MATT FARAH: Today, we find ourselves 1,100 miles north of
Los Angeles in the small ski resort town of Snoqualmie,
Washington.
Here, you'll find clean air, wildlife, scenic vistas,
crystal clear lakes, and acres of forests.
You'll also find that in the last two years, Snoqualmie has
been infested with the sound of rally cars.
At the Old Mill Adventure Park, a 300-acre former
industrial property and set for iconic '80s TV show Twin
Peaks, lives the DirtFish Rally School.
And you're going to need all that space when you find
yourself hurtling sideways at 60 miles an hour in a fully
prepped rally car.
But at this school, you won't just be avoiding cones.
Here, you'll encounter all the elements of a real competition
rally stage, like dirt, gravel, and tarmac--
sometimes even in and around the old
mill's decaying buildings.
Bottom line, this place is perfect.
I'm very excited today because I love rally cars, and you
love rally cars.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: I love rally cars.
MATT FARAH: So, we want to find out what it takes to
build, prep, and maintain a rally car today, and where
better to do it than some place that has to do it on a
daily basis.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: Absolutely.
I mean, that's what we do out here from day to day.
We build cars.
We wear them out.
We fix them-- that sort of thing.
MATT FARAH: But most importantly--
FOREST DUPLESSIS: --it starts with that build.
A lot of the parts are main stock.
Suspension and things like that are certainly built up
with the proper underbody and tires to survive, well, that.
MATT FARAH: Students.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: Students, yes.
MATT FARAH: You can say it-- to survive students.
That's all right.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: Anything's possible.
MATT FARAH: Yeah, but we're not just going to talk about
rally cars today, because I want to drive rally cars
today, and why wouldn't I, because it's
the best thing ever.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: You came to drive?
MATT FARAH: Didn't I?
FOREST DUPLESSIS: OK.
That's cool.
So, rally's all about surprises and adapting--
MATT FARAH: True.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: --and it's about times and racing.
MATT FARAH: Yes.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: We've put together a little
competition for you.
That sound good?
MATT FARAH: Like what kind of competition?
FOREST DUPLESSIS: Like you, another guy, rally cars--
flat out.
MATT FARAH: Dude, the last time I tried to do this, they
made me drink coffee in downtown Seattle.
It didn't work out so good.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: This will be a little bit of a different
adrenaline rush.
Now, that other guy, he's used to that.
He rides a skateboard.
MATT FARAH: A skateboarder.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: So you got it.
We'll see what happens.
MATT FARAH: I could beat a skateboarder.
Whatever.
FOREST DUPLESSIS: It should be easy, right?
MATT FARAH: I'm Matt.
We're watching Tuned.
Hopefully, I won't have to eat my words, but if I'm going to
beat anybody out here, I'm going to need some practice.
At least I know all the cars are identically prepped by
someone who knows what they're doing, someone who's been
rallying longer than my two days of extensive experience.
And, oh, that skateboarder, it's Bucky Lasek, the one with
six X Games medals, the one with the skateboarding vert
record, and the one who, as of April, will be in the Global
Rally Cross series.
Fortunately, although Bucky has loads of road course
experience in Porches, he's as new to rallying as I am.
DERIK NELSON: We start with 2008 Subaru STIs.
And the drive train on those cars is actually really good.
We don't have to do much with that.
But we put on rally suspension, which is much more
stout than stock suspension on a car and very adjustable for
different conditions.
We'll rip it down to the bare shell.
We'll seam weld it, which makes it much stiffer, a lot
stronger, makes the chassis last a lot longer.
And then we'll put a cage in it, which adds even more
rigidity, safety.
On the cars, to keep them protected, it's pretty similar
to what an actual rally car would have
when it goes to race.
It's a big burly skid plate underneath the engine--
a lot of plastic underbody to keep the car from being worn
out from gravel spray, and getting rocks in the wheels,
and creating havoc.
We use race seats.
We also have six-point harnesses that keep you
strapped in there really tight to keep you safe if, in the
unfortunate event, the car rolls over.
And pretty much every part that there is on the car is
liable to break.
The common ones are ball joints, shocks, any kind of
suspension linkage because they go through so much abuse,
and stress, and wear and tear.
We're pretty good on drive-train stuff because
Subaru stuff is actually really strong.
We haven't had to replace a clutch yet, and we've had our
cars for over a year and have even trained people that have
never driven clutch before.
BUCKY LASEK: I've done a lot of tarmac racing, road racing
in some Porches, and Vipers, and Mustangs, so I'm used to
making it stick.
Out here, it's not about sticking, it's about sliding
and exit speed, so trying to dial in the technique and kind
of take what I know from road racing into the dirt.
DERIK NELSON: I've never driven with Matt, so I
couldn't tell you for sure, but I do know Bucky's a very
fast driver and incredibly talented at
many different sports.
With Forest teaching him a thing or two, I'm sure he's
only getting quicker, so Matt's got his work cut out
for him if he's going to keep up.
CHAD SHERMAN: It's going to be a fun race
between Bucky and Matt.
It'll be interesting, to say the least.
I took a peek outside and saw Bucky run, and he's quick.
