Rebelle Rally Field Update: Day 4
October 15th, 2024 (Dumont Dunes, CA)
The Rebelle Rally has officially reached the first dunes of the competition! On a multi-loop competition day, teams tested their mettle in the sand and surrounding rocky terrain. Featuring a long desert loop including the iconic Sperry Wash, the southeastern edge of Death Valley, and skirting the Kingston Range Wilderness, competitors were able to enjoy their time on this extended loop with fewer checkpoints and big views of the landscape, finishing up in the dunes of Little Dumont. The smaller loop was at the Dumont Dunes open OHV area, which allowed teams to chase out-of-order checkpoints in the sand.
Vehicles such as the Jeep Wranglers, Gladiators, and the popular Ford Broncos are made to take on this terrain. Many teams, including the current leaders in the 4×4 class, run their Jeep 4x4s “bone stock.” In the Rebelle, this designation is given to teams who don’t make any modifications to their vehicle beyond potential wheel and tire upgrades and other minor alterations. A special award is given to the manufacturer and team of the highest-scoring “bone stock” vehicle.
Today’s teams left the start line for their dunes day in reverse seed order; the highest-ranked teams went last. This mixed up the performance today, showing that start orders can help or hinder you, depending on your experience and strategy. At the end of DAY 4, the Bone Stock designated 2024 Jeep Gladiator Mojave of Team #129, piloted by multi-time winning duo Nena Barlow and Teralin Petereit, came out on top; however, another bone stock competitor is close on their heels. The 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor of Team #150 Desert Roots of Shelby Hall and Rori Lewis delivers a brutish 418 hp through its 3.0L Ecoboost® V6 engine, and is close behind them in the overall standing.
The competition in the X-Cross® class is no less exciting. A long day covering 241 km for the group left teams tired at the end of this mid-rally day, with the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch of Team #200 Built Wild of Melissa Clark and Kathryn Reinhardt taking the top spot for DAY 4 just edging out Team #204 MtnSubi of Carey Lando and Andrea Shaffer.
As teams prepare to depart from the second Basecamp, the competition will continue to head south to more mountainous and sandy terrain.
For real-time updates, live tracking, live scoring, and team bios, visit the official Rebelle Rally website at rebellerally.com. The Rebelle Rally LIVE Webcast, presented by Toyota, includes daily competition previews and evening recaps and can be watched via rebellerally.com, YouTube, and Facebook.
Competition Quotes
#190 Karen Espiritu
“Overall, I think Toyota prepared us really, really well. Being able to participate in Rebelle U, we also had some Toyota-specific training that we’ve done for off-road driving, safety, and recovery techniques. Those sorts of things are absolutely amazing. I feel very confident going out and actually using the vehicles that I own more to the capabilities that they have. I have a Tundra, I have an LX, and we’ve only ‘baby offroaded.’ I’m ready to team up and really off road. So, this has given me a lot of confidence in how to explore, and then the training has also given me a ton of confidence.”
#200 Melissa Clark
“It’s exciting to be 54, years old and still be able to, like, go out and change two tires and have a long 10-plus hour day in 100-degree heat and still feel great.”
“This is my ninth rally. I just looked at the number of checkpoints we had today, the level of difficulty, the mileage that was involved, the speeds that were involved, and I knew that today people would probably take risks, get stuck, and that’s when you have to just ride the middle. So, we actually played a conservative game, and we had a great day.”
#113 Marie Reyes
On her 2001 Land Cruiser Discovery named Bernard
“Every now and then, I ask Hannah, ‘Do you think anybody loves their car as much as I love Bernard?’ The fun thing about the Rebelle is people very frequently will talk to me, and I don’t think some of them know my name, but they’re like, ‘How’s Bernard?’ And I told Hannah, I said, ‘I’ve always loved that car, but I think on the Rebelle, other people kind of see the charm too.”
Partner Highlight: Pirelli
A Commitment to Adventure and Sustainability
Pirelli returns to the Rebelle Rally, showcasing the toughness and precision of their tires under extreme conditions, just like competitors. They have committed to supporting this movement by equipping the teams with the tools they need to succeed. Pirelli has also created the Scorpion™ Tire Challenge, a contingency program for teams that opt to run Pirelli Scorpion tires.
Pirelli is also committed to sustainability, aligning with the Rebelle Rally’s core values. Their tires are designed with materials and processes that reduce environmental impact without compromising performance. Learn more about Pirelli’s sustainability commitment.
Ultimately, the Rebelle Rally embodies the spirit of adventure. Pirelli shares this philosophy by supporting programs that push the boundaries of what is possible both on and off the road.
About the Rebelle Rally
The Rebelle Rally is the longest competitive off-road rally in the United States. Traversing over 2,100 kilometers through Nevada and California’s iconic terrain, it is an endurance competition for women consisting of precision driving and navigating – not fastest speed. The competition is innovative and unique, using maps, compass, roadbooks and strategy – known as Rebelle Format. GPS and other electronic devices are strictly prohibited. Remote and off-grid for eight competition days, the Rebelle Rally is considered a providing ground for people, products and stock manufacturer vehicles.
