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[Video] TESLARATI 48 Tesla Finishes 2nd in Laguna Seca EV Race Competition

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Our 48 Tesla has finished 2nd at Laguna Seca in an EV time trial (TT) competition among 24 Model S and Tesla Roadster in the Production GT group.

The competition was organized by Speed Ventures through the annual REFUEL event at world famous Laguna Seca Raceway. We clocked in a best lap time of 1:53, four seconds shy of Joe Nuxoll, former Tesla Motors employee and Tesla track-record holder, who registered an impressive 1:49 in a Tesla Roadster. Joe is an amazing driver with twenty five years of professional racing experience and we can certainly learn from the techniques, some EV specific, that he uses to maneuver through this difficult track. We will work hard on improving our skills and look forward to the challenge at next year’s event.

Laguna Seca Raceway

Laguna Seca Track MapThe Laguna Seca road course is located in beautiful Monterey County in Northern California and one of the most renown and recognizable tracks in the world. The track itself is challenging and similar to Sonoma Raceway in terms of track difficulty. Similar to Sonoma, Laguna Seca has walls and sand traps, both of which could lead to some bad consequences if you ventured off the track. The corkscrew is perhaps the most famous turn that the track is known for, with very sharp turns and drop in elevation, to a point where you can’t actually see the middle of the turn. You learn to navigate through feeling and use of an oak tree as your marker as you keep your wits through it all.

The Car

This is not the best track for the Tesla Model S. Power limitation due to overheating was rather severe, to a point where it would not even accelerate uphill at full throttle after turn 6. The track is very heavy on braking as well. We have never seen the brakes get so hot on any other track before and will likely consider racing brake fluid next time.

We reached a top speed of 113 mph on the front straightaway, but we feel that we can improve upon that with more experience. The last part of the straightaway before the hairpin turn is downhill and unwinding slightly, so losing control in that section is quite easy and can be disastrous at that speed (remember, walls). Max lateral G was 1.1 throughout various turns. We found that following correct racing lines produces much better lap times and much less stress on the car than on most other tracks, and turning in just a couple of feet sooner makes a difference between a great turn and a bad one.

Laguna Seca 1

The issue of steering wheel lock up at 1 lateral G happened again. Thanks to the Tesla Motors staff who were present at the track, we were able to find out that it’s indeed a known issue, although very few people would experience the effect unless driven hard on a race track. We were told that the fix would require steering recalibration which should just be a firmware update, but as imagined, it’s certainly not on Tesla’s priority list.

Tire pressure on our BFGoodrich g-Force Rival tires were 36 psi hot (approx. 29 psi cold). Although looking at the pictures below, it looks scary how compressed they get trough some of the turns.

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First lap in the video is of the Time Trial. Subsequent laps are with Speed Ventures Green group and REFUEL.

Charging and Power Consumption

Laguna Seca 5The track was heavy on power consumption, a little higher than usual, probably due to significant elevation changes. Power consumption was 1350 watts/mile. While on most tracks we used 4 rated miles per 1 actual mile driven, on this track it ended up being 5.5 rated miles per 1 actual mile driven. It also explains why power limitation was more severe.

Due to the Tesla user conference participation in the event (TMC Connect ), we had a royal treat with temporary Tesla Superchargers installed at the track. For the first time, we did not have to conserve power nor carefully plan for how many laps could be run. The supercharger was able to replenish the power from track use in about 20-30 minutes. It made us feel very spoiled. Thank you Tesla !

Laguna Seca 2

Laguna Seca 3 Laguna Seca 4  Laguna Seca 6 Laguna Seca 7 Laguna Seca 8 Laguna Seca 9 Laguna Seca 10

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Lifestyle

EV fans urge Tesla to acquire Unplugged Performance for edge in fleet and security industry

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles.

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Credit: Unplugged Performance

A growing number of Tesla enthusiasts and longtime community voices are calling on the electric vehicle maker to acquire Unplugged Performance, a California-based aftermarket company best known for tuning Tesla vehicles and developing specialized government fleet solutions under its UP.FIT division.

The idea was once considered a niche proposal among EV fans, but it is now gaining serious attention not just as a performance play but as a strategic move to deepen Tesla’s roots in the fleet and security industry. 

