The Tesla Model S Plaid just broke the stock electric vehicle lap record at Virginia International Raceway, setting a time of 2:50.7. Not only was it faster than any other stock EV that’s ever been there, but it did it with factory spec tires at all four corners. The only difference between a base Model S Plaid was the addition of carbon brakes.
Those brakes are an aftermarket solution but Tesla says that they’ll have a nearly identical full set available from the factory soon. As we’ve watched how the deed was done one thing has stood out: braking performance certainly doesn’t seem to be a major factor in the way this car laps the track.
The professional driver, Johan Schwartz, rockets around the track with what seem to be only brief stabs at the stop pedal. In one twisty section, we see the Plaid caught in short drifts not once, but twice during the record lap. Still, it knocked off the Taycan from the top spot by 4.5 seconds.
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The previous record was set by Car And Driver during its Lighting Lap competition in 2021 when the Porsche Taycan Turbo S blitzed the track in just 2:25.2. That was notable for a number of reasons, including the fact that it was the fourth-heaviest Lightning Lapper ever, including SUVs.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate that this is good news for Tesla in pretty much every way. The Model S Plaid has long been one of the fastest cars on the planet when it comes to acceleration but lap times haven’t been its forte. Moreover, VIR is no easy-going road course; that’s why Car And Driver use it for its yearly competition.
When the magazine brought a 2016 Model S P85D to the track it didn’t even manage a full lap before it went into limp mode. Before that, the brake pedal went all the way to the floor at the end of the first straight. So it’s clear that the Model S Plaid has grown quite a bit as a performance machine.