7/6/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: RACE DAY VIDEO! New Modified EV Record Run with commentary by Randy!
Unplugged Performance and Randy Pobst had clear skies, a dialed Dark Helmet, and a goal from years past as he raced to 14,115 ft at the 101st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Watch on for a full recap of the week leading up to race day, the full record-setting run with turn-by-turn commentary from Randy and a discussion between Randy and UP CEO, Ben Schaffer, around all the testing, tuning and components required to pull off such a successful race day.
With a time of 9:54.901, Dark Helmet, piloted by Randy Pobst:
- Ran a sub 10-minute run
- Placed 2nd in class
- Placed in the Top 10 overall out of 66 cars
- Set a new record for the fastest production based EV & Modified Production EV
All accomplished utilizing the incredible Tesla engineering and DNA found in every daily driven Model S Plaid luxury sedan. Dark Helmet has factory power, battery, cooling, and software.
Congrats to all drivers & teams who put it on the line to challenge the mountain this year! It takes admirable commitment to run this race!
Dark Helmet Pikes Peak Parts available for your Model S:
- UP 19″ UP-03 Pikes Peak Spec Wheels
- UP Superlight Carbon Ceramic Big Brake Kit
- UP X Öhlins TTX 4-Way Pikes Peak Spec Coilovers
- UP Carbon Fiber Brake Duct Kit
- UP Suspension Arm Kit
Thanks to Tesla, Yokohama Tire, SpaceX Starlink and Casa Bonita
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Video Production by @downforcemediagroup http://www.downforcemediagroup.com
6/26/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 6 – RACE DAY!!!
Full video coming soon… but in the meantime, we ran sub 10-minute, 2nd in class, top 10 overall, and set a modified EV record!!!
UP’s Tesla Model S Plaid Dark Helmet & @RandyPobst scored a Pikes Peak Modified Production Electric Vehicle record & finished 10th of 66 race cars across all categories. We broke the iconic sub-10 minute barrier with a stock power @Tesla luxury sedan & UP bolt on parts!… pic.twitter.com/cbC3iDI6jN
— UNPLUGGED PERFORMANCE (@UnpluggedTesla) June 26, 2023
In the history books! Dark Helmet today joined the sub-10 minute club at Pikes Peak with a 9:54! Possibly the fastest production based EV as well? @RandyPobst was amazing today.@Tesla @Starlink @CasaBonita @YokohamaTC pic.twitter.com/1nOmoWey1h
— UNPLUGGED PERFORMANCE (@UnpluggedTesla) June 25, 2023
6/24/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 5 – Lower Section Qualifying Run & Recap – Quest for “Fast 15”!
After being rained out on Thursday, we returned to qualifying in the lower section of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. UP and Randy continued our quest to achieve the “Fast 15”, an award that goes to the fastest 15 drivers out of the overall 66 in all classes. It is respected and viewed as an incredible achievement and honor for everyone that earns it.
Coming within ~1 second of the 2200lb Radford race car, we secured 2nd in class for qualifying, a position in the top 10, and needless to say, achieved our goal of earning Fast 15 for the 4th consecutive year.
Despite an unexpected problem that led to severe power loss, Randy absolutely crushed it. With an official qualifying time of 4:04.561, we are confident we would have achieved a sub 4-minute run had we maintained proper power levels throughout the run.
Watch the video and tell us what you think!
Thanks to Tesla, Yokohama Tire, SpaceX Starlink and Casa Bonita
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6/22/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 4 – Qualifying – Dangerous Conditions Leads to Cancelation
Weather and road conditions can make or break a driver’s success at the most challenging and dangerous road race in America. With severe fog and rain in the upper half of the mountain and very wet conditions in the lower section, Pikes Peak driver’s voted to cancel qualifying and practice today, a first for Unplugged Performance in our 4 years of running. Our qualifying session will resume tomorrow, Friday 6/23
Visit unpluggedperformance.com/randy to win a track day with Randy in an Unplugged Performance Model 3 Ascension R.
6/21/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 3 Recap & Run – Top Section Practice – Conquering Baja
Unplugged Performance and Randy Pobst conquered the challenging rodeo of bumps found on the upper section of Pikes Peak. We’ve spent months dialing in our UP x Ohlins TTX 4-way suspension to optimize our low ground clearance aero Model S Plaid for the Baja-like bumps that make up the upper section without sacrificing performance in the lower, higher speed sections. Practice Day 2 was a success and we’re looking forward to qualifying tomorrow in the lower section at Pikes Peak.
Continue along the journey with us as we head toward race day!
Thanks to Tesla, Yokohama Tire, SpaceX Starlink and Casa Bonita
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6/21/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 3 – Upper Section Practice – Best suspension setup yet!
Full recap and run video coming later today
Today we conquered the infamous upper section of Pikes Peak that has caused us such heartbreak in the past. The wide tuning range of UP x Ohlins TTX 4-way coilovers allowed our low ground clearance aero car to perform excellent over the Baja-like conditions up top. Randy was… pic.twitter.com/OD0ha4gHUq
— UNPLUGGED PERFORMANCE (@UnpluggedTesla) June 21, 2023
6/20/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 2 – First Day of Practice – Fastest Time!
Recap + Run Video
Pikes Peak 2023 Practice Day 1 Recap and run video! Randy Pobst put down the fastest time in all classes in the mid section. The crew was up til 1am swapping front springs to better balance the car’s handling and it paid off. Watch through for Randy and Ben’s recap and footage of Randy’s fastest run today.
Keep following along as we post daily all the way up to race day!
And don’t forget, sign up for our email list and you could WIN a track day with Randy for hot laps and private instruction. Just go to unpluggedperformance.com/randy
6/20/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 2 – First Day of Practice – Fastest Time!
Early update:
Wow! Pikes Peak testing went great today. Dark Helmet is getting dialed in. @RandyPobst ran a 2:30.2 in the mid section. 4 seconds faster than any car in any class today! There are some truly epic race cars & we’re honored to represent our UP tuned Tesla family sedan amongst the… pic.twitter.com/LG5B7s24xC
— UNPLUGGED PERFORMANCE (@UnpluggedTesla) June 20, 2023
6/19/2023 – Pikes Peak 2023: Day 1 – Tesla X UP Kick-off Event
Unplugged Performance teamed up with Tesla Colorado Springs to kick off our 2023 Pikes Peak week. With Dark Helmet on display, Tesla owners and future Tesla owners joined our famed racing driver, Randy Pobst, our co-founder Ben Schaffer and the Tesla Colorado Springs staff for an incredible afternoon of interviews and Q&A!
Stay tuned all week for daily updates of our practice/qualifying runs, testing and tuning recaps, exclusive interviews, and of course, race day this Sunday, 6/25!
Official GIVEAWAY announcement: if you want to win a track day with Randy Pobst for some hot laps and private instruction in a track-prepped Unplugged Performance Tesla Model 3 Ascension R, just click HERE go to unpluggedperformance.com/randy and sign up for our newsletter. (or use the button link below this)
Thanks to Tesla, Yokohama Tire, SpaceX Starlink and Casa Bonita
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