The idea of the Electric GT championship got a lot more exciting since they finally decided to let go of the Tesla Model S P85+ and instead use the new Tesla Model S P100D with ‘Ludicrous+’.

They claim that their stripped-down racetrack-ready Tesla Model S P100D can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.0 seconds (0 to 100 km/h in 2.1 seconds). The organization has now confirmed a launch date for the first season of the championship where we will see this racetrack-ready P100D in action for the first time.

Electric GT CEO Mark Gemmel has been promising a launch in 2017, but he can now finally give a date – 12 August, 2017 – though he calls it “provisional”.

He confirmed the seven races of the season to Autocar last week:

12 August – Silverstone, UK

2 September – Assen, Netherlands

23 September – Nürburgring DTM Circuit, Germany

TBC – Algarve, Portugal

28 October – Misano, Italy

18 November – Barcelona, Spain

25 November – Paul Ricard, France

During each race, 10 teams will compete with 20 drivers and vehicles. Gemmel said that a race weekends will consist of “a 20-minute practice session, 30 minutes of qualifying and two 60km (37-mile) races, one in the day and one at dusk.”

The races will launch with standing starts, which Gemmel describes as a sight to see:

“Seeing 20 of these cars launch off – they’re about as fast or maybe even a bit faster than a Formula 1 car off the line. I think people will be surprised by the noise. When you get 20 cars together, you do get an interesting sense of power.”

Sure a launch can be exciting, but most people are interested in how the vehicles will perform when being pushed for 30+ minutes – like the races will require.

The powertrain was left untouched and aside from the stripped-down interior and adding a FIA roll cage, the vehicles are close to stock:

But Gemmel claims that the reduced weight alone should make a significant difference on the drivetrain:

“The standard drivetrain is in a 25% lighter car, so the stresses are actually less than it has been designed for in the production vehicle. This also makes the championship more valuable for Tesla road customers, as our racing cars are closer to what they drive so you’re essentially seeing a production vehicle on circiuit.”

That’s 525 kg (1157 lb) they claim to have removed from the vehicle.

It should make for an interesting race, which we will cover here. It will be available to stream via Youtube, Twitch and Periscope.

The company also released a cool 3D rendering video of the car to highlight its features and specs:

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