SHELTON, Wash. — The Olympus Rally is an event like no other in the world of rally racing. With over four decades of extreme action, the first Olympus Rally was held in 1973 in Shelton as part of the SCCA Pro Rally Championship.
It continued to be part of that championship through 1975. In 1976, it became part of the NARA (North American Rally Association) championship (which later changed its name to NARRA, North American Rally Racing Association).
From 1985 to 1987, the Olympus was even around in the World Rally Championship.
Olympus Rally is known for having some of the most treacherous stages in North America. And attacks the best drivers in the world.
“Washington is extremely lucky, this race has got a lot of historic value to it,” Mike Shaw said.
“Blasting through the woods as fast as you can go 100 miles down the road, keeps you pumped for a while,” Steve McQuaid said.
With each stage being run twice, drivers will be able to try to get more comfortable as they keep running loops. But with that being said, incoming rain this weekend, potholes, and large, sharp rocks are present and ready to cause problems for any team traversing these stages.
“Olympus Rally is a real challenge, we have fast parts, technical parts, slippery parts,” said Subaru Motorsports USA Driver Rhianon Gelsomino.
“The mountainous region and the trees, it’s pretty treacherous. Treacherous and rally go hand and hand together,” said driver Matthew Brassfield.
The 2022 Olympus Rally took place on the weekend of April 23 and 24 with a big celebration, this time welcoming many spectators after years of restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic.
“The fans make everything so much better, it's just a pleasure to have everyone here.”
This year’s winners were Driver Brandon Semenuk and Co-Driver Keaton Williams from Subaru Motorsports USA.
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