Tesla's Nuerburgring race provokes debate about speed records

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Tesla Inc ( TSLA.O ) attempt to humiliate Porsche with a new catch record on Germany's legendary Nordschleife racetrack has reignited a controversy over the value of lap times as the cycle enters to interrupt allegations of cheating.

Porsche and US-based Tesla fight to establish superiority in prison times for four -door electric sports cars, but comparisons are not exact as conditions, from car modifications to tire types, vary with each test.

"We want to have circumstances that can be understood and copied," said Nuerburgring spokesman Alexander Gerhard, adding that the racing circuit operator had moved to tighten rules that a carmaker may require a certified lap time.

Setting a new record time for four-door electric cars would give Tesla's aging Model S a boost just as German rivals Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche are preparing to launch their own electric cars.

Automakers use Nordschleife, one of the world's most treacherous lanes with 40 right turns and 33 left turns, to refine the sporting features of a vehicle and burn the car's image for marketing purposes.

Tesla was discovered this week with a variant of its Model S sedan on the circuit, which is 20.8 km (12.9 miles) long, with sloping chambers and a 300 m height difference between the highest and lowest points.

German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport said a Tesla was seen recording an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 23 seconds, which would beat a lap time set by Porsche's Taycan, which Porsche says achieved a lap time in 7 minutes and 42 seconds.

But Tesla's challenge has raised questions about whether the Silicon Valley carmaker is playing a fair.

"The car was heavily modified," said Stefan Baldauf, who is photographing prototype vehicles tested on the circuit for a living.

"Except for a roller cage and driver's seat, the interior had been stripped out," he added. "The windows were blacked out, so that was hard to say."

Tesla appeared to have semi-smooth tires, only used on racing lanes and unsuitable for daily use, Baldauf said.

A Porsche spokeswoman told Reuters that Taycan was tested using standard tires.

"A comparison is hardly fair if this is the vehicle used to demonstrate that Tesla is faster," Baldauf added.

Notary Jens Boehle, who certified Porsche lap times, said: “The scope for cheating is as large as you can imagine. Is it a prototype vehicle, a standard legal vehicle, or is it a specially modified racing version of a standard car? "

" These are just some of the questions that need to be answered. "

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk responded to Twitter this week.

" The final configuration used on the Nürburgring to set the record will go into production around the summer of 2020, so this is not just for the track, "Musk said

Tesla declined to comment on his efforts in the lap.

Officials are trying to standardize attempts at speed records, said Gerhard, the spokesman for Nuerburgring. In some races for the record, cars were allowed to start a flying start by using a stretch at 20.6 km (12.8 miles).

"We now have a mandate for the entire 20.8 km to be used," Gerhard added. "And we use a notary to measure the time after the rumors that a another manufacturer had cheated by speeding up video footage. "

On Twitter, Musk confirmed that Tesla is using Nordschleife to market the" Plaid "mode on a 7-seat Tesla Model S.

" We expect that these lane times are beaten by the actual production 7-s ether's Model S Plaid variant that goes into production around October / November next year, ”said Musk.

Porsche states that the 919 Evo hybrid racecar now has the overall record for all vehicle categories, with a duration of 5 minutes and 19 seconds, set in 2018.

Nuerburgring hopes The new rules, introduced this year, will help revive the circuit's popularity as a place for competitive benchmarking.

"We want to be a credible yardstick," Gerhard said.