If Tesla was planning a lap, they forgot to tell Nurburgring
Last night, CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the carmaker would do something at the Nürburgring next week with a Model S. He did not provide any further explanation on his plans or what he hopes to achieve, but it is fair to assume he will contest the 7:42 & # 39; ring time gained by Porsche's new electric car, Taycan Turbo S.
A German track representative told Road & Track in an email that " Tesla did not send us a record request and did not rent an exclusive time slot." The representative further stated that Nordschleife is "fully booked through the season," and added, "I think there is no availability for Tesla to set up a record attempt over the next few days."
R&T asked a Tesla spokesperson for more information on what Musk was referring to or what the car manufacturer has planned for his visit to the Nürburgring, but we did not get an answer at this time.
An insider from Nürburgring tells R&T that Tesla has a car leaving California today heading for the German track. When asked if Tesla could get exclusive run time, the inside said it was highly unlikely so late in the & # 39; Call testing season ̵[ads1]1; the manufacturer's track time is usually planned well in advance. "Tesla has no presence there," the source told us, "so I'm not sure if they actually know it."
Although Tesla secures exclusive runway time to make a timed lap attempt, it won & # 39; It's easy to beat Porsche Taycan's catch time. While the fastest Model S time of 2.4 seconds 0-60 beats Taycan Turbo S's 2.6, the biggest challenge of taking an EV around the treacherous 13 mile track has to do with battery life and temperature.
And even if you have a great car, it is not a good time to set a time. The weather must be just right, the tires must be properly heated, and the driver must know every little nuance of the track. Just ask Corvette engineer Jim Mero, or the guys behind the independent Viper ACR lap, how hard it can be.
Porsche has many tons of experience setting fast lap times in the Nürburgring, and a great asset in the form of factory racer Lars Kern. The Model S Performance is a fast car, but Tesla has no previous experience trying to capture the Nürburgring. It's hard to imagine that the carmaker could go out and beat Porsche on their first visit to the track. It does not mean that it is not possible, only that it is a large company. And none of that will be possible if Tesla can't secure exclusive run time.
