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Cold January morning in California brought some exciting racing at TeslaCorsa 27, held at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California, bringing together Tesla enthusiasts and fans alike for yet another great race weekend filled with fun

The first event of 2023 came up on a cold January morning, but that didn’t keep the conversations in the paddock down as spirits were high for several reasons. One of them was the presence of an unusual entry at our events, a full fledge racecar from Unplugged Performance, a vehicle that broke its bones (literally) on the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. Dubbed “Bionic Phoenix”, this completely rebuilt Tesla Model 3 racecar was rebirth after spending two years in the operating room, turning this banged-up racecar into a center-seat piece of ultimate downforce Model 3 racing awesomeness that raised brows and sparked conversation. A fully stripped down, reconfigured for max downforce, sporting race suspension, wrapped in dry carbon fiber widebody, sporting monstrously wide lightweight forged wheels. It was the center of attention for most of the morning.

Unplugged Performance Tesla Model 3 Bionic Phoenix Image 1

Even in sort of a cautious shake-down mode, the car was pacing a 1:52 with the front aerodynamics and rear wing removed, and the sight & experience for amateur Tesla enthusiasts at TeslaCorsa was certainly a spectacle, a welcoming surprise for our fellow weekend racers. It also brought on several conversations about improving the suspension & handling on their road-legal Model 3s, and that’s the true goal of TeslaCorsa; the advancement of Teslas as tools for some impressive lap times and loads of fun.

THE CONDITIONS AND INTERESTING DETAILS FROM TESLACORSA 27 EVENT

Last Saturday, attendees could see something rather peculiar and rare for Buttonwillow, no matter what time of the year it was. In the middle of the track, between the home straight and the bus stop at the Buttonwillow Raceway, just a few yards from the track, there were large pools of water with ducks swimming in them, something we don’t see here a lot. It was there, where grass escape zones would usually be, a family of ducks was sitting peacefully, minding their own business.

The cold and dirty track resulted in some people going off. Whilst things like these happen, as this is a track event, overall safety is always high at TeslaCorsa events, thanks to our HPDEs held before each event.

The usual suspects from San Francisco Bay Area were in attendance and from Southern California as well as some newcomers. There is usually a friendly rivalry between experienced drivers who push their cars and themselves to the limit, but this event was met with some unusual circumstances. Those circumstances brought everyone together more. Folks just talked even more than usual… About Tesla, the racing, the cars, the dangers, and the big, beautiful lake in the middle.

Ryan from Kilowatts posted a 2:06 impressively in the bone-stock Model Y…and that was another thing people did speak of about the event. A great time was had by all! We hope to see you at the next one!

You can take a look at the action from this event in the media gallery right below.