Evasive Motorsports Tesla Model 3 is fastest EV at Pikes Peak - Speedway Digest

A wet course and dense fog during the 4,724ft climb to the finish line made the 100th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb especially challenging for drivers. Yet Japanese champion Daijiro Yoshihara was able to master the 156 turns on his way to the 14,115ft peak. He set a time of 11:06.205 in the Turn 14 Distribution / Yokohama Tire / ENEOS / Evasive Motorsports Tesla Model 3 Pikes Peak, which placed him ninth overall. As the fastest EV, he was second in the Exhibition Class because PPIHC currently lacks dedicated classes for electric vehicles. Winner of the class was a production 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight.

This year’s event was only the second outing for the Tesla Model 3 prepared by Evasive Motorsports in Cerritos, CA. Despite its promising form in practice and qualifying, a mechanical issue prematurely curtailed its 2021 attempt. During the interim, the team worked hard to understand the car and fine-tune both its aerodynamic and cooling efficiency (see Tech Spec below), making few additions to the race-prepped chassis other than switching to Yokohama racing tires for 2022.

“It’s been an incredible week with no issues,” Dai Yoshihara told us after his successful run. “Practice and qualifying went great, which almost seemed too good to be true. And then coming into today [Sunday] the weather became a big factor with the rain and fog. However, we felt it could give us a real chance because our weakness is the power of the car but the Yokohama wet tires work really well. Effectivley, the rain erased the advantage of the other cars and I think we got a really good result because of it, which I’m obviously delighted about.”

One of the biggest challenges for the Evasive Motorsports team had been battery cooling, which would enable the Tesla to run at full power for longer. With the improvements the team had made in terms of airflow into and around the car, and the arrival of colder, wet conditions, the Turn 14 Distribution / Yokohama Tire / ENEOS / Evasive Motorsports Tesla Model 3 Pikes Peak achieved what many people thought impossible a few years ago.

“With everything we learnt last year and the changes we made leading up to today, this week has been remarkably smooth sailing,” said Mike Chang from Evasive Motorsports. “Race day was challenging because we’ve never tested in wet conditions in Southern California, so the result is so much better than we could have hoped for. We’re super-stoked to be fastest EV and second in class.”

Another contributing factor in the successful 2022 PPIHC campaign was the inclusion of ENEOS EV Fluids. As Japan’s largest oil company working closely with the majority of Asian auto makers, ENEOS took the decision to create a range of fluids specifically for electric vehicles to service both its OE partners at the development stage and EV owners at the point of maintenance. Developed specifically for motor and battery applications, the new ENEOS EV Fluids used by the Turn 14 Distribution / Yokohama Tire / ENEOS / Evasive Motorsports Tesla Model 3 Pikes Peak promise greater efficiency, lubrication and cooling, delivering superior range and performance.

“We’re delighted by what Evasive Motorsports and Daijiro Yoshihara were able to achieve at Pikes Peak with the Tesla Model 3,” said Keisuke Yokochi, Chief Marketing Officer for ENEOS USA. “We knew the car and driver were extremely capable and we’re excited to have played a part in this incredible success!”

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Turn 14 Distribution / Yokohama Tire / ENEOS / Evasive Motorsports Tesla Model 3 Pikes Peak

Motor / Battery Cooling:

CSF Radiators radiator / oil cooler, NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) sprayer, custom hood vent and rear inlet ducts, EVS Tuning Dual Chiller

Suspension / Chassis:

KW Competition 3 Way coilover suspension, SPL Suspension spherical links, Evasive Motorsports spherical joints and custom front sway bar, MPP front upper A-arms and rear lower arms, Quaife ATB rear differential in modified frame, air jack lift system

Wheels / Tires / Brakes:

Prototype 18×11” Titan 7 T-P5 forged wheels with Evasive Motorsports rear aero covers, 280/680-18 Yokohama racing slicks / wet tires, Brembo Pista racing front brake kit, custom Brembo GTS rear brakes, CSG Racing brake pads, Evasive Motorsports electronic E-brake system

Exterior:

Artisan Spirits widebody fenders plus carbon fiber aero kit, Evasive Motorsports custom honeycomb carbon splitter and rear diffuser, EVS Tuning front bumper, carbon fiber vented hood and headlight covers, Voltex dry carbon Type 13 1800mm GT rear wing, Evasive Motorsports carbon fiber doors, roof, rear windshield, trunk lid and front air duct, Lexan windows

Interior / Safety:

Evasive Motorsports FIA-spec rollcage, Evasive Motorsports carbon fiber dashboard, Motec C127 Datalogger/dash display, Sparco carbon/Kevlar QRT-K racing bucket seat, six-point harnesses and steering wheel

Author
Recent Posts

Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.