Unplugged Performance took a whole 1.8 seconds from the previous record.
Unplugged Performance’s Time Attack Tesla Model 3 set a new EV record at WeatherTech Laguna Seca earlier yesterday (Aug 15,2020) crossing the Start/Stop line in 1:37.5.
Check out their celebratory posts from their hired driver and Unplugged Performance’s founder.
Behind the wheel was seasoned hot shoe Randy Pobst, no stranger to this 2.238 mile-long track, setting some of the fastest lap times around this famed Monterey facility working with Motor Trend.
That lap time also bested Tesla’s official Model S Prototype Plaid mark of 1:36.555 set in Sept. last year. While Musk claimed that makes their Model S Plaid was the fastest production sedan around Laguna Seca, Weathertech did not make it official as they set it during an unofficial event.
This latest performance comes just weeks after their Tesla Model 3 set a 1:53.277 at Button Willow Racetrack on a set of used Pirelli Slicks with, you guessed it, Pobst behind the wheel.
Before that, Unplugged shipped one of their Model 3’s to Japan and took Tsukuba by storm, setting a 63 second lap time, good enough to beat a McLaren F1.
According to their description on their Button Willow video, this Tesla Model 3 is a variant of their Ascension R package, a $35,000 transformation that adds a track-focused suspension, Big-brake kit, lighter wheels, bespoke aero, and racing buckets, not to mention a laundry list of other track-ready add-ons.
Based on their video, it looks like they add their own light-weighting for their Time Attack cars, removing unnecessary interior bits.
Click here to check out the full rundown on their Ascencion-R package.
Their Tesla Model 3 was not the only car that was setting records as one of their Tesla Model Y’s snatched away the production SUV record with a time of 1:39.1. Lamborghini’s much more expensive Urus had the previous record at 1:40.9.
These records are, believe it or not, shakedown runs for the main event, a blast up Pikes Peak later on at the end of August.
I’ll be keen to see how well their Tesla Model 3 does when they head to Colorado. At 12.4 miles long with over 156 turns, this will be a challenge for the Hawthorne, Calif. based team.
The EV Record up Pikes Peak was set two years ago by VW and their Volkswagen ID R Racer, a full-blown EV race car with rally specialist Sebastien Loeb behind the wheel.
While UP probably won’t come close to VWs 7:57, they should do exceptionally with their past performances these last weeks as any hint of what to expect.
Their Time Attack Model 3 looks dialed in for an attack on Pikes Peak.
