Prius Challenge brings slow, efficient racing to Sonoma Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (KGO) -- There was a big race Friday in Sonoma County, and we use the word "race" loosely. Toyota Priuses went head to head in the name of science and efficiency.

In that hectic race otherwise known as our daily commute, we all know that there are three kinds of drivers, and two of them roll in Priuses, "The slow one and the slow one," said one driver.

An overflow crowd craned their necks and crunched data in an effort to satisfy their need for speed.

The Prius challenge maybe has to be one of the quietest motor races in the world. Organizers will tell you this is not about being fast, it's about being efficient.

They get nine laps. The top speed limit is 60, and they're going maybe nine or ten miles per hour. Observers would wonder why the drivers are even wearing protection.

It's certainly a bit different from other fabled races at Sonoma Speedway. Instead of braun, think brains.

While an average driver in San Francisco might get 45 miles per gallon, here in identically set-up cars, they expected to crack the century barrier. It's all strategy.

There is nothing else quite as seductive as the small of a charged battery and the roar of an electric motor.

The winner crunched around the track at 85 miles per gallon. Not one of the drivers actually drives a Prius in real life.

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