The Rebelle Rally Kicks Off Its Biggest Year Yet

• 2022 marks the seventh annual Rebelle Rally, an all-female off-road rally raid that spans eight days and over 1,500 miles.
• Fifty-five teams entered the rally this year, each made up of a driver and navigator.
• The Rebelle Rally kicks off October 8 north of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

The piercing reverberation of a cowbell will peal through the campsite at the unholy hour of 5 a.m. on Friday, October 8, to signal the first full day of the seventh annual Rebelle Rally. This all-female off-roading rally raid — which is the term for long distance off-road racing that takes place over several days — spans more than a week and crosses more than 1,500 miles. Competitors will see dirt roads, double tracks, trails and sand dunes starting in western Nevada and continuing down to the deserts of Southern California.

This event is not a race; the focus is pace and precision versus speed. Participants use headings, time and distance using maps, compasses and roadbooks — not digital navigation or GPS — to find hidden checkpoints. Phones, tablets, laptops and even iPods with Wi-Fi connectivity are turned off and locked up for the duration of the rally, and anyone found to be using a phone except in the case of a last-resort emergency communication option will be disqualified. DNF (did not finish) designations are rare, reserved for cheaters and quitters. In the six years the Rebelle Rally has existed, only two teams earned a DNF, rally founder Emily Miller says. Finishing is what matters. 

This will be my first year as a Rebelle, competing in a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz with my teammate Jill Ciminillo. Our Santa Cruz was fitted with skid plates and a rack that sits atop the bed frame to hold our Maxtrax (recovery boards to help us get unstuck in the sand dunes), full-size spare tire and a few tools. We've completed two training sessions and countless email messages and calls with Hyundai engineers to understand our vehicle. Are we ready? We'll find out soon.

Navigating the old-fashioned way

Competitors converge on base camp each night except for one called the Marathon Stage, during which teams self-camp in a designated area. For the rest of the evenings, the five-digit entry fee includes meals prepared by a chef with a mobile kitchen, and the women stop to rest and recharge mentally and physically before preparing for the next day.

At the 6 a.m. briefing, staff gives the teams their coordinates for the day in latitude and longitude, and the navigators huddle in the dark with their headlamps and magnifying glasses to plot their course for the day. Topographical maps in a variety of scales represent the area, and navigators must take care to ensure they're using the right ruler that corresponds to that scale. Tables are scattered with erasable pens, sticky notes and arrows, mechanical pencils and other tools.

Miller believes it's critical for women to understand where they are in the world and to be able to problem solve to figure it out without digital backups. During training she tells future Rebelles that they can make their own rulers with paper if they lose theirs and teaches them how to follow heading and distance above all because "they never lie." Maps, on the other hand, can be outdated or missing elements because they're made by humans. Heading — which is the direction you're going — and distance are true no matter what, based on exact numbers.

Teams are composed of a driver and a navigator, and often each sticks to her assigned role. In the mornings, the driver packs up camp while the navigator starts plotting, and Miller's staff encourages teams to take care of each other with tips like "make sure your driver stays hydrated" and "stop for a break to eat a snack when you're feeling confused or frustrated." Some teams, like mine, opt to alternate between roles; we'll feel out where we shine and adjust accordingly.

How the Rebelle Rally works

Every morning, all 55 teams get a list of checkpoints color-coded in green, blue and black. Green checkpoints (CPs) are mandatory, marked by a tall flag at the exact site, and competitors "click in" with a device from YB Races that marks their location in latitude and longitude. (YB Races also supplies an app that viewers from home can use to follow along.) Blue CPs are optional and denoted with small flags that are more difficult to see from a distance. Black CPs are farther off the trail and aren't marked at all; the women click in and hope their calculations are correct within a few meters.

Of course, finding the black CPs adds more points to the overall total and brings a team closer to victory. Points can also be deducted for "wide miss" click-ins that are not on target. Blocking the path results in point deductions as well as a list of other infractions.

The whole course is measured in kilometers and meters, which is an additional curveball for U.S. teams accustomed to the imperial system of miles and yards. Some teams choose to carry conversion charts to reduce the opportunity for mathematical mistakes — as Miller points out, when you're tired and hungry your brain can struggle to compute.

Miller knows what it's like to be a competitor, as she has been one herself in rallies all over the world. After a chance meeting with legendary off-roader Rod Hall in the mid-2000s, Miller started driving for Hall's team and he became her mentor, teaching her how to be a champion.

Two categories and multiple designations

Vehicles are divided into two segments: 4x4 (which are equipped with a two-speed transfer case) and X-Cross (two-wheel or all-wheel drive with no low gears). At the end of the rally, teams with the most points in the 4x4 and X-Cross categories earn podium spots in first, second and third place and receive a trophy. First-place winners in each of the two categories also win $5,000 per teammate toward next year's rally. Viewers can also expect to see Bone Stock (vehicles straight from the factory with minimal modifications) designations as well as Rookie Team of the Year and Team Spirit Awards along with a few more. Vehicles that are more than 30 years old are also badged with an additional designation, like the team of sisters returning for their third rally in their late father's vintage 1969 Bronco.

Jeep has sponsored the event for several years, and historically the highest number of vehicle entries are Jeep Wranglers. This year, there are 18 Jeeps, 11 Toyotas, six Ford Broncos, one Nissan Xterra, four Land Rovers, plus a Lexus GX 460, Ram Rebel, Mercedes G 550, Rivian R1T, Rivian R1S, a Mobius from Kenya, and a mother/daughter team in a bright yellow Isuzu VehiCross. In the X-Cross class, the Ford Bronco Sport that won its category last year returns along with a Kia Sportage X-Pro, Honda Pilot TrailSport, BMW X5, Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition, Subaru Outback and our Hyundai Santa Cruz.

When all the teams have completed the course, the Rebelle Rally team throws a party it calls Rebelleation at the final base camp in the Glamis Dunes. Competitors get a chance to participate in skills games and perhaps take a nap and even a warm, brief shower before the staff rolls out the red carpet for the awards presentation. The mood is joyous as the women unwind and release pressure and celebrate their finish, whether it was first or last, because just finishing is the triumph.

Then they start dreaming about next year.

Edmunds says

The Rebelle Rally offers women a unique opportunity to test their mettle in multiple ways, and we're excited to compete. Follow the 2022 rally from October 8 to October 15 on RebelleRally.com/Live.