Both Susan Pieper and Elise Young are returning Rebelles, sponsored for the second year in a row by Warner INEOS Grenadier. Susan is a five-time competitor and Elise is a four-time competitor, and both have previously finished in the top 10 in the 4×4 class. Last year they finished 8th overall. Notably, this is only the second time for both of them that they’ve had the same partner and the same vehicle, and they’re building from a foundation established last year. Not only did they take 8th overall, but they finished 3rd on Day 7 after starting strong and having a tough time on days 4-5—their comeback was notable.
Warner INEOS Grenadier, BF Goodrich, Agile Offroad, Overland Gear Guy, Evictus, Pro Eagle, Blue Ribbon Coalition, LeTech, Goose Gear
A corporate refugee turned entrepreneur, Susan cold-started DMOS Pro Shovel Tools mid-career after Wall Street, having never built a brand or developed products. She ended up selling it 9 years later with six patents and an entire product line of shovels, mounts, and storage gear trusted by Navy SEALs and brands like Storyteller Overland and Toyota Motor Company. Now in her 50s, Susan does revenue scaling consulting for growth-stage startups. She also writes for the SHIFT Substack, helping women redefine their success and make significant changes in their careers, mindset, health, wellness, and relationships.
Park City, Utah
Harvard Business School, MBA, and Ohio State University, Economics
"You miss every shot you don't take."
I like ballroom dancing almost as much as I like driving offroad.
I have left something on the course all the other times, so the time is now!
Shackleton for not giving up and saving all of his crew.
I love true stories of adventures: The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel PhilbrickThe River of Doubt by Candace Millard
Being the captain of our sail boat from Oahu back to San Francisco.
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024
Podium finish, baby.
Susan's personal life and career have had many chapters, including living on both coasts in the United States, as well as in Tokyo, Japan, and in two ski towns - Jackson Hole and now Park City. She's been a mom, raising four kids, in addition to having a career on Wall Street and running her Main Street hardware business. She's not new to endurance competition, but rather than off-road rallies, she's raced in endurance ocean racing, including the TransPac. Her combined racing and cruising experience has logged 10,000 ocean miles. You can often find her on dirt roads in remote places, driving her custom-built Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van with Evictus suspension (a Warner sponsor partner), which she uses to access trails for mountain biking, mountaineering, or backcountry snowboarding.
Susan Pieper is a five-time Rebelle Rally competitor who has twice finished in the top 10 in the 4x4 class. Sponsored by Warner Ineos Grenadier, the Rebelle Rally represents Susan's commitment to living boldly by choosing extraordinary over ordinary. In addition to competing in the Rebelle, Susan has been an instructor for the INEOS Grenadier Moab Rally 2025.
I tried skydiving last summer and got 10 solo jumps before I decided to put it on pause.
I love the rugged terrain of Johnson Valley and I love Glamis' big dunes.
The most challenging part of the Rebelle is staying in competition mode the ENTIRE time and you have to stay in competition mode the entire time to podium.
It's helped me hone my confident mind.
My first offroad experience was in a 1995 Suburban taking the backroad entrance to Arches National Park via Willow Flats Road. I loved it and had no plans or gear for recovery. Didn't even think about it.
I’m a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at onX, which basically means I wrangle huge piles of data to make sense of how people use digital products to explore the outdoors. Maps are at the heart of my work, and I love that my “day job” and my passion for outdoor exploration overlap.
Livingston, Montana
Montana State University - B. Sc. Animal & Range Sciences
"As Kurt Vonnegut said: ‘And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’"
I don't get motion sick reading in the back of the car. Little did I know as a kid how useful that skill would be.
The Rebelle is the perfect combination of maps, endurance, and personal growth. For me, it’s not just about the competition: the training, the mentors, and the friendships I’ve built along the way have genuinely made my life better. I’m coming back to keep learning, keep growing, and keep pushing the boundaries of what I can do.
My dog Hudson. His philosophy is simple: play hard, love hard, nap hard. He gives 200% to everything, delights in the small things, and reminds me daily how to live fully in the moment.
Recent favorites:- A Memory Called Empire (by Arkady Martine)- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (by Oliver Burkeman)- Andor (TV Series)
Ski mountaineering on Rishiri-zan, a volcano island in Northern Hokkaido. It was a tough, beautiful, and exhilarating experience, and likely the longest single backcountry run I've ever done, from near the peak all the way to the nearest hot spring near sea-level.
2018, 2019, 2020, 2024
Aiming for the podium! I'm also always competing against my past self and can't wait to see what 110% looks like this year.
You can usually find me chasing snow on skis, hiking into the Montana backcountry for backpacking or fishing, or hunting elk and deer in the fall.
My motorsports background was pretty minimal before signing up for the 2018 Rebelle, and I learned a ton of basics training for that first competition - about vehicle maintenance, driving, and navigation.
My favorite experiences have come from getting to know a place deeply and intimately. I spend most of the summer fishing, and fall hunting in Montana, learning the rhythms of the creatures and every valley and fold of the land they live on.
The mountains of Nevada. They’re rugged, raw, and endlessly rewarding to navigate.
The toughest part is communication under pressure—staying precise, calm, and constructive even when the fatigue really sets in or things go sideways.
The Rebelle has shown me what real strength looks like—setting aside ego, focusing on clear communication, and working to bring out the best in my teammate. It’s made me more resilient, more collaborative, and more adaptable. I keep coming back because every rally is a growth experience, and I can’t imagine a better way to challenge myself.
I grew up riding around in my dad’s 2005 Toyota Corolla, and now my own daily driver is the same year and model. Over the years, both Corollas have been pressed into ‘off-road duty,’ bumping along backroads they probably weren’t designed for. Although I also own a Tacoma, I love my trusty old Corolla. The smaller the car, the bigger the adventure!
