National Drive Electric Week

National Drive Electric Week
Silent Thunder
Kent, WA
Sep 20, 2015

Day: Sunday, September 20, 2015 NOTE: this event has already happened, find current-year events on the Attend page.
Time: Gates open at 7:30 am, racing until 3:00 pm
Location: Pacific Raceways
31001 144th Ave SE
Kent, WA 9804
Contact the event organizers, which took place in 2015.

Event Report

Silent Thunder II had a much smaller turnout than last year but it was still an exciting afternoon of 100% pure electric drag racing at Pacific Raceways in Kent! :)

Despite poor weather, we had people come from Southern Washington and as far north as Vancouver Canada. Throughout the day there were between 30 and 70 people. Vehicles included a bunch of Model S sedans (including a P85D!), some electric bicycles, Nissan LEAFs, a Chevy Volt, a converted BMW Z3, a converted Honda Del Sol, an electric Fiero and Dave Cloud's latest super low-slung creation.

Of the approximately 20 EVs in attendance about a dozen of them raced the track.

Highlights included massive tire smoking burnouts from a 2011 and 2013 Nissan LEAF and an 11.8 second pass from the Tesla P85D!


photo by: Aakanksha Gavalli
Ryan Fulcher burns rubber instead of oil as he lights up the tires on his stock 2011 Nissan LEAF before racing against Ron Easley in his 2013 Nissan LEAF at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA. Teslas and various other electric vehicles can be seen waiting in the staging lanes in the background.

Event Description

 

Event is open to all 100% electric vehicles and will be an exciting combination of road racing in the morning with a professional race driver leading on the 2 1/2 mile road course, and then continuous drag racing in the afternoon on the 1/4 mile drag strip. Competing vehicles will include high-performance conversion EVs, purpose-built racing machines, and factory produced EVs including Tesla, Nissan, BMW, Mitsubishi and others.

This is one of many events planned on Sept. 20 as a part of Plug-in America's National Drive Electric Week. When drag racing finishes at 3pm racers will caravan over to the historic Triple X Rootbeer in Issaquah for burgers, shakes and socializing.

Normally a day of racing like this costs upwards of $10K and the fees for road racing are about $395 per car, but Pacific Raceways believes electric vehicles are the future and in order to promote EVs and to make a successful and fun electric-only event track managers are willing to take on many of the costs themselves. Pacific Raceways has also installed many dedicated NEMA 14-50 outlets, a 70/80A J1772 EVSE. There is also an 80A HPWC and 70A J1772 for the Tesla Model S vehicles as well as a 70A Tesla Roadster High Power Connector! NEDRA's Stephen Johnsen will be bringing L6-20 and L6-30 outlet adapters for polite sharing of 14-50s by lower power LEAFs etc. Stephen will also bring his Range Trailer to offer up to 28kW DC fast charging to any conversion or racer equipped with a gray or orange Anderson SB-350 and proper wiring going DIRECT to the most positive and negative terminal in your battery pack. (Range Trailer fast charging is limited to battery pack voltages between 48 and 450VDC)

PRICING
Gates open at 7:30 a.m.
Gate Admission for all spectators and participants-
*Adults 18 and over $15
*12-17 $5
*Under 12 FREE

FEES FOR RACERS
Road Course-
9am – 11am
$50 for 1/2 hour sessions on the 2 1/2 mile course. Instruction from professional drivers.

Drag Racing
11:30am – 3pm
$40 - Test and Tune. Make as many runs as you like down the drag strip. Open to all types of vehicles, here's an opportunity to skip the usual long staging lines, the stench of race fuel and loud gas cars and drag race your electric vehicle as much as you want! Go head-to-head with your 100% electric friends and see who's the quickest!

PLUS!- Discount for combination road racing and drag racing competitors which is $15+$50+$30 so total - $95 for racing both events.

All vehicles and drivers must pass safety/tech inspection. Bring a bike, motorcycle, car, dragster or just about anything as long as it's 100% electric. Please wear long pants and sensible shoes (no open toes or sandals) and make sure your vehicle is in safe operating condition. Come early to speed through safety/tech inspection and maximize your racing time!

Drivers of motorcycles and bikes must wear helmets and leather jackets. Helmets are recommended for all racers and required for convertibles and any EV quicker than 14.5 seconds in the 1/4 mile.

Get ready to burn rubber without burning oil and we'll see you bright and early Sunday Sept. 20th, 2015 at Pacific Raceways!

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ABOUT Pacific Raceways
Pacific Raceways is Washington's premier racing facility and NHRA sanctioned 1/4 mile drag strip first opened in 1959. The management at Pacific Raceways sees electric vehicles as an integral key to the future of racing and is boldly taking this on as an all-electric event!

ABOUT NEDRA
The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) exists to increase public awareness of electric vehicle (EV) performance and to encourage through competition, advances in electric vehicle technology. NEDRA achieves this by organizing and sanctioning safe and exciting electric vehicle drag racing events.

Registered Attendees

There is currently 1 attendee registered.

Owners of These Vehicles Have Registered To Attend

Vehicle Registered
Brammo 1
1 Model 1

Registered attendees report 5,380 electric miles driven.

Presented By

Plugin America logo
Electric Vehicle Association logo
Sierra Club logo
EVHybridNoire logo
Drive Electric USA logo

All NDEW 2024 sponsors support Plug In America's coordination of National Drive Electric Week.

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