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Comment by theluketaylor | Hacker News Reader

Tons of equipment not legal for F1, but there is no denying the 919 is an absurdly fast car. Porsche is getting very good at using electric motors to make fast cars into insanely fast cars. 918 is a terrifyingly fast car, 919 is one of the all-time great endurance cars, and adding a hybrid to the panamera has only made it quicker.

Mission E could be a real monster with the lessons porsche learns in Formula E. One of the biggest ways you can tell tesla isn't a car guy car company is they don't have a Model S race series to beat their cars into the ground. Racing will find your poorly designed parts awfully quick.

Fast 0-60 launches a couple times is impressive, but consistent hot laps on a track is much, much harder. Model S can do a couple hot laps before giving up. I fully expect the Mission E to have a lot less quit in it.

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> Tons of equipment not legal for F1

Of course, it has also got some equipment that isn't spec even for a WEC car. This is great because it's dangerous and expensive but 100% done for fun, and it also hints at what closed-wheel racing might look like if they really took the gloves off. There was another hint last year when Toyota set some records at Le Mans (fastest around the track since they added the chicanes and within a second or two of the absolute record set by a Porsche 917 in 1971).

It won't happen but unlimited closed-wheel racing akin to the old Can-Am would really be something to see with today's technology.

I had this link open on my tabs as a coincidence.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2016/02/05/fifty-years-later-t...

There still is no racing like it. Crazy stuff.

including: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparral_Cars#2J

Tesla doesn't need PR or marketing though, they are production limited as far as I know?

If Tesla is production limited, shouldn't they just raise their prices? Or am I missing something.

Racing isn't just for PR. It's extreme abuse on every component. Automakers put their cars through intense testing before they hit showrooms. Racing just does it faster.

And then when you crash (and you will crash) you find out how easy or hard it is to repair.

arent the main issues with tracking ev's/teslas battery heat and brakes?

Brakes are an issue for almost any street car. Being heavy and fast makes it worse, but even something light and slow like a Miata will have brake issues on a track (not easy or cheap to solve either!)

The model S shares its cooling with the inverter the motor and the axle. I'm not sure if that is the limitation or the battery. The model 3 is different and there is video of one lapping ten or so laps at Laguna Seca without heat issues.

There is no inherent reason an electric car cannot be cooled enough to be a track car, the designer just has to make it a priority over say aerodynamic drag (and hence freeway range).

Tesla Model S/X don't have any cooling for the electric motor, because it's not needed for street driving. That's a significant issue for track driving, but not for drag racing.

So you're saying that drag racing isn't racing? Also, that it's important for street cars to have the extra cooling needed to run on the track? OK. Er, so, what exactly is Model S missing for the average driver?

The post you are replying to was talking about a different model of the Model S to sell to enthusiasts who wanted more, not "for the average driver".

Yes, I got that. Tesla already sells a top model to drag racing enthusiasts who want more drag racing oompf. The point I was attempting to make was about the meaning of "racing". I see that I didn't get my point across.

Drag racing is a different set of stress than wheel to wheel circuit racing, but even by the standards of drag racing Model S is fairly weak. It can handle a few launches before it needs to cool down and recharge.

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