We've written a fair bit about motorcyclists having run-ins with Tesla drivers, and by now, if you've been a rider for more than a minute, you're probably already aware that there've been lawsuits over Tesla's self-driving features not seeing motorcyclists properly out on the road. But this story is something different.
Over a sunny October weekend at the Buttonwillow Raceway in California, a Tesla driver somehow managed to enter a live racetrack during the final event of the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM)'s 2025 racing season. Round 5 took place at Buttonwillow on October 25 and 26, and during the Open SuperSport and Middleweight Supersport Race 7, a random Tesla suddenly appeared on track.
Race marshals were incredibly quick to respond, red-flagging the race immediately. No racers were injured in the incident, and they avoided the incursion and got themselves past the intruding vehicle and out of harm's way.
The event was being livestreamed, so there's video and you can see and hear how the race commentators reacted as the Tesla incursion happened in real time. Luckily, YouTube lets you embed videos with specific timestamps, which is what we've done here to start you at the right moment. In case it doesn't work, please start the video at 7:23:42 if you want to see the Tesla on track.
One commentator joked that Elon must have it in for the AFM, since their Starlink connection had gone down earlier and they were relying on some guy's mobile hotspot to do their livestream. Relatable content, making jokes to deal with a stressful situation; I'm sure a lot of us have probably done something similar. If you're in the commentary booth, it's maybe not the same thing as doing a live radio or TV broadcast, but excessive dead air is still likely something to be avoided.
Why was the Tesla out on track at all? That's not known at this time, but Buttonwillow Raceway Park does note that its facilities have 16 Tesla Superchargers on the premises. They are, according to BRP's website, "located next to the nearly 9,000 sq. ft tower building." So it's possible that the Tesla's navigation guided the car the wrong way, but it's still unclear how exactly they managed to get out on track during a live race.
This is in no way meant to excuse the driver not having the situational awareness to go "hey, maybe I shouldn't just drive out onto a racetrack without stopping to check if anyone's using it," but I'm sure most of us have probably experienced navigational screwups by now. I've had Google Maps try to guide me down streets that don't connect or even exist, or try to take me the wrong way down a one way street. More than once, too.
But I suppose the question is, at what point do you pull over and reroute instead of simply continuing to drive or ride forward when you realize your navigation has let you down? Nav systems aren't always right, and reaction time when they're wrong can sometimes be a matter of life and death.
Do you have a good (or bad) story about your navigation taking you the wrong way? Or heck, a weird run-in with a Tesla? Let us know in the comments.
