9TH RALLY EDITION: OCTOBER 10 – 19, 2024

#187

Limestone Legends

Lilly and Alex competed in the 2022 Rebelle Rally, a first for both of them. The duo and their “third teammate,” a Rivian R1T, finished fourth place overall and earned the Rookies of the Year award. Along with helping train a new batch of Team Rivian rookies who will compete in this year’s rally, Lilly and Alex are thrilled to return to the rally in their fully electric Rivian R1T in Limestone (hence the name) to continue to build on the teamwork and rally skills they started last year.

Sponsored By:

Rivian

Alex Anderson

Navigator

I grew up in Northern MI as an off-roader and “tinkerer” – now, I am a design engineer passionate for creating products and accessories for the off-road enthusiast. Rebelle is the perfect culmination of my passions and skills: technical, off-road, deep in nature, and a challenge in which I am constantly learning.

Occupation:

Senior Mechanical Engineer at Rivian

Residence:

Escondido

Favorite Quote:

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it” - Moliere

Fun Fact:

I was married shortly after competing in the 2022 Rebelle Rally, and our rally vehicle – a Limestone Rivian R1T – got to attend the wedding. It made for some very memorable photos, and we even got to drive it away with a “just married” sign.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

Lilly and I are so incredibly thankful to be returning to the Rebelle for our second year. We are beyond excited to take our learnings from last year’s competition and grow even more. The Rebelle Rally is so important to me for a multitude of reasons; it’s a platform to raise women's stories and show what we can do – in an automotive space, in engineering, in technical and interpersonal challenging situations, the list is endless.

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 dirt bike at 7 years old, and I’ve been off-roading ever since. He always instilled in me a desire to understand how things work, and how to fix them when they break — this sparked my career in engineering, tinkering in the shop, with him working on projects as small as a wooden bookshelf and as big as a 1976 corvette. And both my dad and my mom taught me to have a strong work ethic. They are both self-employed, hardworking, and they don’t stop until they achieve their goals.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Podcasts: “Crime Junkie”
Books: I only read rally checkpoint guides and rule books
Shows: “Parks & Recreation” and “The Office”

Greatest adventure to date?

October 2022 was my greatest adventure to date – and the wildest month of my life! We spent much of last year training in the lead up to the Rebelle Rally. Lilly and I competed together for Rivian along with Ro and Nicole (Team 186). All of us were rally rookies, and also the first homegrown teams from inside Rivian, which meant the chance to compete in the vehicles we work on! It was the opportunity of a lifetime. We learned and grew so much from training to competition, and I experienced areas of the world I never imagined I would see as we swept across valleys, mountains and dunes, all sustainably and nearly silently in our all-electric R1T, and all navigating with paper map and compass and not getting lost (most of the time). Lilly and I placed fourth overall and received the Rookies of the Year award. It was a memory I will forever cherish. As if that wasn’t enough, my wedding was two weeks after the Rebelle. We crossed the finish line, celebrated at the gala, and then almost immediately I was deep into last-minute wedding details: picking up my dress, welcoming family, and having our celebration out in the desert. We had our ceremony at Fonts Point overlook in the Borrego Desert, a place we frequent for offroad, before driving off in our rally vehicle, the Limestone Legends R1T.

Prior Years Competed:

2022

Awards Achieved:

Rookie of the Year, stage winner

Lilly Macaruso

Driver

A director of chaos and always up for an adventure.

Occupation:

Special Projects Engineer at Rivian

Residence:

Irvine, CA

Favorite Quote:

"Pressure is a privilege. It only comes to those who earn it." - Billy Jean King “Adventure is really for all. It’s everything that we do in life.”- RJ Scaringe

Fun Fact:

My left leg has more metal than bone in it. Also, I changed a tire at the 2022 Rebelle Rally in 4 mins flat with my teammate, Alex.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

The Rebelle holds a mirror up to anyone who competes -- sometimes you like what you see and some pieces you don’t. Either way, those pieces are yours. As a person who actively seeks continuous improvement, it is a place to channel my competitive nature and continue to improve with an amazing teammate.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

People choosing joy inspires me most, because it is a choice.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

Podcast: “A Bit of Optimism” by Simon Sinek
Book: “David and Goliath” by Malcom Gladwell
Shows: Watching home videos of my family from all our adventures

Greatest adventure to date?

The greatest adventure to date has been meeting all kinds of people along the way on my journeys. It is the people that make the adventure memorable.

Prior Years Competed:

2022

Awards Achieved:

Rookie of the Year, stage winner

Vehicle

2023 Rivian R1T