BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Sun Valley Tour de Force team presented the Hunger Coalition with a check for a million dollars this  week.

“We are completely blown away and incredibly grateful to see the level of generosity and care our guests have for our community,” said Maya Blix, who co-founded Sun Valley Tour de Force with Whitney Werth Slade. “Our drivers, who come from near and far, seem to be as excited about raising funds for great causes as they are to drive their cars at top speed!”

Sun Valley Tour de Force presented The Hunger Coalition with a check for $175,000 in 2021 and was able to up it to $600,000 in 2022. This year’s million-dollar donation is one of the single biggest donations to The Hunger Coalition to date.

Werth Slade noted that the event has grown leaps and bounds since 2018 when the event raised $16,000 for Idaho BaseCamp.

Sun Valley Tour de Force’s partnership over the last four years has catapulted The Hunger Coalition’s  vision for addressing the root causes of hunger  to new heights, said Krista Felton, director of Philanthropy for The Hunger Coalition:  “We feel incredibly lucky and are committed to paying this forward.”

Blaine County’s cost is living is significantly higher than the national average, leading to nearly half of the population being food insecure or one crisis away. The Bloom Community Food Center, in which The Hunger Coalition is based, includes greenhouses, a commercial kitchen, food pantry and community café. The Hunger Coalition also offers youth internship opportunities and provides free meals for children during summer through the Bloom bookmobile.

The Sun Valley Tour de Force is held in mid-July every year.The weekend’s signature event, ‘No Speed Limit’ at Phantom Hill, was initially inspired by Dave Stone, and under the direction of co-producers Maya Blix and Whitney Werth Slade, has evolved into a three-day event with international recognition. It has achieved the support of some of the world’s most respected brands including McLaren, Porsche Cars North America, Singer Vehicle Design, and BMW, while leveraging the car culture, the thrill of high speed, and a passion for philanthropy.

McLaren, presenting sponsor, hosted a meet and greet this year with Stefan Johansson, retired Swedish racing driver who drove in Formula One for McLaren. Johansson was also selected to drive in the high-speed event in the recently announced McLaren 750S Spider for its North America dynamic debut. Johansson achieved a top speed of 200.31mph in the 750S.

McLaren Artura, Speedtail, 720S Spider, 765LT Spider, Elva, Senna and a very rare McLaren P1 were also on display over the weekend. 

This year’s fastest driver was Alexandra Hainer, who achieved 218.87mph in a McLaren 720S Spider. Sixteen drivers of the 48 total reached over 200mph on the closed road at Phantom Hill during the speed trial.