He's quick.
Matt, although he's got some track experience, rally's a
totally different beast, so he's got his work cut out for
him for sure.
BUCKY LASEK:Matt doesn't have a chance.
I'll be whatever he wants to bet.
I'll leave that up to him what he's going to lose.
You really don't want to get beat by a
skateboarder, do you?
MATT FARAH: I do not want to get beat by a skateboarder.
Last time I was here, I got beat by a BMX biker,
so I have no shame.
So here's start-finish on the box here.
We're going to go straight ahead through the slalom and
make a U-turn before coming back into the bone yard.
BUCKY LASEK: Yeah, we should have a good
launch right there.
They got some tarmac right there, so we'll be able to
hook it up.
MATT FARAH: And they're not our clutches.
BUCKY LASEK: They're not our clutches.
MATT FARAH: And we're going to run with co-drivers.
BUCKY LASEK: Yes.
MATT FARAH: So Forest, head instructor here,
will be your co-driver.
Winston, who I've been driving with this morning is going to
be my instructor.
Do you go to first here on this hairpin?
BUCKY LASEK: I'm in, like, sixth gear right there.
MATT FARAH: Yeah.
[CHUCKLING]
Yeah.
You're flat in six.
BUCKY LASEK: Flat and six-- flat out.
BUCKY LASEK: How's your left foot braking?
MATT FARAH: My left foot braking's good.
BUCKY LASEK: It's good?
MATT FARAH: Yeah.
This is not my first left foot braking rodeo.
BUCKY LASEK: How are the shoes?
MATT FARAH: They're muddy--
my DCs.
BUCKY LASEK: Because mud Pumas are really good.
MATT FARAH: Are that your model?
Is your name on those shoes somewhere?
BUCKY LASEK: No.
That would be Clyde.
MATT FARAH: Oh, OK.
BUCKY LASEK: But, you know, I'm willing to put these on
the line, actually.
MATT FARAH: Should we bet shoes?
BUCKY LASEK: I think we should bet shoes.
MATT FARAH: My dirty DC race shoes versus
your minty fresh Pumas?
BUCKY LASEK: Yeah, because it's kind of crispy out, too.
MATT FARAH: It is.
It would suck to go home barefoot.
I didn't bring any other shoes.
BUCKY LASEK: Come in so hot down this
little straight away.
And you come up to this post of a cone.
I mean, I'm e-braking, probably--
MATT FARAH: I see.
Right here, look.
You can see it.
BUCKY LASEK: I'm e-braking out here.
MATT FARAH: You're e-braking 65 feet--
BUCKY LASEK: --before the turn.
MATT FARAH: Yeah.
BUCKY LASEK: And putting the nose right nice in there, and
getting back on the power probably before
you're halfway turned.
MATT FARAH: I practiced the e-brake turn exactly one time.
BUCKY LASEK: Look at that.
MATT FARAH: Yeah.
You're getting close there.
BUCKY LASEK: We might have to put a video camera on that
little post.
MATT FARAH: So it's basically once through forward, and then
once through backwards with a handbrake turn in the middle,
for shoes and pride.
WINSTON: Go ahead.
[INAUDIBLE].
MATT FARAH: [INAUDIBLE]?
WINSTON: Left.
Down.
MATT FARAH: [INAUDIBLE]?
WINSTON:[GIVING DIRECTIONS]
MATT FARAH:[INAUDIBLE]?
WINSTON:[GIVING DIRECTIONS]
MATT FARAH: I think that was decent.
WINSTON: I think it was pretty good.
MATT FARAH: Dude.
WINSTON: Dude, we didn't hit a cone.
MALE SPEAKER: First time is 2:15.3.
I'm clear.
I'm standing in the bushes.
BUCKY LASEK: Clear?
FOREST DUPLESSIS: You got this, dude.
MALE SPEAKER: Man, did he go wide on that.
MALE SPEAKER: Oh, that's OK.
BUCKY LASEK: We ready to find out?
Girls with the official time.
I went first, so tell me my time first.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Your official time was 2:15.3.
MATT FARAH: 2:15.3.
OK.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Yeah.
And your time was 2:14.1.
MATT FARAH: Oh!
BUCKY LASEK: Oh, yeah!
[CHUCKLING]
MATT FARAH: Good race.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Sorry, Matt.
MATT FARAH: Good race.
BUCKY LASEK: Good race.
BUCKY LASEK: These are going up.
I got a nice spot picked out for these.
MATT FARAH: [SIGHING]
My feet are cold already.
BUCKY LASEK: Why don't you walk it off?
MATT FARAH: Oh.
BUCKY LASEK: [LAUGHING]
MALE SPEAKER: [LAUGHING]
MALE SPEAKER: Oh!
[LAUGHING]
MATT FARAH: Good-bye, shoes.
BUCKY LASEK: [INAUDIBLE].
[LAUGHING]
MATT FARAH: [LAUGHING]
Have a nice life.
Ah.
All right.
That's fair.
BUCKY LASEK: You need a ride to the store?
MATT FARAH: Yeah.
[LAUGHING]
Let's get some--
[MUSIC PLAYING]