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Tesla Racing Series: Types of Racing

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There are many different types of racing, and while it’s impractical to cover all of them, we’ll cover a few that we tried in our 48 Tesla Model S.


Autocross

Due to its heavy weight, the Model S does not perform very well in autocross events. To clarify, since the term “Autocross” can refer to several different types of setups, here we refer to a course laid out by cones on an asphalt surface, most often done on speedway infields or large stadium parking lots. Typical speeds on this type of layout are approximately 30 mph with occasional bursts of up to 60mph.

Autocross can also refer to country road racing – a type of racing that should never be done in the Model S in order to avoid damage to the battery pack that’s mounted beneath the vehicle. While a 1/4″ thick aluminum plate protects the battery, driving on rough surfaces increases the probability of hazardous debris or other large foreign objects to strike and damage the battery.

Autocross courses are usually 1/2 to 3/4 miles in length and comprised of 30+ turns. Mainly light and small cars such as the Mazda Miata tend to dominate these type of events. Bigger and heavier cars like the Tesla Model S have much more body momentum making it more difficult to control and less nimble (the Tesla roadster would probably do a lot better here).

We think Autocross events are great when it comes to getting your feet wet in racing. There are a variety of setups that one can practice on, such as off-camber turns, turns with elevation changes, slaloms, etc. It’s also the safest possible setup, as even the worst mistake would only lead to hitting a cone. One also has the freedom to experiment with new techniques on an autocross that may not be considered safe on other types of tracks.

 

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Open Track Racing

Open track racing, also called track days or simply tracking, is by far the most fun and entertaining type of racing.  This type of racing allows you to race alongside other cars on racetracks of varying sizes and complexities.  Courses can range from lower speed technical road courses to as large as full stadium ovals where NASCAR races are held.

It’s important to note that this type of open track racing should not be confused with wheel-to-wheel competition racing, where the driver needs to be licensed, the car has to be race prepared, and the objective is to win by any means necessary – even if it means wrecking the vehicle. The objective of open track racing is to have fun, be competitive but courteous, and more importantly walk away with your car undamaged.

The Tesla Model S does well on these tracks given its sports car like handling, excellent stability controls, and snappy acceleration. One of the most exhilarating aspects of open track racing is being able to drive and pass other contenders at speeds well over 100 mph, and in a environment that’s generally safer than competition wheel-to-wheel racing.

At the same time, the tracks have a reasonable number of turns where you can practice your driving skills, such as following racing lines, braking zones, track outs, on and off camber turns, etc. While its fairly straightforward on paper, doing it in real life is a lot more difficult. It’s a very rewarding experience when you master a segment and can repeat it time after time. While open track racing is not a competition for track position, you are in fact competing with other cars for the best overall lap time.

Everyone we’ve ever interacted with at these events were friendly, helpful, and professional. And while you don’t receive a prize for crossing the line first, as you do in competition racing, the real reward is being able to meet a group of passionate people that all have the common goal of just plain ol’ having fun!

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And this is where the primary focus of TESLARATI 48 Tesla is. At the time of writing, we completed 4 track events, Willow Springs (The Big Willow), the Streets of Willow, the California Speedway (Fontana Auto Club Speedway), and Buttonwillow.

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After starting in the Novice group at the first track, we were promoted to the Intermediate group at the second event based on fast lap times. The 48 Tesla completed fastest lap times in the Intermediate groups around the middle of the pack in all subsequent events. Working on our skills while in this group will also give us time to seek alternatives to improve cooling of the Tesla drivetrain components that can cause power limitations. We’re also really looking forward to these new tracks coming up in the first half of the year: Chuckwalla, Spring Mountain, Sonoma, Thunderhill, and Laguna Seca.

We’ll be publishing our full event schedule as it becomes available so stay tuned!

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Also see: The “48″ Tesla Model S takes on Buttonwillow Raceway [Video]

 

 

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[learn_more caption=”Disclaimer”] The information contained in the “48” Tesla Racing Series is for general information purposes only and is not meant to serve as an endorsement for track, competition or activities around racing. Our endeavor is to simply showcase the amazing performance capabilities of the battery powered Tesla Model S sedan.[/learn_more]

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Tesla Cybertruck targets job site crews with new Tailgate Utility Track and Bed Gear Box accessory

Tesla launched a $350 tailgate track and a $985 lockable Bed Gear Box for Cybertruck.

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Tesla Cybertruck construction site

Tesla’s Cybertruck team added two more items to the Tesla Shop, targeting job site crews and owners who use the truck bed for actual work rather than just showing it off. The official Cybertruck X account posted the Tailgate Utility Track and the Bed Gear Box within minutes of each other, part of a five item batch that also included a reflective jacket, a spray paint hat and an updated reflective tee.

The Tailgate Utility Track runs $350 and turns the folded down tailgate into another mounting surface. It’s a single aluminum track with a T-slot for sliding accessories and two L-track attachment points, plus two load stops included in the box. The pitch is straightforward: strap down oversized cargo, like lumber or a cooler, that hangs off the back of the bed without it sliding out mid-drive. It bolts onto the existing tailgate and works on every Cybertruck trim.

