Yahoo Autos 2023 Rivian R1T takes the crown at the Rebelle Rally
For the first time ever, a fully-electric battery vehicle has taken the crown at the Rebelle Rally. The 2023 Rivian R1T crossed the finish line this past weekend in first place with Lily Macaruso behind the wheel and navigator Alex Anderson sitting in the right seat.
The Rebelle Rally is a seven-day navigational competition where teams of two drive street-legal cars and trucks off-road for over 2,000 kilometers using only analog navigation tools. Teams must use a scale ruler and a plotter to mark a series of checkpoints on a topographical map. They then drive to those checkpoints using just a compass. It is not a race for speed, but a rally for navigational accuracy. There are no chase crews, no phones and no GPS.
Also, there are no men.
Yes, the Rebelle is meant only for women. Founder Emily Miller wanted to give women a place to compete even if they have little to no experience. While some teams have a motorsports background, many are lawyers, engineers, moms, entrepreneurs or journalists. The only requirement is that they demonstrate a basic understanding of driving and navigating.
In 2020, yours truly along with my navigator Rebecca Donaghe spearheaded the Electrified class, bringing the very first Rivian R1T off the production line. For two years we beta-tested the program as the Rebelle brought Renewable Innovations on as charging partners. In 2022 Rivian sent two vehicles with employees behind the wheel. Macaruso and Anderson earned the coveted Rookies of the Year award and a fourth-place finish that year. 2023 was their time to take it to the next level.
Driver Marcuso is senior special projects engineer at Rivian. In 2019, she navigated for Miller in the Carta Rally in Morocco, taking the class win. After working on the crew for the Rebelle Rally, she joined as a competitor in 2022, leading to her overall 4x4 win in 2023.
“Winning first place in the 4x4 class was a byproduct of Alex and my efforts,” says Macaruso. “We set goals and agreements of what we wanted together…and no matter how hard the challenge, it was us against the problem, not against each other. When you have a great teammate, an amazing vehicle, support of a community, and unbreakable driving spirits- how could we be anything but successful?”
Navigator Anderson, meanwhile, is a senior mechanical engineer and works on the body exterior team at Rivian. While the Rebelle is her only formal motorsports experience, Anderson has been wheeling dirt bikes and trucks for most of her life. This year she found the navigation to be an especially demanding task.
