10TH RALLY EDITION: OCTOBER 8 – 18, 2025

#131

Team Velocity

We have been on this journey for quite some time. In 2018 we attended the Northwest Overland Rally in Plain, WA together. We were very unfamiliar with off-roading and overland but we decided to check out all the fun! We made it to the Rebelle Rally happy hour and it sounded so cool that Karisa told Trista we are totally doing this some day! Fast forward to October 2021, when the competitors were crossing the finish line, Karisa messaged Trista that we were registered and to send the check! We entered our rookie year in the xcross catagory in a Bronco Sport First Edition, we love it! After a touch and go start we ended up getting rookies of the year and a stage win in the dunes! The next year we were picked up by Ford Performance and moved into the highly competitive 4×4 class in a Bronco Wildtrak! We embraced the year and truly started to understand the joy of the Rebelle Rally! Last year we returned to 4×4 in the Wildtrak and once again came out truly in aw of such an amazing sport and competition and truly how fortunate we are to have a sponsor like Ford Performance who believes in us and supports us! This year we are absolutely stoked to be back and driving the Ranger Raptor! So excited to see what year 10 of the Rebelle has in store for us!

Sponsored By:

Ford Performance, Mule Outfitters, Triple-R-Lights

Karisa Haydon

Driver

I am a calm force, with fierce ideas!

What is your occupation and what does that mean to you?

I’m a full time mom, taking care of our two little girls Renn 5, and Ryder 4. It is such a privilege to be able to hang out with them everyday! We go on so many fun adventures and it’s so amazing to be able to learn from there everyday and to see them learning as well.

Residence:

Port Orchard, Washington

If you attended college or University where did you go and what was your major?

Western Washington University, cultural anthropology

Favorite Quote:

"“All I have is my love of love, but love is not loving”" — David Bowie

Fun Fact:

After college I moved to Madagascar. For three months I, volunteered , planted trees, built a school and helped local communities, all while camping and enjoying the super unique culture, plants and animals!

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

The Rebelle is such a fun game I don’t know if I can ever give it up! If not now then when? The time is NOW!

Who, or what, inspires you most?

My husband Rhys and my entire family! They keep me going and I am so inspired every day to do my best!

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows
Greatest adventure to date?

I feel like my life adventure after adventure, we never slow down and keep ourselves busy everyday looking for the next fun thing to do!

Prior Years Competed:

2022, 2023, 2024

What are your competition objectives and why?

We have trained hard this year and are feeling strong and ready! We would love to move up in ranking this year and it would be a dream come true to podium!

What makes you tick, outside of work?

I love to travel, spend time with family, go on long drives and explore new places! I love to go fishing! I also a big fan of cool rocks!

What is your background in motorsports, and how does that shape how you're approaching the Rebelle?

Growing up in Alaska, I had to drive to get anywhere so I grew up loving being on the road! My grandpa was always into cars and we were always out and about on snow machines. When it comes to the Rebelle I knew it was another challenge that I could do! So I jumped in the deep end when it came to rally, driving off road, and competing in motorsport!

What kind of cool experiences do you have outside of the Rebelle?

I’ve participated in many triathlons, a 24hr mountain bike race, many running races, I’ve also grown two children and I’m ready for the next adventure!

Which terrain is your favorite part of the course and why?

My favorite terrain is driving through the desert areas where there are amazing views and amazing geology! The rock formations that we drive through, around, and through are truly incredible!

What is the most challenging part of the Rally for you?

The most challenging part of the rally for me is usually getting used to sleeping in our tent, it’s comfortable, but it can be difficult to get the best night of sleep! Otherwise the tough endurance keeps me going!

How has the rally changed you and what made you want to come back?

The rally has made me grow so much as a capable, confident off-road driver! It has made me feel absolutely more confident in myself and what I can accomplish in my everyday life! I’m unstoppable!!!

Do you have any memorable moments with cars?

When I was in fifth grade my parents took us out of school and we traveled the US in a motorhome for an entire year! I have always loved being on the road! A few years ago my husband and I took our 1956 Porsche 356 on a similar trip going about 10,000 miles around the US!

Trista Smith

Navigator

I find energy and fulfillment from learning and mastering new skills. I thrive on camaraderie and competition with my friends and family

What is your occupation and what does that mean to you?

I work for the Hearing, Speech and Deaf Center in Seattle, WA in the ASL Interpreting Services Department as a Continuing Education Specialist. The coolest part about what I get to do is create study curriculum to open dialogue and thoughts primarily on topics of power dynamics, privilege, and oppression.

Residence:

North Bend, Washington

If you attended college or University where did you go and what was your major?

After 5 schools in 5 years, I graduated from Western Oregon University with a BA in American Sign Language and English Interpretation.

Favorite Quote:

"“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” – Dr. Seuss"

Fun Fact:

My family owned and operated a Go-Kart Track in Tacoma, WA for 30 years.

Why the Rebelle? Why now?

