TORQ Locker Jeep Rebelle Rally 4th Place Event Report

February 28th, Victor New York
The second annual Rebelle Rally covered 2 states, 2,000 KM over 7 days of competition. The Rebelle Rally is a women only rally raid with no GPS, no cell phones, just checkpoints, road books, map and compass. The Rally covers some of the most scenic and iconic off-road trails from Lake Tahoe, the Mojave Desert, Dumont Dunes, Johnson Valley and the Imperial Sand Dunes. The event starts in North Lake Tahoe at the Squaw Valley Resort and wraps up with a black tie Gala in Sand Diego.

There are 2 types of daily competition; Check Points and Rally Enduro. Checkpoints are a list of longitude and latitude locations graded from Green, easy, Blue, moderate, and Black, most difficult. Competitors need to plot the checkpoints on their maps, navigate to them, hit their tracker and complete the checkpoints in order. Some days you can’t reach every checkpoint in the time allotted, so strategy is very important. The second type of competition is the Rally Enduro which is based on Time Speed Distance, TSD, style rallies. Competitors receive a road book with cryptic symbol instructions on where to turn, what speed to travel and how long you should take from A to B to C. Most days of competition were a combination of Check Points and Rally Enduro road books. Team #104, TORQ Locker, consists of Cora Jokinen, driver, and Melissa Fischer, Navigator. The 2017 Rebelle Rally was their second time competing in the Rebelle Rally. Cora and Melissa, team #104, competed in the first ever Rebelle Rally in 2016 with a respectable 5th place finish out of 37 teams. Cora and Melissa have the honor to be called an “Original Rebelle.” In 2017 there were a number of returning teams and the competition for the top 10 was intense. To give perspective, in 2016 the winning team had 86% of the total points, team #104 in 5th place had 70% of the total points. In 2017 the winners had 93% of the total points, team #104 in 4th place had 91% of the total points. 2017 had 33 competitors in the 4×4 class, 3 in the cross-over class.

Day 1
Total points – 161
Team 104 = 151, 94%
13 Checkpoints
Base Camp 1
North of Tonopah, NV. Through old mining town of Manhattan and around the SolarReserve Crescent Dunes.

Day 2
Total points, 175
Team 104 = 156, 89%
17 Checkpoints, Rally Enduro
Base Camp 1
Near Mina, NV

Day 3
Total points, 160
Team 104 = 148, 93%
11 Checkpoints
Self-Camp, Marathon Leg
Armargosa Valley, Silver Peak, Goldfield Car Forest, Dumont Dunes CA

Day 4
Total points, 163
Team 104 = 141, 87%
16 Checkpoints
Base Camp 2
Dumont Dunes, Razor OHV area, Johnson Valley CA

Day 5
Total points, 198
Team 104 = 182, 92%
20 Checkpoints
Base Camp 2
Johnson Valley, CA

Day 6
Total points, 190
Team 104 = 177, 93%
15 Checkpoints
Base Camp 3
Johnson Valley, Joshua Tree, Salton Sea, Imperial Sand Dunes, CA

Day 7
Total points, 217
Team 104 = 195, 90%
21 Checkpoints
Base Camp 3
Imperial Sand Dunes, Glamis CA

Team #104’s vehicle of choice, the TORQ Locker Jeep is the most off-road capable vehicle in the event, both in 2016 and 2017. But with the capability came compromise in comfort and storage. For 2017 the team added some creature comforts to the Jeep that actually made a considerable difference in fighting fatigue and dehydration: Air Conditioning and a 12V refrigerator. The TORQ Locker Jeep is built to Ultra4 Stock Class specifications and has raced King of the Hammers twice. While the only race spec vehicle in the Rebelle, team #104 was far from the only racers in the event. Some of the top women in SCORE and BITD offroad racing participated in the Rebelle as well as Gazelle Rally veterans. A racing or navigation resume is not required, however, with the Rebelle training classes anyone can be competitive in this event.

The Rebelle support team is absolutely incredible, they spend all year planning routes, pre-running and negotiating with multiple BLM districts. During the competition competitors are supported with professional timing and scoring, live online GPS tracking, Rescue 3 volunteer off-road paramedics, base camp staff, photographers and videographers, and probably everyone’s favorite, 3-star Michelin Chef, Drew Deckman and his awesome team. The Rebelle truly is a world class event.

It takes time and perspective to fully appreciate the Rebelle Rally for its many aspects; competition, strategy, navigation skills, driving skills, camping in the elements, long days, stress, fun, food, dust, scenery, awe and friendships. The professionalism and dedication of our Team, family and friends, combined with the continued support from our Marketing Partners ensures our future success, and for this we wish to say thank you.

Cora Jokinen Owner/Driver
#104 Team TORQ-Locker Jeep
President, Torq-Masters Industries

Melissa Fischer , Navigator
#104 Team TORQ-Locker Jeep