Tesla Model S Plaid Dominates Pikes Peak
California-based Tesla tuner, Unplugged Performance dominated Pikes Peak with a race-spec Tesla Model S Plaid that won the exhibition class at the 2021 hill climb event.
Unplugged Performance’s journey to conquering Pikes Peak has been full of challenges. Even after its disastrous Model 3 crash last year, the spirits of Hawthorne, CA-based company remained undeterred, and the brand’s persistence has finally paid off. A few days ago, Unplugged Performance managed to dominate Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a race-spec Tesla Model S Plaid that was piloted by legendary race car driver Randy Pobst, who was eager to share his thoughts about the run.
“Even though it’s my eighth time here, I’m super nervous about our tire choice and the road condition,” said Pobst. The race car driver further added, “I expect the track to be wet up top, we had a bunch of snow last night, and dry and beautiful at the bottom. So that’s all part of the adventure here at Pikes Peak.”
Pobst, who also runs a popular YouTube channel, offered in-depth coverage of the run, as the car won the exhibition class at PPIHC by setting a lap time of 6:57.2. The car was running on Yokohama tires and was equipped with a Bilstein Unplugged shocks system. It is worth noting that Model S Plaid is Tesla’s latest offering, and the nameplate’s first 25 examples were only just delivered to their patient customers earlier this month after numerous delays.
This also meant that the Unplugged Performance team only had 48 hours to race tune the Model S Plaid and get it ready for its initial test runs at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Unplugged Performance completed its mission, and the result was a high-performance electric racer that weighed just 4800lbs and produced 1020 HP of maximum power. Safety was also a major concern considering UP’s previous outing at Pikes Peak and the fact that the track with 156 corners has no guard rails.
After completing the run, Pobst shared his thoughts on the Model S Plaid’s performance. “It is not easy putting all that 1000 horsepower on the ground, but then it was a beautiful thing. It wasn’t hard, it was easy. I knew where I was, comfort mode on the steering, but it never got sideways,” said Pobst. He also added, “The Plaid is an amazing automobile to be able to go up this hill that fast and what is really pretty much a plain old streetcar with a couple of cool Unplugged parts bolted to it, amazing. It feels good.”
The fact that UP managed to achieve this daunting target and delivered a safe car is a testament to the company’s technical prowess.
Image Source: Unplugged Performance