Olympia, WA -- Fourty-plus teams are on their way to Olympia to challenge for top honours in the seventeenth running of the Olympus International Rally. The event, returning after an eighteen year hiatus, will see competitors from as far away as Maryland take to the forest roads west and southwest of Shelton.

The Olympus Rally is round four of the USAC United States Rally Championship. This competition pits drivers and co-drivers in a race against the clock and the road. Starting at one minute intervals, the teams traverse closed forest roads, known as special stages, as quickly as they can. The competing cars are based on regular production cars (with added safety equipment) just like you would find at the local dealership.

The public can watch the rally cars take the official start this coming Saturday at the Washington State Capitol Campus (near the Winged Victory monument) in Olympia. Special stage action can be found at ORV Park near McCleary and selected stages north of there. Additional information is available at http://www.olympusrally.com/spectators/.

The media are invited to a special 'Press Stage' late on Thursday afternoon. The Press Stage provides an opportunity is set up to give you a better idea of what rally racing is about, by providing an opportunity to meet some of the competitors and get an indepth look at their cars. Hi-resolution images from the Press Stage will be made available to the media.