text/photos by: Holley Motor Life and Bryan McTaggart
Celebrating the Community & Performance of Electric Vehicles!
Ever since the 2008 Tesla Roadster proved that an electric vehicle could be both efficient, usable for more than around-town driving, and jaw-dropingly fast, there has been a segment of the automotive world that has taken a keen interest in what an electric vehicle can do. Don’t believe an EV can be fast? Think about this: the slowest-accelerating EV on the market at the moment, the 2021 Hyundai Ioniq, goes 0-60 in ten seconds flat…or, for comparison’s sake, a time comparable to a factory late-1970s Corvette. The current benchmark is now the Tesla Model S Plaid, which can accelerate to 60 MPH in under two seconds! Holley’s latest special event, the High Voltage Experience, will be a celebration of electric speed and debut at Sonoma Raceway in California. Enthusiasts, spectators, and drivers are all welcome.
The Holley High Voltage Experience is a two-day celebration of all-electric power and what it is capable of. Acceleration tests at the drag strip are just a section of what will be available for enthusiasts to participate in and spectate while they are enjoying Sonoma’s world-class layout. There will be an autocross that will test your vehicle’s low-speed handling abilities through the cones, and if you want to feel what the handling is like at a faster speed, the Road Course Experience will allow drivers to take on Sonoma’s track, either at a learning pace with the help of drivers such as Randy Pobst, Ian Baas and Mitch Wright or, if they already have experience, at a full chat. It would be a shame to come out to the gorgeous Napa Valley region and not go out on a cruise, and if you’re feeling bold you can sign up for the Grand Champion competition and test yourself and your car in three events (drag racing, autocross and the 3S Challenge) to see if you’ve got enough all-around skill to take the prize.
If this sounds like an asphalt-only, moderate show that doesn’t tune in to the hard-core gearhead, think again. Like to play in the dirt? Kyle Seggelin’s King of the Hammers-prepared Toyota 4Runner will be putting on an exhibition event to showcase what an EV can do when the asphalt ends and the rocks begin. Are you a serious speed junkie, somebody who is used to 10,000 horsepower Hemis howling pass after pass?
The Current Technology dragster from SeaTac, Washington, the first EV dragster to break the 200 MPH barrier, will be on-hand making demonstration passes. Not a straight line enthusiast? No problem. The Napoleon Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro “EL1” is scheduled to hang the tail out on drift runs throughout the weekend, proving EVs can fire the hydes just as well as their gas-drinking counterparts.
From the newest, fastest machines, to home-built EV-swap projects, the world of electric vehicles and hot-rodding couldn’t be brighter. The Holley High Voltage Experience takes place November 13-14, 2021. You can see more information and register to attend at www.holleyhighvoltage.com
AutoCentric Media is the fastest-growing all-encompassing digital magazine, catered to automotive enthusiasts from all walks of life, with various interests.