Here’s The Mad Tesla Model S That’ll Race In A New Electric GT Series

Tesla is entering the racing world and we’ve got our first look at the stripped-down Model S that’ll compete in the new Electric GT championship from next year.

20 drivers and 10 teams will compete in the series in 2017, with seven rounds taking place at European circuits like the Nurburgring, Brands Hatch, Mugello and Estoril.

The EDT Car V1.3 will be Tesla’s race car for Electric GT. It’s a revised version of the Model S P85, which has been stripped down and prepared for the series by EGT Engineering.

It’ll make its first public appearance in Ibiza later today but videos from Electric GT have given us our first look at what the Tesla race car will look like.

The P85+ is thought to have been chosen because of its rear-wheel-drive layout, rather than the all-wheel-drive found on other Teslas.

It’s been completely stripped down inside and fitted with the usual race car parts you’d expect, including a new aero kit, roll cage, suspension, modified steering and brake cooling. But the original powertrain from the Model S P85+ has been retained, interestingly. Race weekends will feature a 20-minute practice session, 30 minutes for qualifying and two 60km races.

Fortunately for us, the races will be streamed on YouTube, Periscope and Twitch. Which is pretty cool.

It’ll be interesting to see where Tesla goes from here in terms of motorsport and racing involvement, with series like Formula E now picking up pace.