9TH RALLY EDITION: OCTOBER 10 – 19, 2024

#200

Team Built Wild

Melissa and Chris met in the 2018 Rebelle Rally. Chris admires the way Melissa pilots the Bronco Sport through a Rebelle course and Melissa thinks Chris can keep them from getting lost.

Sponsored By:

Ford Performance

Melissa Clark (Fischer)

Driver

I'm recently married to Brian Clark and have 2 wonderful dogs, Cocoa & Shelby. I love off-roading and am always planning my next adventure with family and friends.

Occupation:

Registered Nurse and Moab Bronco Roadeo Guide

Residence:

Grand Junction, CO and Moab, UT

Favorite Quote:

It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.

Fun Fact:

I love leading and guiding trails in Moab including 9 rated Pritchett Canyon during EJS. I'm still the only woman to officially lead that trail during Easter Jeep Safari.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

I don't know how many times you have to do something in order to form a habit but this is 7 out of 7 so......I guess I have a problem.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

It's a tie between my Dad and my husband Brian. My Dad taught me that I could achieve anything if I put the work into it and he helped me understand the joy of setting and achieving goals. But now I also have my husband Brian who makes me a better person every day. He supports me but also challenges me to do more, be more, and be more present when I'm with others.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

I love true crime so have been following:
Pretty Lies & Alibis podcast, True Crime podcast, and watching CourtTV.

Greatest adventure to date?

Life.... I decided long ago that adventures should be the lion's share of one's life and if life feels mundane or boring, it's your own fault. Don't wish you could do it someday, just commit and you'll find a way.

Prior Years Competed:

All

Awards Achieved:

2021 1st place XCross class, 2019 2nd Place 4x4 class, and 2016 Team Spirit award

Christine Benzie

Navigator

Mom, Wife, Friend, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Rebelle, Adventure seeker. I aspire to Badassery.

Occupation:

Engineer and Entrepreneur

Residence:

San Diego, CA

Favorite Quote:

What is better than being a Rebelle? Having a daughter who is a Rebelle.

Fun Fact:

This week, NASA is launching the Artemis I mission, which is the first (unmanned) launch of NASA's new lunar exploration program. In 2025, the Artemis mission will put a woman on the moon. On the front end of the rocket, you will see large white fairings that protect the crew capsule and the launch abort system. Those fairings were made by the company I co-founded in 2007. The were manufactured in our facility in San Diego. The 42-day mission will finish with a splashdown of the crew capsule off the coast of San Diego during this year’s Rally.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

I’ve done the Rally four times and each year I learn something new that enables me to level up in life. Why stop that? And Melissa said yes.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

Most recently, Liz Cheney. She is a Badass making sacrifices for the greater good.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Good to Great by Jim Collings
Any documentary film by Ken Burns

Greatest adventure to date?

Rebelle is my greatest adventure so far. In close second was backpacking with my husband into the Haleakala crater in Hawaii National Park and spending the night. The landscape was another world.

Prior Years Competed:

2018 2019 2020 2021

Awards Achieved:

2021: 2nd Place 4x4. 2020: Bone Stock, 3rd Place 4x4.

Vehicle

2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands