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TESLARATI 48 Model S Takes On Thunderhill Raceway

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The Track

Thunderhill is one of the most challenging and unique road racing courses we’ve been to. It’s a technical 3-mile road course with 15 turns, located just over an hour north of Sacramento, CA. The course features unique configurations, with sharp elevation changes, blind turns, off-camber turns, and combinations of the above. What we’ve learned is that in some of these unique turns, normal racing lines do not apply, and you have to know specific ways of taking them. Overall it’s a unique and fun track, which takes a lot of courage to drive.

Thunderhill Track Map

The Tesla Model S

Turn #3, is significantly slanted off-camber, and no turn like this can be found in any other track in California. The Model S has a lot of challenges with off-camber turns in general, and this one in particular, because of the car’s heavy weight.

Turn #5 bypass is sharply downhill and off camber. It’s probably the scariest turn on the whole track. You can’t fully appreciate it from any of the videos or pictures. It’s a blind turn, so you really have to pay attention to flag stations, so you don’t have a collision if there is a car turned around on the other side. Once over the hill, you can’t brake or turn, because the car has very little traction. One or two times we ended up sliding sideways down that hill, while we were learning the track.

Turn #5 section of the track has two configurations, Cyclone or Bypass. Cyclone (in the video below) was really fun, very similar to Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew. The Model S worked the hill really well and felt well under control. Bypass – not so much, because trying to improve here results in the car carrying too much speed for its weight, and you end up sliding downhill off-camber with little control.

Turn #8 is another ‘scary’ turn, but of a different kind since it’s supposed to be taken at full throttle. Easier said than done as you fight your brain’s natural instinct to do the complete opposite. It also leaves zero room for error but can be done with practice.

We completed 10 sessions over 2 days with the Northern California Racing Club (NCRC) in the Open group. Our top speed was 116mph at then end of the front straight-away, and lateral G forces in 1.0-1.2 range. Our new 20″ 285mm Toyo R888 tires are working out quite nicely, but even they could not stop the car from sliding in off-camber turns. Our best lap time was 2:15 bypass and 2:17 cyclone, with the fastest car in this group at 2:00 and the slowest at 2:29. Overheating and resulting power limiting were present on this track but not significantly more or less than other tracks.

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Here’s a video of couple of our laps. Negotiating this tracks well requires more than two days of practice, so please don’t judge too harshly, since it was our first time on this track 🙂 We are looking forward to coming back here in the future to continue improving our skills.

Charging and Power Consumption

Thunderhill ChargersPower consumption was similar to other tracks, at approx 1.2 kW/mile average energy consumption, with approximately 12 rated miles used per lap, and 4 rated miles used per 1 actual mile.

There is a number of 200V 50amp outlets at the track (charging at 24 miles per hour), and the track lets you use them for free. It’s enough to get you through the day, running half of each session.

Corning Supercharger is 35 miles away, so overall, charging situation is covered well at this track.

Travel

It was the furthest we’ve ever driven to a race track. It was a 600-mile 12 hour trip from San Diego. One of our goals has been to prove that, like gasoline cars, not can we only be on the track on equal footing, but  also drive to and from the track. It’s not been easy in some cases, but on this trip Superchargers made it easy. 2.5 of the 12 hours were spent on charging at 4 SCs (San Juan Capistrano, Tejon Ranch, Harris Ranch, and Manteca), which is not significantly higher than a gasoline car.

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Tesla Cybertruck takes a bump from epic failing Dodge Charger

The Cybertruck seemed unharmed by the charging Charger.

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Credit: Hammer_of_something/Reddit

There comes a time in a driver’s life when one is faced with one’s limitations. For the driver of a Dodge Charger, this time came when he lost control and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck–an absolute epic fail. 

A video of the rather unfortunate incident was shared on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit.

Charging Charger Fails

As could be seen in the video, which was posted on the subreddit by Model Y owner u/Hammer_of_something, a group of teens in a Dodge Charger decided to do some burnouts at a Tesla Supercharger. Unfortunately, the driver of the Charger failed in his burnout or donut attempt, resulting in the mopar sedan going over a curb and bumping a charging Cybertruck.

Ironically, the Dodge Charger seemed to have been parked at a Supercharger stall before its driver decided to perform the failed stunt. This suggests that the vehicle was likely ICE-ing a charging stall before it had its epic fail moment. Amusingly enough, the subreddit member noted that the Cybertruck did not seem like it took any damage at all despite its bump. The Charger, however, seemed like it ran into some trouble after crashing into the truck.