Why the Rebelle? This all started for us back in 2018! My teammate, Karisa and I have had a long and funny history of challenging ourselves with seemingly out-of-reach events, including 24 hour mountain bike races, half-ironman triathlons, and other sorts of endurance-related nonsense. On a whim, we had attended the NW Overland Rally in Plain, Washington in 2018 together and decided to attend a Rebelle Info Session. Karisa declared we would do the Rebelle one day. I assumed it was a half-hearted declaration, but it turns out I was wrong! Since the declaration, she proceeded to have a couple babies, but as soon as they were old enough, she found a renewed sense of interest for the event, and we challenged ourselves to sign up for the 2022 edition. Our vehicle broke down on the way and made it to the start with only 2 hours to spare! Since that moment the Rebelle Rally has become a gift to us and our lives. In 2022, we were X-Cross Rookies of the Year. In 2023, we were given the amazing opportunity to represent and compete for Ford Performance in the 4x4 category. Now we are excited to see what the 2024 Rebelle holds for us! Why now? As wives and mothers, I don’t know if I believe there is such a thing as “the right timing”, as each year brings its own challenges and 2021 certainly brought us ours. For starters, Karisa delivered a healthy baby girl the first week of May. Ironically, that same week, I found myself in a mountain bike accident that seriously broke my right leg and landed me at the Trauma Center for a week. After several surgeries and physical therapy that lasted the whole summer, I started to walk on my own in October – just in time for my teammate to register us for the 2022 Rebelle (even though she had a new 5 month old!). As it turns out, there’s never a great time to lean into something hard and new, but it’s always worth it! The Rebelle has truly been a life-changing event. We now simply cannot imagine our lives without it.

Who, or what, inspires you most?

I love to read, specifically Historical Fiction, Biographical Memoir, and Social Justice. It is in the stories of hardship, war, and adversity that I find inspiration in what people are capable of and challenge myself to grow into the person the world, my family, and I need.

Top three favorite podcasts / books / shows

-Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me
-Anything written by Tim Egan: The Big Burn, The Immortal Irishman, Breaking Blue, The Worst Hard Time, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher, Fever in the Heartland, etc.
-Holy Post Podcast

Greatest adventure to date?

Navigating Adulthood, Taxes, Medical Insurance, Homeownership, Raising a Child, and beginning our 4th year of Van Life alongside my Partner for Life, Tyler.

Prior Years Competed:

2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

What are your competition objectives and why?

I am competitive to my core and love doing the best we can as a team. Really, the heart of that is wanting to give my partner and teammate my best. She daily gives me her best, and we take it one day at a time

What makes you tick, outside of work?

I love to be ever learning and moving. I am always working on a book and have some kind of sport simmering in the background. Recently, I did a 24-hour mountain bike race on a women’s team. And I am signed up to do a gravel cycling race in Spain in 2026. Cycling is my primary mode of movement these days, mostly gravel and mountain biking. However, I have a long sports background that includes: softball, running, rowing, triathlon, crossfit, and cyclocross

What is your background in motorsports, and how does that shape how you're approaching the Rebelle?

I grew up in a family that owned a go-kart track and a dad that loved cars. So, while I was always around motorsport I never really participated at any level. I could rip the go-kart around the track and was on a dirt bike at a young age but they certainly weren’t hobbies or passions of mine. So, even though I had absolutely grown up on the periphery of motorsport, it wasn’t until signing up for the Rebelle that I was entering the space on my own. I knew enough to know I needed to take it seriously. This influence likely dictated why I was so diligent about training and preparation.

What kind of cool experiences do you have outside of the Rebelle?

I have lived in a Ford Transit Van as a family of 3 travelling through the US and Baja since summer of 2022. This year we also parked the van for a month and travelled through Europe: Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and England

Which terrain is your favorite part of the course and why?

I love our true desert sections (Mojave & Colardo). It is a landscape that makes you feel connected to the ancient world and the people who loved the land first. I am constantly in awe by the rocks and minerals that feel unchanged by time. And, my favorite - the PLANTS! The marching Joshua trees, fishhook barrel cactus in the color red, ocotillo when it is green and looking like it is from under the sea, the delicate fuchsia blossoms of the pincushion cactus – all of which feel alien and simultaneously perfect. As a native Pacific Northwestern, I am stunned at how much I have fallen in love with the American Desert

What is the most challenging part of the Rally for you?

Staying mentally sharp day after day. The Rebelle is made up of a million tiny decisions and the fatigue is real.

How has the rally changed you and what made you want to come back?

Because the feeling at the start line is Magic! All you know is you are about to go on an amazing journey with your best friend. You don’t know what the day will hold, but you know it will be epic. It is such a gift!

Do you have any memorable moments with cars?

I have very early memories of off-roading in a truck with my dad feeling like we were going to drive right off the cliff. I have never been huge fan of shelf road with exposure. However, I am getting over it as we are entering our 4 Rebelle.

Vehicle

2024 Ford Ranger Raptor
We are driving a 2024 Ranger Raptor! This year is the 15 anniversary of the Raptor platform and we are so excited to represent Ford Raptor at this Rebelle Rally!