Rally racing thrives on secluded roads, pine-scented forests and rugged mountain passes—settings that rarely enjoy reliable cellular coverage. For a long time, this isolation meant that the excitement stayed confined to the handful of spectators standing beside the course. DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Washington, faced exactly that dilemma as its Women in Motorsport initiative grew beyond a local training program.
Founded over sixteen years ago, DirtFish has taught thousands of drivers and, since 2022, has deliberately opened the door for women to learn, compete, and pursue careers across every facet of motorsport. More than 200 women have already completed all-women rally programs, and female participation in co-ed classes rose by over 30 %. The centerpiece of this effort is the annual DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit, where participants receive instruction from female experts in rally, co-driving, drifting, stunt work, media, and the business side of racing.
The remote-connectivity hurdle that slowed rally’s reach
Bringing a sport that lives in the wilderness to a global audience required more than a high-quality camera. “Our cars are fitted with the latest telemetry, yet we couldn’t share the action because the locations lack any cellular service,” explains Brenten Kelly, managing director of DirtFish Rally School. The traditional workaround involved crews filming, driving to the nearest cell tower, uploading massive video files, then returning to the course to repeat the process. Satellite links were tried, but dense canopy and uneven terrain caused frequent drop-outs. Even test livestreams that succeeded in the lab failed once thousands of participants filled the venue and overloaded the makeshift network.
Without a dependable link, fans missed the core attribute that differentiates rally from circuit-based series: the raw, on-the-fly drama of drivers battling nature. Sponsors, aspiring pilots, and the broader audience needed a way to watch the event live, not hours later after a painstaking data transfer.
AT&T GVS and PoC Labs create a portable private network
In early 2025, DirtFish partnered with AT&T Global Video Solutions (GVS) and the AT&T Proof of Concept (PoC) Labs™ to evaluate a private wireless solution that could survive the isolation of a rally venue. The test involved setting up a six-camera live-production across a 330-acre site, all fed through AT&T’s portable private network. Remarkably, the entire system was deployed in less than thirty minutes, delivering low-latency, high-bandwidth streams despite the lack of traditional infrastructure.
The proof-of-concept succeeded, and the following year the 2025 Women in Motorsport Summit was streamed worldwide, attracting more than 435,000 viewers—an increase from just 7,500 the year before. The event proved that a compact, mobile network could handle multi-camera productions, live in-car feeds, and simultaneous broadcasts from several points on the property.
From a production bus to a suitcase: scaling the solution for 2026
Buoyed by the previous year’s results, DirtFish re-imagined the 2026 Summit as a series of hands-on workshops spread across the property rather than a single stage. This shift demanded an even more flexible connectivity platform. Together with AT&T PoC Labs, the team refined the original kit, compressing what once required a 50-foot production bus and a dedicated power trailer into a “carry-on” sized suitcase. The new package can be transported in a vehicle and set up within minutes, providing a private LTE/5G overlay that supports multiple mobile camera operators and separate livestream zones.
With this upgraded gear, DirtFish introduced live in-car camera angles that placed viewers inside the cockpit, delivering an immersive perspective previously only possible for on-site spectators. The multi-angle approach, combined with the ability to hop between workshop locations, turned a static broadcast into a dynamic, viewer-driven experience. Over 300 participants attended in person, while the online audience surged, reinforcing the notion that reliable connectivity removes geographic barriers and expands the sport’s reach.
Beyond the event itself, DirtFish is exploring how the same live-in-car video stream can become a teaching tool. Instructors could monitor a student’s technique in real time, offering immediate feedback and safety analysis. If adopted widely, such capabilities could transform driver education, fan engagement, and even remote instruction for rally schools worldwide.
Josie Rimmer, coordinator for the Women in Motorsport program, summed up the impact: “AT&T gave us a way to share the exact experience we wanted people to have, without the barrier of physical presence. Seeing women drive rally cars and lead in motorsport inspires the next generation to believe they belong in this world.” The partnership illustrates how cutting-edge connectivity can turn a niche, hard-to-reach sport into a globally accessible spectacle.