Alleged Aftermath

As per the the r/TeslaLounge subreddit member, the Cybertruck owner came rushing out to his vehicle after the Dodge Charger crashed into it. The Model Y owner then sent over the full video of the incident, which clearly showed the Charger attempting a burnout, failing, and bumping into the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck owner likely appreciated the video, in part because it showed the driver of the Dodge Charger absolutely freaking out after the incident.

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The Cybertruck is not an impregnable vehicle, but it can take bumps pretty well thanks to its thick stainless steel body. Based on this video, it appears that the Cybertruck can even take bumps from a charging Charger, all while chilling and charging at a Supercharger. As for the teens in the Dodge, they likely had to provide a long explanation to authorities after the incident, since the cops were called to the location.

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Anti-Elon Musk group crushes Tesla Model 3 with Sherman tank–with unexpected results

Ironically enough, the group’s video ended up highlighting something very positive for Tesla.

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Credit: Led By Donkeys/X

Anti-Elon Musk protesters and critics tend to show their disdain for the CEO in various ways, but a recent video from political action group Led By Donkeys definitely takes the cake when it comes to creativity.

Ironially enough, the group’s video also ended up highlighting something very positive for Tesla.

Tank vs. Tesla

In its video, Led By Donkeys featured Ken Turner, a 98-year-old veteran who served in the British army during World War II. The veteran stated that Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is “using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars.” 

He also noted that he had a message for the Tesla CEO: “We’ve crushed fascism before and we’ll crush it again.” To emphasize his point, the veteran proceeded to drive a Sherman tank over a blue Tesla Model 3 sedan, which, of course, had a plate that read “Fascism.” 

The heavy tank crushed the Model 3’s glass roof and windows, much to the delight of Led By Donkeys’ commenters on its official YouTube channel. But at the end of it all, the aftermath of the anti-Elon Musk demonstration ended up showcasing something positive for the electric vehicle maker.

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Tesla Model 3 Tanks the Tank?

As could be seen from the wreckage of the Tesla Model 3 after its Sherman encounter, only the glass roof and windows of the all-electric sedan were crushed. Looking at the wreckage of the Model 3, it seemed like its doors could still be opened, and everything on its lower section looked intact.

Considering that a standard M4 Sherman weighs about 66,800 to 84,000 pounds, the Model 3 actually weathered the tank’s assault really well. Granted, the vehicle’s suspension height before the political action group’s demonstration suggests that the Model 3’s high voltage battery had been removed beforehand. But even if it hadn’t been taken off, it seemed like the vehicle’s battery would have survived the heavy ordeal without much incident.

This was highlighted in comments from users on social media platform X, many of whom noted that a person in the Model 3 could very well have survived the ordeal with the Sherman. And that, ultimately, just speaks to the safety of Tesla’s vehicles. There is a reason why Teslas consistently rank among the safest cars on the road, after all.

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Tesla Model 3 driver is using FSD to travel to Mt. Everest Base Camp

The ambitious, nearly 4,000-kilometer (2,485-mile) Tesla FSD journey is being livestreamed on Chinese social media.

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Credit: Douyin 老高懂电车

Count on Tesla drivers in China to push Full Self Driving (FSD) as far as it could go. As could be seen in videos posted on Chinese social media, a brave Model 3 owner is currently going on an epic journey from Henan Province to the base camp of Mt. Everest on FSD.

Recent posts from the Model 3 driver suggest that the ambitious destination may be within reach.

Epic FSD Journey

As noted by Tesla owner-enthusiast Aaron Li, the journey from Henan Province to the base camp of Mt. Everest spans almost 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles). The journey itself is epic, with stunning vistas and roads that require some drivers to bring oxygen canisters with them. The fact that it is being done using FSD makes it extra impressive. 

Based on the videos that have been recently shared, the Model 3 running FSD seems to be nearing the Everest Base Camp. There seems to be a good chance that the Tesla Model 3 may reach its destination this Friday.

Previous Everest Trips

This is not the first time that a Tesla has driven to Mt. Everest’s base camp.  That would be a Model 3 that was driven in September 2020. That vehicle, which went on a long 5,500 km (3,400-mile) journey, was manually driven to its destination. 

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In April 2021, Tesla China announced that it has completed the buildout of 11 Supercharger stations in the picturesque route from Chengdu to Tingri. This route would allow drivers to reach the base camp of Mt. Everest. Sure enough, in July 2022, Tesla China shared a video of two Teslas—a Model X and Model Y—reaching the Everest base camp without any issues. Numerous other Tesla drivers have since taken on the long, picturesque journey.

Check out this Tesla Model Y’s journey to the Mt. Everest base camp in the video below.

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