This past weekend at Sebring, Jonathan Bickford put on an incredible display of skill and speed, battling through a highly competitive field in pursuit of victory. Backed by Unplugged Performance, he delivered a thrilling showcase of high-performance electric racing, proving just how capable Tesla’s platform can be.
Dominating Autocross & Speed Stop
Jonathan kicked things off with a major win, taking the overall top spot in autocross after a tight battle. His performance in the Speed Stop challenge was so dominant that the competition didn’t even return for the second session—proof of just how dialed in both car and driver were.
Strong Performance on the Road Course
Heading into the time attack, Jonathan held a solid third place in the morning session—exactly where he needed to be to take the overall weekend win. The car was perfectly prepped, and his first flying lap started off with record-breaking speed, hitting an incredible 1.9g in Turn 1, the highest he’d ever recorded. Braking forces hit 1.7g, showing just how much confidence and grip he had on track.
The lap was shaping up to be a game-changer, but an unexpected off-track moment from another competitor forced Jonathan to abandon the run. A wall of dust and dirt erupted ahead, making it impossible to see what was happening. Expecting a caution flag, he backed off. Incredibly, the other car—fellow Tesla driver Brandon—reappeared on track seemingly unscathed, but by then, the lap was lost.
Overcoming Challenges & Lessons Learned
On the next attempt, something felt off—power delivery wasn’t at its peak. While corner speeds remained impressive, the car was down 18 mph by the end of the back straight compared to the morning session. Sebring is a long track with heavy throttle use, but the drop-off was more than expected, raising new questions about energy management on high-speed circuits.
Despite the challenge, Jonathan fought hard and secured second place overall with 397 points—just a single point behind the GT3 winner. The razor-thin margin shows just how competitive the weekend was.
Looking Ahead
While this wasn’t the ultimate result he was aiming for, the weekend delivered valuable insights and reinforced the potential of electric performance at the highest levels of competition. With the continued support of Unplugged Performance, there’s no doubt that even greater results are ahead.
Next up? Perhaps the legendary high-speed straights of Road America. One thing’s for sure—Jonathan Bickford is just getting started.
