against Major Miller and his F-35A Lightning will be a thrill of a lifetime,” Mr. Jackson stated. “This year we’re celebrating our ‘Road to 50,’ and this historic race will be one more way we’re building on our 50-year legacy. This will be the first time in history that a Bugatti Veyron has ever raced an F-35 Lightning.”

At the time of production, the 2008 Bugatti Veyron was the world’s fastest production car, according to a Barrett-Jackson release. Powered by an 8-liter W-16 engine, the supercar produces over 1,000 horsepower at 6,000 rpm with 922 foot-pounds of torque. The Veyron can propel to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in only 2.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 250 miles per hour.

“I can’t wait to fly during Luke Days, and I’m excited to race the Bugatti,” stated Mr. Miller, a 63rd Fighter Squadron Pilot. “Pairing the world’s most advanced road car versus the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft will be the race of a lifetime. I’ve loved fast airplanes and fast cars since my youth, and I can’t wait to see what the Bugatti can do.”

Combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fearsome fighter. Powered by a single Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan, which produces 43,000 pounds of thrust, the F-35 reaches a top speed of Mach 1.6 (over 1,227 mph) and a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet, the release states.

The race between the F-35 and the Bugatti will begin from a dead stop. With the green flag, the Bugatti will accelerate down the runway, turn around and race back through the finish line. The F-35 will simultaneously accelerate to a max performance climb speed — around 400 knots — pull straight up in the vertical and execute a max performance turn to reverse the climb at 8,000 feet and accelerate back through the finish line. The first one to the finish line wins.

“From visiting the base and observing its operations, to assisting in raising thousands of dollars that support programs to enhance the morale and well-being for Airmen, his involvement is an exceptional example of how FCP donors show their support for Luke,” Ron Sites, executive director of Fighter Country Partnership, said about Mr. Jackson. “We truly appreciate his willingness to race his Bugatti against our F-35 and help raise the awareness of this incredible air show.”