Tesla crashed a Model S Plaid on a test track in Germany. Tesla brought the Model S to the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany with the intention of setting a new record. Instead, they crashed the Model S Plaid. Thankfully no one was hurt. So what exactly happened with the Tesla Model S Plaid crash?

How did the Model S Plaid crash?

Tesla was attempting to break a record at the track. It isn’t known exactly what goal they were trying to beat that day. However, Tesla had been trying to get a 7:05 on a previous attempt at the 13-mile Nürburgring. 

The Nürburgring track is known for being secretive. We may never know exactly what happened. At this time there’s no formal report about what went wrong on the track. The only thing that’s known is that behind the Tesla crash a BMW M8 also crashed, meaning there were two accidents which had to be cleared.

Because of the Tesla Model S Plaid crash, as well as the BMW crash, very few cars were able to complete their runs. Ten cars had planned on making test runs that day. Unfortunately, only two cars were able to complete their runs. The cleanup of the Tesla and Corvette accidents created delays. Therefore, the track’s testing window to close without any more cars being able to try their best to perform an impressive – and possibly record breaking – run. The two cars that were able to get their runs in were a McLaren 765LT and a Cadillac CT5-V.

The Nürburgring track is very dangerous

According to Business Insider, 70 people have died at the Nürburgring track since 1927. It’s been nicknamed the “Green Hell” by Formula 1 driver Jackie Stewart because of its dangerous nature. 

There are several factors that make the Nürburgring such a challenging and deadly place to drive. One of these are steep and sudden elevation changes. In one area of the track, the course drops nearly 1,000 feet. Business Insider says that some of the changes happen without warning as well, meaning you’d have to know the track really, really well to navigate them. 

Other areas of the track involve going airborne and having to take turns at 120 mph. There’s also not a lot of space for a driver to make a mistake. If a car goes even slightly off the course in most areas, it will hit a barrier almost immediately. 

The Tesla Model S Plaid is designed for speed

According to Electrek, Tesla has been “testing track modifications” that could make it even faster. They go on to say that Tesla intends to bring a Roadster prototype to the Nürburgring track at some point. This Roadster will have the potential to set a new record.

Many professional drivers want to try driving at the Nürburgring track. Many car manufacturers want to test out their cars on it as well. When drivers are trying to top out a car as much as possible on a dangerous track, it’s inevitable that there will be accidents. Luckily no one was hurt in the Tesla Model S Plaid crash. We’ll have to wait to see what the Plaid and Roadster can do some other time.