Text by Armin Ausejo – Photos by Armin Ausejo and Russell Rogers

The sunny and warm Saturday of July 9th marked the first Big Northwest Subaru Meet, also known affectionately as “BigNW.” Organized by SubieEvents, the organizers behind the giant “Wicked Big Meet” on the East Coast, this meet/car show/auto-x brought together Subarus of all makes, models, and years, ranging from a 1970 Subaru 360 van to brand new 2011 Subaru STIs and Legacys. Along with being a huge general meet for the Subaru scene, the event included various vendors, a car show, and an auto-x for cash prizes.

While it was originally planned to take place at Dirt Fish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Washington, some last-minute legislative decisions forced the event move to Pacific Raceways and reformat the event agenda. Despite the venue change, BigNW still managed to gather well over 250 Subarus in one place, proving to be quite successful for its first year running. Local vendor support was great, with just about every vendor contributing multiple items to raffle off. Although most of the vendors were from local Subaru shops, retailers, and manufacturers, Subaru of America also showed their support for the event with a booth of their own. The NWMotiv crew was also there in force with a booth next to Scoobies for Boobies, a non-profit organization that helps raise funds for breast cancer research and run by female Subaru owners from all across the country.

Parked across from the vendors were all the show cars, each competing in their own class and for the coveted Best of Show. This show featured some winners from our own NOS Forum Fest, including Jamarri’s Best of Show STI, which likewise took home Best of Show at BigNW. Down the road a bit from the main event area was the BigNW auto-x, which took up the cold pits area of Pacific Raceways. Organized by the Bremerton Sports Car Club, the auto-x was made up almost completely of Subarus, with a Mini Cooper and an anti-lagging Merkur thrown into the mix. The winners of each respective auto-x class went on to take home cash prizes.

BigNW definitely proved to be a successful event from the sheer numbers of people alone. The organizers were still able to put on a great event despite some hurdles and it can only get better next year if they decide to hold it again. With such a large Subaru scene in the Pacific Northwest, it’s hard to believe that there won’t be another BigNW next year.

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