9TH RALLY EDITION: OCTOBER 10 – 19, 2024

#178

Team Squirrelly Ditch

Claire McKenna and Sarah Vitak are co-drivers and adventure partners. They met at a Groundhog Day party in Boston in 2018 and have been re-living that day ever since. They were friends for several years when they began racing rallycross in the Colorado Front Range. After her first race, Claire bought and rebuilt a 1999 Subaru Impreza. This car became their gateway to outdoor adventure on four wheels, tearing up the dirt course at races and winding down remote roads to sleep under the stars.

Sponsored By:

Team Illuminata Motorsport (TIM)

Sarah Vitak

Navigator

A polymath with an insatiable curious streak. Always looking to learn something new or try something out of my comfort zone. Textbook gemini.

Occupation:

Freelance Journalist and Podcast Producer

Residence:

Denver, CO

Favorite Quote:

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. - Howard Thurman And also: “Do you ever want to just confront your biggest fear head on? I do!” -Me at RebelleU right before confronting a fear.

Fun Fact:

I spent a winter dog sledding in the arctic circle!

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

Because I wasn't sure if we could do it. And there was only one way to find out.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

The beauty, immensity, chaos, and emergent magic of nature and the universe itself. At absolutely every scale.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

The Artist’s Way – Book
Poetry Unbound – Podcast
The Outlaw Ocean – Podcast

Greatest adventure to date?

I took a semester off of college and spent 3 months traveling solo in Peru, Chile, and Argentina. I hitchhiked, couchsurfed, worked on a goat farm, backpacked, tango danced, went to Machu Picchu, got held up at gunpoint, and ate alpaca jerky.

Prior Years Competed:
Awards Achieved:

Claire McKenna

Driver

I’m typically either thinking about buildings or cars. I work to make clean energy more accessible across the country and love driving because it takes my mind off that.

Occupation:

PhD Candidate

Residence:

Ypsilanti, MI

Favorite Quote:

To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. - Mary Oliver

Fun Fact:

I competed at the professional level in road bicycle racing in my 20’s.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

The Rebelle is a chance to answer a call to push the limits of what I can as a partner and teammate, of my attention and focus, and of my technical driving skills. After I raced Rallycross for three years, I realized that a male learning and competition environment is no longer for me.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

People whose wisdom comes from experience. People who can speak truth based on what they have seen, done, and lived.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Fleabag – TV
Russian Doll – TV
If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler – Italo Calvino

Greatest adventure to date?

Cycling across the USA

Prior Years Competed:
Awards Achieved:

Vehicle

2016 Chevy Colorado