2025 Rebelle Rally Field Update: TECH INSPECTION
October 9, 2025 (Blair Junction, Nevada)
Rebelle Rally competitors got a taste of the competition to come today during the Prologue Stage, the final opportunity for teams to practice before official Day 1 starts. All teams reported to McCoy’s Station near Mammoth Lakes today to review the rules and regulations and ask questions, then Prologue maps were distributed along with lists of checkpoints. By 10:30 a.m., teams started lining up at the start line to begin their trial run.
“This year, I changed the Prologue to make it a little shorter,” said Rebelle Rally Founder and Director Emily Miller said. “We wanted it more like what it originally started out being, which is just a taste to try an enduro; green, blue, and black diamond checkpoints; and the X option. In the past, our Prologues had started becoming almost a full day without a score. I wanted to get back to what the real meaning of the Prologue is: to give them the opportunity to get excited about what’s to come.”
From McCoy’s Station, competitors had a view of the majestic Minarets, a series of jagged rock peaks in the Sierra Mountains, before descending Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. Taking the scenic route on the east side of the Sierras, the route skirted the south end of Mono Lake, passing Benton Hot Springs and Boundary Peak before turning north to the first Green checkpoint on dirt and crossing the state line into Nevada.
“We did better than expected today, and actually even went for some black checkpoints,” said Team 169 rookie Marie Willard. “There were lots of lessons learned today. And I have to say, I’m very impressed at how kind everybody has been.”
After crossing the border, teams started an on time enduro segment. This part of the rally is a pre-determined section of the course with predetermined, timed checkpoints with a rigorously prescribed speed limit that changes often. Teams are penalized for being early or late to these checkpoints. In the process of this enduro, competitors drove past the Candelaria Mine (a silver mine discovered in 1863) then turned south to start compass and map navigation once again.
Crossing Nevada highway 6 into Fish Lake Valley, teams then turned east over Emigrant Pass. That led them to Base Camp 1, 20 miles north of Silver Peak, Nevada. This area, known for large deposits of lithium, used to sit on the now-defunct Tonopah Railroad line with a spur running to Blair Junction. The first base camp sits near a tiny town in a formerly populated segment in Esmeralda County; a document from 1941 states the town had a population of 25. Wind gusts up to 32 miles per hour were blowing in from the south as teams arrived at camp to set up their tents, adding another element of challenge to the day.
Prologue Results
While today’s Prologue does not count toward official scoring, the scores the teams achieved in the enduro section determined their start time for Day 1. Last year’s winning X-Cross® class Team 200 (Carey Lando and Andrea Shaffer) topped the field with 20 points, earning the first start of the day. Following closely behind will be multiple year 4×4 winners Tara Petereit and Nena Barlow (Team 129), 2022 X-Cross Rookie of Year winners Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith (Team 131) and 2024 top-five 4×4 finishers Bailey Campbell and 10-year Rebelle Sedona Blinson (Team 132). Closing out the lead is Team 133 with Suzi McBride and Heidi Dillard, returning to the Rebelle Rally after a three-year hiatus.
“I had a little apprehension at first, but it was actually a great day,” McBride said. “I feel like it all came right back to us and it’s fun to be out here again. We know Emily is going to make it tough, but it’s going to be fun.”
Ways to Follow the 2025 Rebelle Rally
Fans can follow the Rebelle Rally live through the Rebelle Rally LIVE Webcast Presented by Toyota, starting Friday, October 10th. Daily broadcasts will be available via rebellerally.com, YouTube, and Facebook, featuring morning competition day previews, scoring updates, and evening recap shows. For real-time updates, live tracking, scores, daily recaps, team bios, and more, visit the rally’s official website and connect with the community on social media @rebellerally on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Partner Highlight: Synchrony Bank
While the Rebelle teaches navigation skills, whether navigating terrain or navigating success, we’re proud to partner with Synchrony Bank to help women navigate their financial journeys.
Making its debut as a Rebelle Rally Silver Partner, Synchrony Bank joins the Rebelle Rally to kick off the event’s 10th year. Through its work in consumer banking and credit, Synchrony focuses on giving people practical tools to manage their money and plan for what matters most.