Woodburn Visit

[Thomas Shay <tshay@ix.netcom.com>]

  Let me share some of my observations about Woodburn.
My wife and I drove to Woodburn Saturday morning
and arrived about 10AM.  We stayed until about 3PM.

  I've watched and enjoyed drag racing before, but doing
it electrically was new to me.  It was wonderful to hear
little more than the squeal of tires. I didn't miss the thunder
of giant unmuffled engines.

  The day belonged to Roderick Wilde.  He and his RX-7
were in top form.  He ran faster than ever before and
handily beat his competition including the Dodge Vipers.
The combination of two motors, two strings of batteries
and two of Otmar's Godzilla controllers is certainly a winner.
WAY TO GO, ROD!!

  Bill Dube's day didn't go so well.  His VW Wabbit was
my favorite car at Woodburn.  It's a beauty with its red
paint and yellow top and Bill's attention to details.  It
unfortunately wasn't his day to go racing.  The Wabbit's
differential spider gears exploded a few feet fom the
starting line, burst out of the transaxle case and spilled
most of its gear oil on the track.  I don't know if he had
a chance to make a run or two before he broke; I hope
it wasn't his first run than exploded the differential.

  It wasn't John Wayland's day either.  His Datsun died
at the starting line; John said it was probably the input
shaft to the transmission.

  Otmar Ebenhoech came up from Palo Alto driving his
stretched VW Vanagon made by grafting parts of two
bodies together.  His electric couch was a big hit
especially with the children in attendance.  He and the
couch were seen zipping around the area most of the
day usually with a half dozen delighted children aboard.

  John Bryan did manage to get his Karmann Ghia
from Boise to Woodburn.  I had looked forward to
seeing the Ghia and meeting John.  I wasn't disappointed.

  Denis Berube's electric dragster again was the fastest
vehicle in attendance.

  The Dodge Vipers with their V-10 engines were
awesome.  The engines sound sweet without the
uneven lope of a V-8.  They were no match for
Wilde's and Berube's electrics, but shouldn't be
since they aren't  all-out racers.  Anybody who
likes a fast, comfortable sports car and is not much
concerned about price should love the Vipers.

The small number of spectators in the stands was a
disappointment to me.  There was at least one TV
reporter and photographer on the scene including
one who rode with Rod Wilde on his winning run
against a Viper.  I hope there's a good piece on
TV about Woodburn.

   My encounter with a Twike was almost a
disaster.  When offered a ride in one, I said
yes.  It was evident that someone of my body
proportions (long torso, short legs and over-
weight) would have a problem getting in and out.
But I was game to try.  Getting in and out is a
challenge because the seat is almost a foot below
the bottom of the door opening, there are no good
hand holds and no way that I found to use the right
leg to any good effect.  I did manage to find a  spot
for my left foot, swing my bod over the door sill,
drop into the seat and drag my right leg inside.
The pedals also serve as foot rests but were too
far forward for me to use; I suppose this could
resolve by adjustment.  Once inside and settled,
things were almost comfortable. Performance
seemed adequate and the regenerative braking
was evident.  I didn't like the whine of the
gears when the car accelerated.  Getting out
without assistance was a challenge.  I got my left
foot braced, got my right foot over the door sill and
squirmed until I was far enough out to get my right
foot on the ground and stand up.  There probably
are more graceful ways to get in and out than I
used.

Tom Shay  1983 Ranger pickup conversion