9TH RALLY EDITION: OCTOBER 10 – 19, 2024

#187

Limestone Legends

Post 2021 Rally, Rivian decided to enter teams into the 2022 rally. Through a series of trials and trainings, team members were selected to compete. We met through those challenges and pulled together through our mutuality of intensity for competition. Partnered with capabilities, our life’s passion projects aligned. We both have deep ties into outdoor lifestyles, off-roading, camping, and chaos.

Sponsored By:

Rivian Factory Team

Lillian Macaruso

Driver

A driven adventurer seeking to improve the world one intentional decision at a time.

Occupation:

Sr Special Project & Prototype Engineer

Residence:

Colorado to California transplant

Favorite Quote:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." - Nelson Mandela

Fun Fact:

I will die if I eat eggs but can still eat chicken, so if you ask me which one came first the chicken or the egg I sure hope it was the chicken.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

I want to make an impact that shows people of all ages: why not you, why not now? Adventure is still possible and achievable. The Rebelle is a grand highly competitive competition that allows Alex and myself a place to channel our intensity. Now because Emme and Rebecca left big shoes to fill and the passing of a torch. I went from the Rebelle’s first (and only) intern, to engineer, & now it is time to compete.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

My family inspires me most. A line of women & men fiercely driven towards different respective passions. I have watched them spark & run empires, command leadership, raise families, & teach above all else people come first.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Girl Logic- Iliza Shlesinger
Captivate- Vanessa Van Edwards
Extreme Ownership- Jocko Willink, Leif Babin

Greatest adventure to date?

I have been fortunate to participate in some large historical moments. However, to date the grandest adventure has been striving to take everyday fully in & live where my feet are while keeping an eye on the future.

Prior Years Competed:
Awards Achieved:

Alex Anderson

Navigator

An engineer, off-roader, never-stopping-project-seeker and adventurer.

Occupation:

Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Residence:

Escondido, CA

Favorite Quote:

Do it once and do it right.

Fun Fact:

I’m getting married 1 week after the rally in the desert!!

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

The Rebelle Rally is the culmination of my existing and newfound passions—women doing badass things, off-roading, and automotive engineering. Since I first learned about the rally, I wanted to do it--to show there are women in off road, women in engineering, women that are competitive & going for the win. Women that are driving the vehicles they built and worked on, they designed parts for, that are out surviving & thriving in the extreme loads/elements of off road. I never had the opportunity to until I joined Rivian. At Rivian, they wanted to build a team from the inside and I was ecstatic to be nominated. I always saw myself as a driver, until we went to the first training. Learning from veteran Rebelles first hand, I fell in love with map & compass navigation. It perfectly matches my interests—a deep technical challenge, constantly absorbing the outdoors and my surroundings, and solving problems. On top of that—we get to show the world what our Rivian R1T and R1S can do, with women from the company behind the wheel (and behind the plotter!).

Who, or what, inspires you most?

My dad. He’s the reason I am where I am today, and the reason I have the skills to compete in the Rebelle. My dad got me my first dirtbike at 7 years old—and I’ve been off-roading ever since. He always instilled in me to understand how things work, and how to fix them when they break—this sparked my career in engineering. Tinkering in the shop, working on projects as small as a wooden bookshelf to as big as a 1976 corvette. And both my dad & my mom instilled in me a strong work ethic—they both are self-employed, hard working, and they don’t stop until they achieve their goals.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Podcasts: Crime junkie
Books: IDK I only read checkpoint guides & rulebooks
Shows: Parks & Rec

Greatest adventure to date?

It’s tied between two. Either my solo drive/race from Apple Valley to Laughlin Nevada off road, or my most recent off road adventure in Baja California, Mexico. Apple Valley trip I had a full set of accessories our team designed, and specifically I designed the rear bumper and swing gate system. This off road trip we did 11 hours straight and I was all by myself in the car. It tested my endurance, patience, and also the products I designed’s durability! The products survived not without some challenges elsewhere—the bedrack came loose & I had to fix on trail—it was overall quite the challenge but the truck arrived in one piece, I learned a ton, and had a blast. Baja most recently was a personal off road trip—my fiancee and I brought his 1991 jeep YJ that we have both worked to build up—mostly him since it’s his jeep, but I come in when things need to be welded 😊 this trip was a true test of the rig! He bought it stock, and it’s been a part of both of us growing our off road experience with full sized vehicles. We had never taken it as far as this trip, and not to mention across country lines where if it broke down, we didn’t have much of a choice than to fix it or leave it. We drove from San Diego, way past Ensenada to a hostel called Coyote Cal’s--a well known pitstop for off-roaders in Baja. This was the starting point for our off road adventure. We went down the coast, keeping up with pre-runners, and much newer vehicles than our crusty 91’ YJ (older than the two occupants!). The final and most difficult challenge was the entrance to Mikes Sky Rancho—this trail is a portion of the Baja 1000 and is challenging to say the least. And, from other breakdowns & delays, we arrived at the trail right at sunset—so we were doing this in the dark. We crawled up & down the rocky trails, spotting each other through tough sections, and dodging tarantulas along the way—then around 9 or 10pm that night, we made it. Pulling into Mike’s was the moment we’d been waiting for—that we-did-it moment. We stopped in a few more places on the way back north, but overall the jeep made it back home in one piece.

Prior Years Competed:
Awards Achieved:

Vehicle

Rivian, R1T, 2022