7 of the wildest factory-modded off-roaders on the 2021 Rebelle Rally

Now in its sixth year, the event runs October 7 to 16, 2021. It covers some 2,500 km of desert across Arizona, Nevada, and California. It’s open only to stock vehicles, plated and street-legal – some modifications are permitted, but custom-built racers aren’t allowed – and it’s all about navigation and driving, not speed. The competitors can’t use GPS or phones, and have to rely on maps, roadbooks, and compasses. This year there are 52 entries, comprised of just a driver and navigator, with no personal support teams.

The vehicles don’t have to be new, and many participants are simply driving enthusiasts — although the entry fee is close to US$13,000, before expenses. But increasingly, automakers are getting in on the action, fielding new vehicles as a way to test and advertise them.

There are two divisions: 4×4 vehicles; and “X-Cross,” for all-wheel-drive vehicles, and some are all-electric or electrified. Here are a few of the manufacturer-sponsored vehicles tackling the desert.

It’s estimated one-third of all rally participants show up with a Jeep. The automaker has added to that with three factory teams of its own, all driving a Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The teams include veteran rally drivers Nena Barlow and Teralin Petereit; mother-daughter team Christine and Emily Benzie, who won their class last year in their personal daily-driver Wrangler; and newbies Shandiina Peters and Racquel Black, the rally’s first Navajo team.

The 2022 Kia Sorento is available in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid, and the company has entered two of them in the rally. Both were customized by LGE-CTS Motorsports, a women-owned company in California. The modifications include skid plates, bumper guard, tow points, 17-inch wheels with Hankook all-terrain tires, and a one-inch suspension lift for ground clearance.

The teams are driver Alyssa Roenigk and navigator Sabrina Howells, who teamed up and finished second in 2020 in a Kia Telluride; and professional rally driver Verena Mei and navigator Tana White.

Ford is fielding three teams, in Bronco two- and four-door models, and a Bronco Sport. All carry livery similar to that of the Bronco 4600 running in the ULTRA4 off-road race series.

Shelby Hall and Penny Dale, a professional driver and navigator respectively, won the X-Cross class last year in a Bronco Sport, and will pilot the Bronco two-door this year. Professional off-roaders Melissa Fischer and Cora Jokinen will drive the Bronco Sport; while Kathryn Reinhardt and Victoria Bundrant, who work for off-road supplier 4 Wheel Parts, are driving in their first Rebelle Rally in the Bronco four-door.

Two of the automaker’s engineers are piloting a Ridgeline in the X-Cross class. Both are from Honda’s Auto Development Center in Ohio: Liz Long is a chassis reliability test engineer, while Tasha Krug is an engine systems and driveability test engineer.

The pair finished third in the X-Cross class in 2019 with a Honda Passport, and also won Rookie of the Year. The Ridgeline’s modifications include a suspension lift kit, custom oil pan, skid plates, recovery points, dual spare tire carrier, and all-terrain tires. The truck’s orange-and-black wrap was created by Lili Melikian, an exterior designer at Honda.

Volkswagen of America is contesting its first Rebelle Rally with an all-electric ID.4 AWD in the X-Cross category. The ID.4 was modified by Tanner Foust Racing and Rhys Millen Racing, with added skid plates, battery protection, new suspension components, and Yokohama all-terrain tires. The powertrain, which has an EPA-estimated range of 400 km, is untouched.

The ID.4’s driver is freelance auto writer Mercedes Lilienthal, who competed in 2018; the navigator is Emily Winslow, who has two Rebelle Rallies and a podium finish under her belt.