In front of thousands of spectators, more than 200 supercars from Canada and the United States cruised through B.C.’s Interior on Saturday morning for the return of the Okanagan Dream Rally.
From Kelowna to Penticton, drivers across the region were each accompanied by a deserving child or youth on July 30, with the goal of raising $1 million for charity.
Starting at 10 a.m., those behind the wheel were asked to start their engines in downtown Kelowna and begin their journeys through the Okanagan for the first time in two years.
After cruising by public viewing areas in Kelowna, Peachland and Summerland, drivers arrived at their final destination near Penticton’s Barefoot Beach Resort.
In collaboration with the August Family Foundation for the Ronald McDonald House of B.C. and Yukon and the KGH Foundation, the event hopes to raise record-breaking amounts in support of building JoeAnna’s House in Kelowna.
Since its inaugural edition in 2016, the Okanagan Dream Rally has raised more than $1.6 million.
Participating children, known as the co-pilots, were each given the opportunity to ride in a different high-end rally car.
The experience was particularly special for an eight-year-old Princeton boy, who got to meet Damon Fryer from the TV series Daily Driven Exotics while being a co-pilot.
“Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him,” said the mother of Alex True. “It’s been a pretty awesome dream day.”
Passengers could be seen waving their rally flags while driving by spectators on Channel Parkway in Penticton and at the finish line near the city’s regional airport.
The event’s return came with a number of road closures, with Water Street in Kelowna between Sunset Drive and Cawston Avenue among those affected.
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