Three Race-Ready Model 3s to Challenge America’s Mountain
The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo is pleased to welcome three Model 3 Tesla’s to the field on August 30. America’s Mountain will play host to three unique Tesla racecars driven by Blake Fuller, Josh Allen and Randy Pobst, and the competition is sure to be electrifying.
“For decades, Pikes Peak has served as a proving ground for automotive technology,” states Megan Leatham, Executive Director, “but it also offers race teams an opportunity to showcase vehicle and driver performance and share those milestones with the world.”
In 2003, five engineers had a vision for a cutting edge, fully-electric vehicle that wouldn’t sacrifice power or performance for clean energy. With a unique business strategy, a company named after Nikola Tesla planned to target multiple groups of buyers for different models and partially use profit from earlier, low volume luxury vehicles to drive production of the higher volume based models such as the Model 3. The Tesla Model 3 sets the bar for not only safety but performance. With a dual motor and All-Wheel Drive, the performance model 3 has 0-60 time of only 3.2 seconds and maximum speed of 162 MPH, making it a top selling plug in electric car in the US and Europe.
Blake Fuller – Two-time winner on Pikes Peak, Fuller returns for his sixth attempt at the famous summit. Founder and CEO of GO PUCK, Blake Fuller has always been a pioneer in the electronics world. With demanding needs for power ever on the horizon, Fuller found himself getting crafty with batteries and power solutions. As an inventor, he discovered he could lighten up industrial batteries for his electric cars without compromising the power they stored. He was shocked to find that the automotive battery industry had been so lackluster with ingenuity and began reducing the weight to a fraction of the industry standard for powering electric cars. These inventions gave Fuller an advantage and powered his vehicle to a win and class record in 2016 on Pikes Peak. He wanted to be one of the first to create a Tesla racecar, originally starting with a Tesla Model S. Not only did he make it work, but he made it win, producing a record-breaking run. Fuller has his sights set on breaking his current Electric Production record of 11.48.264 on Race Day. According to Fuller, “In 2016 when we set the Production Electric record, it was done in the Tesla Model S P90DL. At the time, it represented the most capable performance vehicle available from Tesla. This year we are using the Tesla Model 3 Performance, a vehicle we feel best showcases the progression of technology in Tesla’s electric vehicles.”
Josh Allen a rookie at Pikes Peak this year, made the Model 3 famous by setting track records in California with his modified machine at the Tesla Corsa event. The car may be top-notch for the Tesla-only track, but how will it do on Pikes Peak? Allen made adjustments and upgrades to the brakes, suspension and braking systems, thanks to Unplugged Performance, to maximize efficiency and aerodynamics in hopes to secure the Electric Modified record. He has an extensive background in the car world beginning with his experience with a software design company that was big in the automotive and aerospace realms. He moved on to the Formula 1 world where he learned a lot about the auto industry, applied that knowledge to racing projects and eventually led him to race at Pikes Peak.
Randy Pobst is no stranger to Pikes Peak. Finishing in second place in the Exhibition division last year, behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Pobst will compete this year in the same division but piloting the third Tesla. When asked about the difference in race vehicles, Pobst shared, “It’ll sure sound different! The Dodge had a thundering roar, and the Tesla is silent. We’re going from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive, riding the electric wave of the future up the Peak. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity with top Tesla tuner, Unplugged Performance. It’s a full race build, featuring their body and suspension products. We’re going for the win in Exhibition Class. High altitude doesn’t slow down electrons!”
Still a Model 3, the upgraded Ascension-R as seen at SEMA will be joining the field to test its true potential as an all-around racecar. Pobst was a part of the team that created the Model 3’s Performance TrackMode and will be showcasing the available Ascension Kit designed to enhance the cars drivability with improved aerodynamics and handling from the suspension and alignment.
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Contact:
Lisa Haight
Event Coordinator & Historian