The Bed Gear Box costs $985 and is a different kind of accessory. It’s a lockable aluminum storage box, 55.78 inches long, 19.8 inches wide and 7.79 inches tall, that mounts to the bed’s L-track rails and comes with two internal bins for smaller items. According to Tesla, at just over 57 pounds empty, it’s meant to stay in place rather than come in and out with each trip, giving owners a factory-fit alternative to loose totes for tools, recovery gear or emergency supplies. Tesla’s listing notes that Long Range and Dual Motor AWD Cybertrucks need the L-Tracks accessory installed separately before the Gear Box will mount, since L-tracks come standard only on certain configurations.

Tesla Cybertruck bed gear box accessory

Tesla Cybertruck bed gear box accessory

Both accessories lean on the idea Tesla has been building toward since Elon Musk first described the Cybertruck’s third-party attachment strategy at the 2023 shareholder meeting, when he said the truck would ship with mounting points so outside companies, and Tesla itself, could keep adding gear without redesigning the bed. That’s the same L-track backbone underneath the tailgate shield and jumpseats Tesla launched last year, and the off-road armor package that arrived through the same X account in 2025.

Owners looking to round out the rest of the L-track ecosystem, cargo dividers, MOLLE panels, bed racks and similar gear, can find a wider range of options through our Cybertruck accessories collection.

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Elon Musk says he knows how to save Earth for a billion years

Elon Musk says sentient AI satellites launched from the Moon could keep Earth livable forever.

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Elon Musk spent part of his weekend describing a plan to keep the planet livable for roughly a billion years, and it starts with satellites that can think for themselves.

In a post on X, Musk argued that swapping fossil fuels for solar and wind power will not be enough to protect humanity from what he called extremely severe extinction events, the kind that occur roughly every 100 million years. His fix is what he called sentient satellites, or solar-powered satellites, controlled by AI, that would sit in a fixed spot between Earth and the Sun after being launched off the Moon using a giant electromagnetic catapult instead of rockets.

The satellites’ onboard AI would make continuous, small adjustments rather than waiting on human instructions. The mass driver is Musk’s proposed way of getting the raw material there cheaply by using an electromagnetic launch track built on the Moon, where lower gravity and no atmosphere make it far easier to fling cargo into space than it is from Earth.

Musk shared a Grok generated estimate suggesting roughly 5 percent of Florida’s land, or about 1.68 million acres, could face regular flooding by 2070 under a high sea level rise scenario, and said humanity has about 50 years to act before coastal living looks very different than it does today.

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This is not the first time Musk has floated the idea. He raised a similar concept in November, describing a solar powered AI satellite constellation that could make tiny adjustments to incoming sunlight to fine tune Earth’s temperature. Musk has also tied planetary risk to his broader vision at SpaceX, where his compensation package is explicitly linked to establishing a self-sustaining Mars colony, one he has described as an insurance policy against the kind of extinction event he referenced this weekend, and where he has said humans could set foot within five to seven years.

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Police sergeant recounts his Neuralink journey with Elon Musk’s brain chip

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A former Vancouver police sergeant with ALS accounts his journey to become a patient for Elon Musk’s Neuralink wireless brain-computer interface technology.

“I’m texting you from my brain right now.” That was the first message Lee Marten sent after waking up from Neuralink surgery, five hours and one migraine after dozens of threads were stitched into his motor cortex.

Marten, a former Vancouver police sergeant, is one of the first Canadian ALS patients to receive Neuralink’s N1 brain implant, and the 26th recipient overall. He tells his story in a first-person account published by Maclean’s.

Marten recounts how he was a healthy, athletic Vancouver police sergeant until April 2022 when symptoms of muscle twitching and balance loss, were followed by a bad fall that broke his leg. He would eventually be diagnosed with ALS in early 2025 at the age of 47. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that progressively destroys the motor neurons controlling voluntary muscle movement, eventually taking away a patient’s ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. There’s no cure, and most patients live two to five years after diagnosis.

He describes the devastation of the diagnosis and how he began preparing for it while connecting with other young ALS patients through a WhatsApp group called Young Guns. Through that group he learned about a Neuralink clinical trial at Toronto Western Hospital and, after a roughly seven-month vetting process (physical assessments, psychiatric evaluation, a final interview with the Neuralink team), was accepted this past April as the trial’s 26th recipient and the first Canadian ALS patient to get the N1 implant. He recounts the May surgery in detail, including the robotic system that stitched 64 threads into his brain, and describes the app, Link, translating his neural signals into cursor control, which he was using within hours of waking up.

Marten walks through what daily use looks like, including weekly “brain training” exercises, a real-time neural-activity display, charging the implant via a beanie-mounted MagSafe charger, and using the implant for emailing, texting, social media, and gaming via a “Magic Box” that connects it to other devices. He also gives brief context on brain-computer interface history and quite candid about Musk, calling him “divisive” but saying he found him “easy to admire.

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The piece closes on a heavier note, with Marten seeking to pursue medical assistance in dying as his symptoms progressed, noting that he’ll be able to communicate his final words to his family through Neuralink rather than facing a silent decline. He expresses hope the data from his case will help future ALS patients, even without a cure in his own lifetime.

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