- It’s a family affair: Bronco two-door, Bronco four-door and Bronco Sport SUVs ready to show their off-road chops at 2021 Rebelle Rally – the first women’s off-road navigation rally in the United States
- Professional driver Shelby Hall and navigator Penny Dale will compete this year in the 4×4 class in a 2021 Bronco two-door SUV; professional off-roaders Melissa Fischer and Cora Jokinen will drive a 2021 Bronco Sport in the X-cross class
- All three Bronco® entries to be outfitted with livery inspired by Bronco 4600 vehicle that will run in the ULTRA4 stock class off-road race series
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 19, 2021 – Looking to build upon last year’s first-place finish and further demonstrate every model’s Built Wild™ promise, Ford is sending its full Bronco® outdoor brand lineup of all-4×4 SUVs to compete in the 2021 Rebelle Rally – an all-women off-road event that challenges participants to conquer the harsh desert terrains of Nevada and California. Three two-women teams will compete in a Bronco two-door, Bronco four-door and Bronco Sport at the October event.
Last year, professional off-roader Shelby Hall and navigator Penny Dale piloted a Bronco Sport to a win in the X-cross class at the Rebelle Rally, a grueling competition that covers more than 1,200 miles and puts vehicles and drivers to the ultimate off-road test. Hall and Dale will compete this year in the 4×4 class in a Bronco two-door, while professional off-roaders Melissa Fischer and Cora Jokinen take the wheel of a Bronco Sport to compete in the X-cross class. Novice Rebelle off-roaders Kathryn Reinhardt and Victoria Bundrant of off-road accessory supplier 4Wheel Parts will compete in the 4×4 class in a Bronco four-door.
“We’d love nothing more than to podium a Bronco and a Bronco Sport at the same time,” said Jovina Young, Bronco Sport marketing manager. “What I really like about sending the full family of Broncos is that Rebelle is about taking on different types of terrains and exploring; competitors aren’t just hitting high speeds in the desert. It’s a chance to show Bronco doing a different type of off-roading.”
In addition to showcasing the off-road ability of the vehicles entries, the Rebelle Rally is designed to challenge the navigation skills of the participants. The event will start near the Hoover Dam on Oct. 8, wind its way across rugged terrain in Nevada and California, and finish at Imperial Sand Dunes in California Oct. 16. Participants spend their nights at designated checkpoint basecamps along the way.
The Bronco Sport and Bronco four-door are Badlands, while the Bronco two-door is a Wildtrak. All three are outfitted in race livery inspired by the Bronco 4600 stock class race vehicle that will run in the ULTRA4 stock class off-road series this year. The Bronco two-door, equipped with the Sasquatch™ Package, and Bronco Sport vehicles maintain bone stock designation, with second-row seats removed. The 4Wheel Parts team will accessorize the Bronco four-door entry.
To conform to event rules, teams must disable Trail Maps and any other electronic navigation equipment on the Bronco two- and four-door entries.
“The No. 1 obstacle at Rebelle is your navigation, but the terrain definitely challenges the vehicles and these competitive women too,” said Young, who competed last year as a novice in a Bronco Sport. “This is such a great event to showcase what Bronco and these women off-roaders are capable of in the harshest conditions.”