Watch A Tesla Model 3 With FSD Beta Tackle A Race Track On Its Own

The driver set the maximum speed to 80 mph, but the car chose safety over speed.

By: Iulian Dnistran

Mar 13, 2023 at 5:36am ET

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Tesla’s so-called Full-Self Driving (FSD) option is sometimes extremely impressive in the way it handles tough traffic situations on its own and sometimes it’s not exactly the pinnacle of accuracy in the driver assistance systems world

And the recent recall announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) only adds fuel to the fire, saying Tesla’s FSD Beta “may allow the vehicle to act unsafe around intersections.”

But the video embedded below doesn’t have anything to do with the recent software troubles. Instead, it’s another page in the Look at what Tesla’s tech can do book, showcasing the aforementioned FSD Beta system on a Tesla Model 3 that basically drove itself on a race track – specifically, on the Streets of Willow circuit in Southern California.

The video was shot by the folks at MotorTrend, who put a driver behind the wheel of the Model 3 for safety’s sake and also because FSD Beta is still a Level 2 assistance system that occasionally checks if there’s a hand on the steering wheel, otherwise it disengages.

And, as you can see, the car performed without any major hiccups, with MotorTrend writing on its website that the Model 3 recognized it was on a local road, which is why it mostly stuck to the right side of the track, trying to be as safe as possible on a road without a center divider.

The top speed was set at 80 miles per hour but, again, the Tesla chose safety over speed, rarely exceeding 40 mph. A cautious approach, but then again, the car thought it was on city streets, so 40 mph seems more than enough for this type of scenario.

What do you think?

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There is no video showing the pedals, but the article states the driver didn’t touch them throughout the lap, even if pushing the accelerator would have helped with the pace, which ultimately means the Tesla Model 3 with FSD Beta enabled managed to drive itself around the track without issues.

As always, you can scroll down to the comments section below and tell us your thoughts.