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Blake Fuller Gunning for Pikes Peak Hill Climb Record in a Tesla Model S

From 1916 to date, Pikes Peak is the go-to place for drivers who want to race to the clouds. This year marks the centenary of the greatest hillclimb in the world and the first time the Tesla Model S will try to conquer the summit.
Blake Fuller and Tesla Model S 1 photo
Photo: Edited by autoevolution
The challenger who will race a Tesla Model S electric sedan through the 156 corners of the 12.42-mile (19.99 kilometers) stretch of tarmac is Blake Fuller. Blake, the owner of Go Puck and Braille Battery, is no stranger to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Fuller took on the hillclimb for the first time when he was 18 years old. The year was 1999 and, as fate would have it, Blake went on to win the Rookie of the Year award for his effort. This year, however, Fuller is more ambitious than when he was a youngster. As per a report published by Autobahn, the Tesla Model S he will be driving will undergo a teeny tiny modification.

If Fuller were to race in a bone stock Model S, be it a 70 kWh or a P100D with Ludicrous Mode, lugging around so much weight through so many corners on such a steep gradient takes its toll. More to the point, the Tesla Model S would go into limp mode to protect the battery from overheating.

To break the 12-minute 55-second record in the Electric Production class, Fuller’s company developed a special battery for the Model S in which he will compete, a pack said to be 80 percent lighter than the regular unit. I would’ve liked to tell you more about the car, but details are rather scarce right now. However, I can tell you that Fuller has a background in lightweight lithium-ion batteries specifically developed for motorsport applications, including the IndyCar Spec Battery that debuted in 2012.

The current record in the Electric Production class is held by Roy Richards. In the Electric Modified class, the best time was set last year by Rhys Millen (9 minutes and 7 seconds). The absolute record in the history of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was set by Sebastien Loeb in 2013 aboard his Peugeot 208 T16.

Look forward to June 26 to find out if Blake Fuller breaks the record in his near-standard Tesla Model S.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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