Earth Day at the electric car races.

Byline: Andrea Damewood The Register-Guard

During her weekend of honor, Mother Nature chose to make her appearance by dumping massive amounts of rain on those outside celebrating her.

Among them were 35 electric cars slip-sliding their way around a half-mile track at Lane Community College on Saturday, as part of the Earth Day Weekend Electrathon Car Races hosted by Willamette High School and co-sponsored by the Eugene Water & Electric Board.

"Seems we get rained on during about half of our Earth Days," Willamette physics and engineering teacher Mike Hodgert said, as he donned a rain jacket and helped his team through pre-race checklists.

The competition's goal is to complete as many laps as possible in one hour, racing around the track at speeds of 30 to 35 mph, Hodgert said. High school teams from all over the Pacific Northwest battle for trophies and top points in a seven-race circuit, he said, while adult enthusiasts are also welcome to join in.

Slick conditions and short circuits were on the minds of many racers as they queued up at the starting line.

"I'm not too worried about it though," said driver James Watson, in a car built by a team from River Ridge High School in Lacy, Wash. "I've never been able to slide this car too well."

The electric cars must have three or more wheels, meet certain safety requirements and have no more than 67 pounds of batteries, Hodgert said.

After that, design is left entirely up to the minds of the engineers, whose touches are reflected in flame details, neon pink paint jobs and even a car shaped like a wolverine.

The fiberglass Willamette mascot was fashioned by Hodgert - complete with claws - and attached to a three-wheeled car with the number 38.

Senior Eric Gaston was tapped to drive the flagship Willamette car, one of 14 the school entered in Saturday's race.

"All I gotta worry about is trying to keep it on the track, and don't roll it," he said. "My teacher has a habit of doing that."

Hodgert said he's flipped the wolverine four times, had two head-on collisions and been in a couple of T-bone accidents. The carnivorous vehicle has seen its ears, claws and bottom jaw replaced.

Powering out of the starting line, the drivers seemed to be taking the curves a bit more cautiously than they would in clear conditions, and none lost control around a sweeping first turn.

Unfortunately for a team from Hood River Valley High School, one car - number 17 - never moved forward.

"We have three other cars going right now; hopefully they'll do better," Kory Castro said, checking battery power with a volt meter while the rain continued to beat down.

As the hour of racing wore on, battery power became an apparent part of the strategy. At least half of the cars ran out of juice before the end, Hodgert said. The tiny cars slogged up a small hill on the course, swapping some paint with those trying to get around them.

In the end, Willamette High School graduate Jacob DePew claimed the top trophy, completing 46 laps before officials waved the checkered flag. Car number 25 from Centennial High School in Gresham took the highest high school honors, with 44 laps. Gaston, in the Willamette wolverine, tied for third.

Across town Saturday, other Earth Day revelers used their feet, bikes and free Lane Transit District shuttles to hit the "Spirit of Sustainability," celebration at EWEB's Eugene campus.

The utility hosted more than 40 outdoor educational booths including a book sale, an art and writing contest for kids and "geocaching," a high-tech scavenger hunt using global positioning devices.

EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES

Today's events include:

Celebration: The Cascades Raptor Center, 32275 Fox Hollow Rd., holds its 13th Annual Earth Day Celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with live music, more than 60 birds, activities and shopping. Admission is a suggested donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children under 12.

Recycling: NextStep Recycling hosts two electronics recycling events in Eugene and Springfield. All items are free to recycle except items with high lead content, including televisions, monitors and uninterrupted power supply batteries, which have a sliding scale of fees.

NextStep will be at the following business parking lots from noon to 4 p.m. today:

Springfield: Best Buy, 3300 Gateway St.

Eugene: Wal-Mart, 1040 Greenacres Road.