Team Feature: Gritty Up! - Michelle & Tasha
June 27th, 2024
The Rebelle Rally is thrilled to welcome back Team Gritty Up! Tasha Krug and Michelle Kerby, a 2x team heading into their third year of competition together, along with their standout 2019 Lexus GX450, “Betty White,” for the 2024 competition. Read on to discover the incredible journey of Michelle and Tasha (and Betty!), including their triumphs and challenges, and what makes them a team to watch in 2024.
Tasha started her Rebelle Rally journey in 2019 when she was part of the Honda R&D team “Sand Mode,” where they placed 3rd in the X-Cross® class and were the Rookies of the Year team. In her words, “I was hooked.” After taking a year off due to COVID, she competed again in 2021 and has been on the rally ever since.
Team Gritty Up connected for the first time to compete together in 2022, and it was the first opportunity for Tasha to experience the 4×4 class, while Michelle was a Rebelle rookie. This started their journey with “Betty White,” and they both learned a lot from being a veteran/rookie combo team.
In 2023, the team faced quite a few challenges, including teammate Michelle having retinal surgery just 20 days before the start of the competition. “I was beyond nervous,” said Michelle Kerby. “I had three retinal detachments last year, and my last surgery was so close to the start of the rally. I was released [by the doctor] only the day before we left for Mammoth. I could really only see out of my right eye during the rally and had so many eye drops I had to use. Hygiene was really hard, but we did it, and Tasha was the best partner; she even wanted to talk like pirates!”
“A lot of the training and practice was put on hold, so we weren’t at the starting point we wanted,” shared Krug. “We overcame a lot of these challenges and ended up in the top 10 for the 4×4 class! We placed 7th and were ecstatic.” And we can certainly see where the team gets their name from. The duo is excited for the 2024 rally now that they will be a “fully equipped, 4-eyed team”!
Last but certainly not least, we can’t forget to highlight their trusty third teammate, Betty White. Betty White has become a fan favorite, thanks to her minimal modifications and daily driver status. Enhancements include Expedition One running boards, a Mule roof rack, ICON vehicle dynamics suspension, a full-length ARB steel skid plate for protection, an on-board ARB air compressor, and Black Rhino wheels with new Pirelli 33” tires. Betty White proves year after year that she’s “fantastic as she is.”
While the team members live in different states, they stay connected throughout the year via Zoom. As veteran Rebelles, they’ve amassed both experience and advice. For Team Gritty Up, their number one piece of advice for rookies is “Do not overthink it!” and for Michelle, learning to let go, how to stand down, trust, and depend on one another is essential. Tasha added to those thoughts that while problems, errors, and flat tires will happen, learn from it and move on to the next thing. Great advice for any Rebelle.
Look for Team #137 Michelle, Tasha, and “Betty White” at the start line this October!
