I have tried against my friends z4m several times (eurospec m3 engine 343bhp) and it I don't stand a chance. If he starts in 3rd and I am at sweetspot in 2nd we are pretty even, when I have to change to 3rd, he just flies away. Ok, m3:s are slightly heavier but 100hp up is a lot.

 

I also raced an e46 m3..he was first playing with me but i didnt bother racing cuz i knew his car was faster,but peer pressure kicked in and he annoyed me so i gave it a try, i thought he was going to smash on me but we went from a 60 roll and we stayed with each other untill like 90 and he put at least 3 car lenghts untill we stopped..i was pretty surprised from the results