iN PHOTOS: 2022 Okanagan Dream Rally roars to return after pandemic

Cheering crowds full of smiling children waving checkered flags lined the streets of Downtown Kelowna this morning to gas up the participants of this year’s Okanagan Dream Rally.

The event, which is a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House, puts hundreds of deserving children into the passenger seats of luxury vehicles to take a ride down Highway 97 from Kelowna to Penticton.

Drivers are happy to donate their time and high-end vehicles to the rally. It’s an unforgettable experience for the passengers. Children, gearheads and photographers were overwhelmed by the amount of fascinating vehicles to appreciate.

One Ferrari own was letting kids sign his car with a black permanent marker.

As the engines were roaring throughout the morning, with flags waving on McLarens, Ferraris, and Dodge Vipers – it may not be a race – but spectating from the side of the street feels like you’re watching the Kelowna 500.

Six-year-old Mattias Bazett got to sit inside an orange McLaren at the rally – and that was his favourite part of the morning because he has a remote-control car at home that looks just like it.

Gavin Hewitt is a photographer who specializes in automotive photos. He started his day in downtown Kelowna, got in position to capture the rally as it crosses the William R. Bennett Bridge into West Kelowna, and then met the drivers at Barefoot Beach in Penticton for more shots.

“As they come over the bridge and they all roll past, row by row, – that’s gonna be pretty cool,” he said.

Hewitt’s name on Instagram is everlift.media.

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