Team Feature: Team #145 Kris Vockler & Andrea Shaffer
March 20th, 2023
When you first meet Kris Vockler and Andrea Shaffer of Team #145 Fast ‘N Curious Offroad, you can’t help but smile. The 2021 Team Spirit Award Winners haven’t always been teammates but found a groove that works well for them and lifts up everyone who meets them along the trail. They first met in 2017 during the Rebelle Rally when they had other partners during the competition, but finally in 2021 decided to partner up and tackle the Rally together and ultimately won the peer-awarded Team Spirit award.
Kris Vockler is the CEO of ICD High-Performance Coatings, which creates and manufactures “green” coatings for the construction and automotive markets. Her bright rainbow Jeep has been a distinctive sight at the Rebelle competition for years. “My love of Jeeps truly goes back to when I was a kid.” says Vockler. “I can remember coveting the neighbor kid’s G.I. Joe toy Jeep with the fold down front windshield, mounted RPG and usable plastic gas can.” Let’s just say Bomber Bob, her colorful 2014 Jeep Wrangler JKU is a bit of an upgrade.
Kris has also been a photographer for over 20 years, shifting her perspective from a commercial eye to long exposure and fine art garnering her several international photo awards in recent years.
Andrea Shaffer is an OG Rebelle and 5x navigator in the Rally. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with her three kids and husband, who likes to moonlight his mechanical services for Nickgyver, Rebelle Rally mechanic extraordinaire. 2022 was her sixth time competing, and she feels the things she learns from each Rally help mold her into a better person.
When she isn’t competing, some of her favorite adventures include bowling, camping, and off-roading with her family. Her favorite spots include Moab, The Rubicon, and Colorado. Andrea has also taken her creativity to Etsy, providing vinyl decals for any wall, decoration, gift, kitchen, or car. Her custom designs can be seen on many a competitor’s vehicle or water bottle throughout the Rebelle.
Kris has nothing but high praise for her navigator, Andrea, “Overall, our roles are very defined from how I bodyguard her in the morning navigating work and prepare our enduro math to prepping the Jeep and our gear for the day. The navigator is Queen in this endurance rally.”
Watch for Kris and Andrea in the 2023 Rebelle Rally as they return for another year of competition as teammates. “The right teammate is one of the most important, if not THE most important aspect of competing. It can make or break a team. When you find a teammate you work well with, you must keep coming back with them,” says Vockler on returning in 2023 with teammate Andrea, who added, “It is so important having Kris as my teammate again for 2023 because I can completely trust her. We are best friends who work really well together, communicate well, and have the same end goals. I know she has my back no matter what the rally, or life, throws at us.”
But even though they’re back for more competition doesn’t mean they won’t share a few words of wisdom with the 2023 rookie class. Andrea’s advice? “Move on quickly from your mistakes. Learn from them but don’t linger too long on them.” Words that can help any Rebelle, rookie or returning.
