The problem with a really smart car is it can sabotage you. OK here's what happened at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, CA, last night:
Race 1: Against a Model 3 Performance. I had him off the line and was pulling away. Suddenly the car slowed. It caught me by surprise. I stomped the go-pedal again to override whatever the problem was. He sailed past me and won. I checked the settings. I thought maybe Autopilot interfered, so I turned it and a bunch of other stuff off.
Race 2: Against a Dodge Charger Hellcat. The light turned green and he disappeared behind me. Again, car slowed at 85. This time I was quicker to recover. Beat the Dodge.
I parked in the pit area. Got into a chat with a couple Tesla experts. They turned off the 85 mph speed limit setting on my app. I have to use the app to turn that off?
Race 3: Against a Subaru (I think, it was dark, hard to see badges/logos.) The car did not slow. Yay! Beat him.
Race 4: Against a rail (pro dragster machine, tiny wheels up front, engine in the middle, seat, drag slicks out back, the whole assembly held together with a few steel rails). There was no way I could beat him. I lost by 2-3 car lengths. Come on, guys, put me against a car, will ya? And again, the car slowed at around 85. I had made no changes to settings. WTF?
And when the car slows, brake lights come on, which is just embarrassing. Who in blazes slows down in the middle of a drag race?
Next time I go racing, I do not want the car slowing like that. Any advice appreciated, thank you.
Race 1: Against a Model 3 Performance. I had him off the line and was pulling away. Suddenly the car slowed. It caught me by surprise. I stomped the go-pedal again to override whatever the problem was. He sailed past me and won. I checked the settings. I thought maybe Autopilot interfered, so I turned it and a bunch of other stuff off.
Race 2: Against a Dodge Charger Hellcat. The light turned green and he disappeared behind me. Again, car slowed at 85. This time I was quicker to recover. Beat the Dodge.
I parked in the pit area. Got into a chat with a couple Tesla experts. They turned off the 85 mph speed limit setting on my app. I have to use the app to turn that off?
Race 3: Against a Subaru (I think, it was dark, hard to see badges/logos.) The car did not slow. Yay! Beat him.
Race 4: Against a rail (pro dragster machine, tiny wheels up front, engine in the middle, seat, drag slicks out back, the whole assembly held together with a few steel rails). There was no way I could beat him. I lost by 2-3 car lengths. Come on, guys, put me against a car, will ya? And again, the car slowed at around 85. I had made no changes to settings. WTF?
And when the car slows, brake lights come on, which is just embarrassing. Who in blazes slows down in the middle of a drag race?
Next time I go racing, I do not want the car slowing like that. Any advice appreciated, thank you.