Quad R1T Races at Laguna Seca Hillclimb

Why our pickup is a sleeper at the track

By Rivian

August 20^th, 2025

We recently took the Gen 2 Quad R1T to the WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca to run the Fourth Annual Corkscrew Hillclimb.

The course features one of the most famous—and challenging—turns in racing. Steep and twisting with up to a 16% grade, the Corkscrew is not for the faint of heart.

Quad is engineered for extreme fun. Its unique combination of power and finesse is astonishing on pavement. The staggered wheel package with sticky, ultra-high-performance Michelin tires maximizes on-road grip, while the longer wheelbase provides stability through turns and makes the most of all four motors.

That’s why the new Quad R1T is our go-to choice for racing exhibitions.

As a senior Rivian performance test engineer, Gardner Nichols’s job is to push the limits of what our vehicles can do.

With Gardner behind the wheel, the Quad R1T took third place overall at the hill climb—a proud showing, especially for a production pickup truck racing against dedicated and purpose-built race cars.

“The Quad R1T is almost underrated on pavement. The longer wheelbase is fantastic for stability, giving me the confidence to push hard on this technical track,” Gardner said.

Beyond raw power, the Quad-exclusive RAD Tuner is a secret weapon. This special software interface makes almost every drive setting customizable, from torque distribution to roll control, which helps wring out every last drop of performance.

Gardner takes full advantage of it. "There's no other vehicle that allows you to customize propulsion and suspension performance at the touch of a button like this. The RAD Tuner lets me experiment to find the perfect settings. Every event and track is different so it's cool that the user can dial in their preference based on where they're driving," he said.