NEDRA 1998 Woodburn Unplugged Results

 

Dennis Berube vs. a Dodge Viper

The event at Woodburn, OR on August 29, 1998 was an exciting one with lots of historic moments. First up, the Viper Club was gracious enough to return to the drag strip and drag against our quickest EVs. If you recall last year, the fastest Viper ran against Dennis Berube and his "Current Eliminator" dragster and the Viper was soundly beaten. This year, the Vipers were back for revenge and raced against the two quickest EVs, Dennis "Kilowatt" Berube's "Current Eliminator III" dragster and Rod "Wildman" Wilde's "Maniac Mazda" RX7. Dennis not only set a new NEDRA World Record, 10.673s , but he also beat the Viper...again.

Rod Wilde vs. a Dodge Viper

Roderick also made history by beating the Viper in his Mazda and also finishing the quarter mile in just over 12 seconds, making his Mazda the first street bodied EV to ever break 100 mph in the quarter mile. In fact, in one run of the Mazda, it finished the quarter mile at 114.85 mph! This sets a new benchmark for street bodied EVs to break. In case there is any confusion, Rod did indeed break into the 11s with the Mazda, but he red lighted so it is not recorded as a NEDRA official record. Still, it's an amazing achievement for a street bodied EV and worth noting!

Bill Dube gets a tow

Alas, there were also some tragedies, too. Both John Wayland and Bill Dube blew their transmissions. As EVs become more powerful, like John's and Bill's, we may see more of this happening. At least John managed to squeeze in one run with his Zombie before the breaking the drive shaft. Bill, the on the other hand, in a spectacular show, made it about 60ft down the strip, leaving a trail of gear parts. On the left is a shot of John Wayland's Outlaw Heavy Metal Garden Tractor (complete with CD changer) cranking the tunes and towing Bill Dube's injured Wabbit.

The EV couch

And what day isn't complete without electrified furniture. This electric sofa was created by Otmar Ebenhoch of EVCL. It sure makes getting those snacks an easy task!

A gif of the poster from the event is available from Christopher Meier's page. T-shirts from Woodburn:Unplugged are aso available. The all cotton shirts are available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL and are white with the poster image on the front. On the back is a graphic that says "Woodburn: Unplugged - Rubber ought to be laid electrically". When images of the shirts are available, they will be posted. In the meantime, you can order one for $18 plus $2 postage and handling (per shirt), sent to: NEDRA, 2430 S.W. Scenic Dr, Portland, OR 97225. Please indicate the size shirt you would like.

The table below contains the best times for the vehicles which ran. Vehicles that are 96V and under have their times recorded for the 1/8 mile rather than the 1/4 mile. Also, times in red are new NEDRA World Records. Click on the owner and vehicle for a picture of the vehicle, if available.

For additional pictures and commentary of Woodburn: Unplugged 1998, you can check out Wilde EVolution's photos of the Maniac Mazda or Dave Robinson's photos.

Last updated 9/9/98