Rebelle Rally Field Update:
Day 8- Celebrations
Competitors spent Saturday relaxing in the Imperial Sand Dunes (Glamis) following completion of the fifth annual Rebelle Rally. After sleeping in, the teams were treated to a breakfast of chilaquiles and eggs benedict from Michelin star chef Drew Deckman and his talented staff. With their appetites satiated, the Rebelles took part in a Tire Change Challenge with lucrative prizes from Big Agnes. Third generation off-roader Shelby Hall and veteran navigator Penny Dale posted the quickest time, changing a tire on the team’s brand-new Ford Bronco Sport in only three minutes and seven seconds.
Hall and Dale also won the X-Cross Class at the 2020 Rebelle Rally as Team GOAT – #201, earning a free entry for the 2021 Rebelle Rally and Suunto watches for their efforts. They edged out Team Telluriders – #205 (Sabrina Howells/Alyssa Roenigk) in their Kia Telluride and Team Record the Journey – #207 (Rachael Ridenour/Kristie Levy) in their Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV after a week of competition that saw the leader in the overall standings change every day.
Team GOAT – #201 weren’t the only ones to take home hardware this week. Erin Vogel and Sara Swenson of Team Ponderosa – #146 beat 13 other teams of newcomers to win Rookie of the Year. Team Ponderosa finished 10th overall in the 4×4 Class, an impressive performance by any measure. Sisters Rochelle Bovee and Melissa Vander Wilt of Team Roaming Wolves – #141 were another pair of rookies; women who decided to restore their late father’s 1969 Ford Bronco and honor his legacy in 4030, which is designated for vehicles that are at least 40 years old.
Yet more rookies, Team CanToy Divas – #144 (Sue Chapin/Liza Tough) won the International Cup for coming all the way from Canada to compete in the 2020 Rebelle Rally. Winners of the International Cup have $2,500 donated to the charity of their choice, with the CanToy Divas choosing BC Cancer Foundation as their charity of choice. Team CanToy Divas – #144 were one of three rookie teams to receive a Rebelle scholarship to apply towards a reduced entry fee in the 2020 Rebelle Rally, along with Team #135 (Stacey Sorenson/Christine Dahle) and Team Sweet T + Sparks – #101 (Wendy Phillips/Tracie Sell).
Team Blondetourage – #125 repeated their 2017 performance by winning the 4×4 Class in their lightly modified Jeep Wrangler JL Unlimited. Like the X-Cross class winners they were rewarded with a free entry for the 2020 Rebelle Rally and Suunto watches. The skidplates and shocks on Kaleigh Miller’s Wrangler, and aftermarket suspension and bumpers on the second place Team X Elles – #100 (Rachelle Croft/Taylor Pawley) Lexus LX570 paved the way for third place finishers Team Jeep Thrills – #177 (Christine Benzie/Emily Benzie) to take home the coveted Bone Stock Award. The mother-and-daughter team competed for the third year in a row in Emily Benzie’s completely stock two door Jeep Wrangler Willys, and the team posted the highest score on the final, and most challenging, day of competition.
Representatives from Total Chaos and Rivian spent Saturday answering questions about their products and demonstrating their capabilities in the dunes of Glamis. A new designation for 2020 was Electrified, with entries from Rivian and Mitsubishi. Team Killer Watt – #140 (Emme Hall/Rebecca Donaghe) tied for fifth place in the 4×4 Class and Team Record The Journey – #205 (Rachael Ridenour/Kristie Levy) finished third in the X-Cross Class in their Mitsubishi Overlander PHEV. Both vehicles were charged along the 1,500-mile route by Power Innovations using solar and hydrogen fuel cell technology to provide energy for the electric vehicles. While there were plenty of skeptics coming into the event, Rivian and Mitsubishi proved the viability and durability of their products and we anticipate more manufacturers will showcase their innovation in the Electrified Designation at next year’s Rebelle Rally.
The evening ended with a six-course meal by Drew Deckman and his talented staff, delighting competitors’ taste buds with fresh Baja oysters, farm raised quail, venison, and much more. The final award of the event was the Team Spirit Award. Voted on by the competitors, this year saw a tie between Team Hoehn Adventures – #108 (Karen Hoehn/Dana Saxten) and Team Waypoint Wanderers – #148 (Anna Lewis/Andrea Shaffer), who will split the $5,000 prize between their charities. Team Hoehn Adventures chose Friends of Bethany and Team Waypoint Wanderers picked Pancreatic Cancer Action Network as the charities they represented at the 2020 Rebelle Rally. While the 2020 Rebelle Rally has drawn to a close, the impact the event has made on the competitors and their communities is endless.
About the Rebelle Rally
Blending the love of driving with the ultimate challenge of precise navigation, the Rebelle is the first women’s off-road navigational rally raid event in the United States. Crafted to test a variety of skills over eight days of competition, it is not a race for speed, but rather a unique and demanding event based on the elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance using maps, compass, and roadbook. No GPS, cell phones, or other electronic devices are allowed as teams navigate to the checkpoints.
