Snoqualmie Valley rally school gets ready to host extreme race
April 8, 2011
By Dan Catchpole
Metropolitan King County Council has given the OK for a high-profile rally car race outside Snoqualmie at the former Weyerhaeuser mill site.
DirtFish Rally School is hosting the event, one of three races in the Global RallyCross Championship.
Some of the world’s elite drivers will go head to head at the mill site April 15-16. ESPN has already agreed to broadcast the event May 14.
Greg Lund, an executive at DirtFish, said he expects fewer than 30 cars to compete and about 300 spectators.
It could be a recurring event and could draw more spectators in the future. Still, rally cross races are never very big spectator draws, Lund said.
But the international event and its international television coverage could boost DirtFish’s profile.
That means more customers for the school that teaches people how to drive souped-up four-wheel drive cars on dirt and gravel tracks.
Those customers and spectators will likely spend money in Snoqualmie, Lund said.
Since opening last year, DirtFish’s classes have had a steady demand, drawing would-be extreme drivers from across the country and from all walks of life, he said.
The school has even had some celebrities stop by, including Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson, who started a game in the 2010 World Series.
Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.
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