Professional Rally - DirtFish Sponsors Duplessis

SNOQUALMIE, Apr. 1, 2012: The DirtFish Rally School is pleased to announce it will sponsor three-time Rally America Two-Wheel Drive Champion Chris Duplessis in Rally America and selected World Rally Championship Academy events.

As part of the new association Duplessis, 25, will be a guest instructor at DirtFish, one of only three rally schools in the nation. Located just 30 minutes from downtown Seattle, it is an ideal training facility for professionals like Duplessis; amateur rallyists; individual enthusiasts; corporate groups and anyone who wants to improve their driving skills or simply have a great time.

Duplessis, who drives a Ford Fiesta R2 with co-driver Karl Atkinson, won Rally America’s two-wheel-drive (2WD) championship in 2007, 2008 and 2010. He’s off to a great start again this year, as he won the 2WD division in the first two rounds of the 2012 Rally America series.

“We’re excited to have Chris represent us,” said veteran race car driver Ross Bentley, president of the DirtFish Rally School. A winner of the 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 1998 United States Road Racing Championship GT3 driver’s championship, Bentley also competed in the CART IndyCar series. He’s the author of the popular “Speed Secrets” books, the best-selling series of performance driving books on the market.

Bentley and his team of coaches offer instruction in the mental aspects of performance driving as well as the physical techniques it requires. “I’m confident that our guests at DirtFish will enjoy getting to know Chris,” Bentley added. “They’ll be able to get tips from a rally champion, and his enthusiasm for rallying is contagious.”

“We also wanted to help support a young American rally driver,” said Bruce Cleland, head of marketing for DirtFish. “Chris is a great representative of our country, our school and our brand.”

Duplessis is currently in Portugal competing in the first round of the WRC Academy.

“I’m really excited to represent DirtFish,” Duplessis said. “The school is based at Old Mill Adventure Park, and it’s a great facility. I look forward to helping the school’s students as well as using the facility for my own training.”

The DirtFish Rally School’s mission is to create a passion for rally driving. It offers a selection of rally driving classes that range from just two hours to multiple days in length. The school utilizes Subaru all-wheel-drive rally cars.

Travis Pastrana has called DirtFish’s 315-acre facility at the base of Mount Si “a big skateboard park for adults.” A five-star resort and spa, a world-class golf course and a casino are nearby.

The property was formerly a lumber mill, and many of the original buildings dating back to the early 1900s are still on the property. The facility was also used for filming the TV show “Twin Peaks.” It features tarmac, loose gravel and dirt surfaces in both open and forested terrain. It has five purpose-built rally courses ranging from 1 to 3 miles in length.

Duplessis’s next rally in America is the Oregon Trail Rally May 4-6 in Portland. The Susquehannock Trail Rally in Wellsboro, Pa. follows June 1-2. The New England Forest Rally based in Newry, Maine will be held July 13-14 and the Olympus Rally in Seattle rounds out the schedule Sept. 22-23.