A strategic fit

Unplugged Performance has built a name for itself by producing performance upgrades for Tesla vehicles, from track-optimized components to visual and aerodynamic upgrades. But in recent years, its UP.FIT division has pivoted toward a more functional future by outfitting Tesla vehicles like Model Ys for police, military, and government use.

That work has sparked growing calls for closer collaboration with Tesla, especially as the EV maker increasingly leans into autonomy, AI, and fleet services as core components of its next chapter.

“I posted this four years ago, but I think it’s more true now than ever,” wrote Whole Mars Catalog, a well-known Tesla investor and FSD Beta tester, on X. “Tesla should buy Unplugged. But not just as a Performance division. What they are doing with UP.FIT unlocks large government and commercial fleet purchases that can improve utilization.”

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Tesla fans such as shareholder Sawyer Merritt echoed the sentiment, calling Unplugged a “great fit within Tesla.” adding, “They are literally located directly next to Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne.”

Enabling the next wave

Supporters of the idea noted that integrating Unplugged into Tesla’s corporate structure could help accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in government sectors. With UP.FIT patrol cars already in use across some U.S. police departments, Tesla fans envisioned a future where self-driving Teslas could potentially revolutionize law enforcement, search-and-rescue, and public service logistics.

“Just imagine how autonomous patrol cars could transform policing and bring us into a safer future,” the veteran FSD tester wrote.

The benefits could also extend to Tesla’s existing consumer base. “They also have some incredible products in the works that I think will appeal to many ordinary Tesla drivers — not just those looking for performance or mods. Stuff that’s so good it should have come straight from the design studio next door,” Whole Mars Catalog noted.

Unplugged Performance, founded in 2013, shares not just a product vision with Tesla, but also geography. Its Hawthorne headquarters sits directly adjacent to Tesla’s design studio, and the two companies have maintained a close working relationship over the years. The aftermarket firm has long positioned itself as a “mission-aligned” partner to Tesla.

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In response to the recent calls for acquisition, Unplugged Performance acknowledged the support from the community. “Our very existence is to support the Tesla mission with @UpfitTesla and @UnpluggedTesla,” Unplugged CEO Ben Schaffer posted on X. “We love working with Tesla and are grateful for the community’s support since 2013!”

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Elon Musk

X account with 184 followers inadvertently saves US space program amid Musk-Trump row

Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

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Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

An X user with 184 followers has become the unlikely hero of the United States’ space program by effectively de-escalating a row between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on social media.

Needless to say, the X user has far more than 184 followers today after his level-headed feat.

A Near Fall

During Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fallout last week, the U.S. President stated in a post on Truth Social that a good way for the United States government to save money would be to terminate subsidies and contracts from the CEO’s companies. Musk responded to Trump’s post by stating that SpaceX will start decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately. 

Musk’s comment was received with shock among the space community, partly because the U.S. space program is currently reliant on SpaceX to send supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Without Dragon, the United States will likely have to utilize Russia’s Soyuz for the same services—at a significantly higher price.

X User to the Rescue

It was evident among X users that Musk’s comments about Dragon being decommissioned were posted while emotions were high. It was then no surprise that an X account with 184 followers, @Fab25june, commented on Musk’s post, urging the CEO to rethink his decision. “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” the X user wrote in a reply.

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Much to the social media platform’s surprise, Musk responded to the user. Even more surprising, the CEO stated that SpaceX would not be decommissioning Dragon after all. “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Not Planned, But Welcomed

The X user’s comment and Musk’s response were received extremely well by social media users, many of whom noted that @Fab25june’s X comment effectively saved the U.S. space program. In a follow-up comment, the X user, who has over 9,100 followers as of writing, stated that he did not really plan on being a mediator between Musk and Trump. 

“Elon Musk replied to me. Somehow, I became the accidental peace broker between two billionaires. I didn’t plan this. I was just being me. Two great minds can do wonders. Sometimes, all it takes is a breather. Grateful for every like, DM, and new follow. Life’s weird. The internet’s weirder. Let’s ride. (Manifesting peace… and maybe a Model Y.)” the X user wrote.

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Lifestyle

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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