Chelsea DeNofa Takes The Drifting Tesla To The Track, Chaos And Backies Follow
The Drift HQ crew took the recently built Wisefab-kitted Tesla drift build for its first real track test outside of the LZ Compound, and the results continued to be pretty surprising.
After just a few days of building the EV, multiple drivers pushed the electric drift machine to its limits. Unsurprisingly, it was former Formula Drift legend Chelsea DeNofa who stole the show.
Before getting in, he declared, “I’m going to send this thing to the f**king moon, dude.” Needless to say, he delivered on the promise.
After getting used to the unusual weight distribution in a couple of laps, he soon began pulling off insane backward entries in the drifting EV, leaving everyone speechless.
Image credit: YouTube - This Tesla’s First Time on a Real Track – It Went Crazy!
However, after the backies, in typical Chelsea style, he didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts on the build. “It needs way more power,” he explained.
The Tesla has “tons of power until about 65 mph of wheel speed,” but after that point, “… it just doesn’t have the balls. It needs a dual motor.”
He followed up with “Anything I did in this, I could do in a $6,000 E36 M3.”
While that might be a pretty harsh reality check, it’s clear Chelsea had a blast despite the limitations. At the end of the day, he’s used to rippin’ super lightweight 1,000-horsepower FD builds.
Image credit: YouTube - This Tesla’s First Time on a Real Track – It Went Crazy!
On the flipside, he clearly had a heap of fun, and praised the car’s low center of gravity, stating that it’s super easy to pull off backies as it’s got a “ton of side bite”.
Jordan, a BMW tuner, initially got behind the wheel skeptical, but came away super impressed. “This is crazy,” he kept repeating throughout his session.
Image credit: YouTube - This Tesla’s First Time on a Real Track – It Went Crazy!
He struggled with the lack of a clutch pedal and his habit of using left-foot braking, but concluded that the car “drifts really, really good” but also agreed that it could “use more power.”
While the Tesla has clear power limitations at higher speeds, the consensus was surprisingly overwhelmingly positive. The car’s low center of gravity and instant torque delivery apparently made it genuinely exciting to drive.
Image credit: YouTube - This Tesla’s First Time on a Real Track – It Went Crazy!
As Chelsea summed up, it’s “a new thing that’s exciting but it’s not the answer” – at least not yet. The “novelty” of silent, electric drifting isn’t for everyone, although it does seem there’s a lot of potential for drift EV’s.
Image credit: YouTube - This Tesla’s First Time on a Real Track – It Went Crazy!
… Even if you can do the same thing in a $6k BMW!
Written by:
Published on:
Bill is a writer and photographer who has been part of the Drifted team since 2015. His work extends to various print and online publications, including Wangan Warriors.
As part of the King of Nations team, he traveled extensively for several years, capturing top-tier international drift events worldwide. His hands-on experience, including rebuilding his own Nissan Silvia S15 drift car, gives him unique insights into drift car building and global drift culture.
When not behind the lens or keyboard, Bill can be found browsing classifieds for his next JDM project or shredding virtual tires on popular simulators like Assetto Corsa, CarX, and Forza.
You can learn more about Bill’s story here or follow his socials on X (formerly Twitter), Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
