In its seventh year, the women-only Rebelle Rally will witness Kia participating for the third year in a row to claim the first spot with its rally-prepped 2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro. After being denied the top spot last year in the X-Cross class, the duo of Verena Mei (as the driver) and Tana White (as the navigator) return for redemption.
In the last edition of the Rebelle Rally, two 2022 Kia Sorento PHEVs finished 2nd and 3rd in the X-Cross class. In 2019, Kia missed the top spot by an extremely close margin. Kia is all set to make a big dent this time around with their souped-up 2023 Sportage X-Pro.
Enhancing The Already Capable 2023 Sportage X-Pro
To make the X-Pro'd 2023 Kia Sportage capable enough to take on the extreme geographical conditions and terrains of the Nevada and California deserts, Kia took the help of sisters Theresa Contreras and Sara Morosan. The sisters, who are also the owners of LGE-CTS Motorsports and Baja Forged off-road products, helped enhance the off-road capabilities of the already-able 2023 Sportage X-Pro.
The custom Baja Forged front and rear bumpers have the much-required tow points and a custom roof rack. The 2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro Rebelle Rally version will save the underbelly from the boulders and other unfriendly materials on the terrain using skid plates at the front, rear, and underbody. This will be complemented by 17” Rhino wheels with BFGoodrich all-terrain tires which are sponsored by Michelin.
The 2023 Kia Sportage X-Pro is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four engine delivering 187 HP of power and 178 lb-ft of torque. This is then channeled to the wheels using an 8-speed automatic transmission. The Sportage X-Pro comes standard with an AWD system and four modes – Normal, Sport, Smart, and Snow to help you overcome any situation with ease.
Rebelle Rally Is Not-Just-Any-Other Rally Event
Started with the sole intention of celebrating women drivers from all over the world, the Rebelle Rally was founded in 2015 by Emily Miller. Being a winning off-road driver and navigator, Emily wanted women to come and participate using their stock, road-legal vehicles. This reduced the pressure of spending extra money on the cars to make them more off-road capable.
To make it more challenging without relying on the speed, using GPS or any other technologically-advanced navigation system is banned in the Rebelle Rally. The participants have to rely on the age-old-proven tools like a compass, map tools, a rally computer, and contour maps provided during the event in order to move forward.
All these things are used to find geo-fenced coordinates located at random checkpoints that can be anywhere in the desert. This removes the possibility of any undue advantage one can have over others due to their vehicles. Each team comprises a driver and a navigator (the roles can be interchanged whenever the participants want to do so) who also work as mechanics at the end of each stage.
This old-school style makes the Rebelle Rally more raw and authentic. The participants can compete in two of the given categories – the X-Cross Class, or the 4x4 Class. The X-Cross Class of the Rebelle Rally allows you to enter with a 4x4 vehicle that does not have a two-speed transfer case. The 4x4 Class is for those more-potent 4x4s that have a two-speed transfer case and locking differentials.
Rebelle Rally Is In A League Of Its Own
To begin with, the ease with which you can enter the competition. Normally, you can’t even dream of entering a rally with a bone-stock vehicle. Most the rally videos that you see online or on TV are usually from the Dakar, or Baja, or WRC to name a few. In Dakar, for example, people spend way more than the vehicle’s actual price to stand a chance to give some competition to others.
In WRC, the cost of a car can go over a million dollars. Getting a license from the concerned authority like the FIA is probably one of the most difficult thing one can ask for. Rallies like the Rebelle Rally not only give an ordinary citizen an opportunity to take his/her daily car and get some feel about this side of the world of motorsports, but also lets them return home with a smile and be excited about the next year.
To make it interesting, these rallies do not need to be all about speed. The TSD (Time Speed Distance) format is the perfect recipe to organize such rallies without risking the safety of the competitors. This format also allows the competitors to understand the importance of navigation when they are in the middle of nowhere.
The fact that the Rebelle Rally is a women-only event makes it extremely unique and interesting as it gives them a chance to explore a side of themselves they didn’t know they could access. The seventh Rebelle Rally will take place from October 6 to 15.
Source: Kia