Drag Racing World Recognizes the Electric Vehicle

The world of electric drag racing just got a whole lot more exciting with the announcement from the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) with the incorporation of electric vehicles into their rule book. For your average drag race fan, this change opens a new and exciting chapter on the drag race scene, not seen since the likes of the inception of the electric vehicle itself. Creating this change paves the way for emerging technologies to compete alongside their combustion engine counter parts at race tracks across Canada and throughout North America.

Akin to their top alcohol vehicles and motorcycles, the time for electrics has come. With the rapid development in battery technology, electric drag racers are getting faster with each passing month. The race track also provides a platform for battery research and development which helps pave the way for the further evolution of the electric vehicle movement.

The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) and the IHRA have formally recognized electric cars and motorcycles, including electric junior dragsters are now in their 2012 rule book. The IHRA, formed in 1970, is the largest drag racing sanctioning body in Canada and the second largest in the US.

It has been a landmark year for NEDRA in Canada with the creation of Canada's only electric drag racing chapter and the appointment of Casey Mynott as NEDRA's Canadian West Coast regional director. 2011 will also be marked as historic for Canadian drag racing with the debut of Canada's first electric drag racing vehicle, including a record setting run with the Delta Secondary School Drag Racing team, lead by Mynott. "We are extremely excited by this move from NEDRA and the IHRA," states Casey Mynott, Delta Secondary Automotive Instructor and NEDRA regional director. "This development continues to push the envelope for electric drag racing and provides a great platform for further expansion of our high school electric drag racing program."

Mynott and his students from Delta Secondary School spent two years converting a 1989 Toyota pickup truck to Canada's first electric drag racing truck earlier this year, setting Canada's first and fastest electric drag racing record. 2012 will provide new opportunity for Mynott and his students with the addition of a junior dragster to their racing program.

The National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) and the IHRA have implemented this historical change which will smooth the way for new, exciting and safe electric vehicle (EV) drag racing events.