The Pikes Peak Hill International Hill Climb was quite eventful for electric car fans. At the beginning, there were three Tesla Model 3 sedans participating. However, two crashed before the official race even began. While one was unable to compete, the other underwent a speedy repair and returned for the race.
The crashed Tesla Model 3 was piloted by Randy Pobst. It was the Unplugged Performance Model 3 Ascension-R. Two-time Pikes Peak winner Blake Fuller drove another Model 3 to victory. However, it's important to note that this wasn't an overall victory, but instead the top position in the Exhibition Class. Interestingly, the Unplugged Performance Tesla was heavily modified, while Fuller's car was mostly stock.
Blake Fuller's Model 3 Performance ended the climb at 11:02.802. Randy Pobst was close behind, 11:04.131. The car that came in third was another 10 seconds back.
Unplugged Performance is an aftermarket company with plenty of experience prepping cars to set records. On the other hand, Fuller's situation was much more amateur. Although he's an accomplished driver, he didn't have the ability to pull this off on his own. Instead, he put together a team of friends and colleagues, who got plenty of support and donations from the Tesla community.
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The Unplugged Performance Tesla commanded the first section of the climb without a problem. However, heading into the next two sections it had battery heating problems, which left it behind Fuller in the end. It's crazy that the Model 3 was functioning on low power for much of the race and was still able to secure the second-place position. No matter how you look at it, a win is a win, and we're proud of Fuller. And, in the end, this is two big wins for the EV industry.
Watch the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb video featuring Blake Fuller above. We've also embedded the video featuring Randy Pobst below. Check them out and then leave us a comment.
