LES VEGAS – Endurance rally racing is one of the most grueling competitions the motoring world has to offer. Events often span days, if not weeks, across hundreds of kilometers of vast terrain, from flat desert lands to murky swamps, to rocky mountain ranges and steep cliff edges. In the United States, the most popular rally is the Baja 1000. Several classes from off-road trucks to dirt bikes compete in their own classes to prove that both their own man and their machine are the best.
Some would say this is a man’s sport, but Shelby Hall also competes with wins and podiums all over the world.
“I’m a third-generation off-road pro,” says Hall. “My grandfather is Rod Hall and he was a legend in this sport. So I grew up in the dirt, racing in the desert, going really fast and using GPS.”
One of the events Hall competes in is called the Rebelle Rally, an all-female rally event that takes place in the deserts of Nevada and California. For the past eight years, more than 20 women’s teams battle the grueling late summer or early fall heat with eight days to run across 1,500 miles of terrain. Instead of all the top dollar equipment, the Rebel Rally requires all vehicles to be legal and street legal, focusing more on the driver and navigator and less on the dollar figure to carry a more authentic competition at the forefront of the race.
For Hall, it has become an annual sensation.
“When I heard about the Rebel Rally, I didn’t know what to make of it,” he shared. “She couldn’t read a map and a compass, and my grandfather was also Emily’s mentor and teacher. He really believed in his vision, he believed in me as a competitor, so he was my number one sponsor the first year. I’ve learned a lot, so I’ve been racing for Ford since 2019, and our first Rebel Rally was in 2020. I went with my teammate, Penny Dale, and we were in a Bronco Sport and we won We were the first team to take first place on behalf of Ford and the new Bronco brand, which is pretty amazing that it was an all-female team.
“Since then, I still run a desert race and still compete in the rally every year.”
Rebelle Rally founder Emily Miller found inspiration not only through fellow athletes, but also through her own experiences as a mechanic. His experience and friendship with the Hall family has taken him to the next level of organizing the Rebel Rally on the West Coast.
“I raced for his grandfather and his grandfather was the winningest racer in Baja 1000 history, so I got to learn from the best,” Miller said. “Often, when I was out there, I was one of the only women and it was difficult. I built so many valuable friendships and lessons from racing, so I wanted to create a competition that was more like some of the global rallies around the world like the Dakar (Rally). I raced in rallies overseas which are endurance rallies, but you don’t see them here in the US, so I wanted something that was truly world class that his grandfather would be proud of in stock built vehicles.
“That’s what she was the expert on. That would build a community of women who had the expertise to make it happen.”
The event has been growing every year. More teams enter the race and a larger audience attends to watch the world’s best showcase their talent. With a growing event, more corporate partners allow the show to reach more audiences and create more awareness of the event. Even manufacturers have become partners to help learn the weak points of their machines to build better and more durable machines for the everyday driver on the roads. The rally allows more than 10 manufacturers to compete in the same class, one of the most varied in all motorsport disciplines.
“Jeep has been a great sponsor. Iridium, the satellite company, Yeti is a great partner and Pirelli Tires,” continued Miller. “We actually have 11 vehicle manufacturers participating in the rally. Nowadays, many of the manufacturers are introducing their female engineers to compete in the cars they design, manufacture and build, so that they can live in that car and then go back to the drawing board and work to make it even better. .”
Despite all the associations, Hall knows there are still fundamentals that make every race car driver, mechanic and navigator a true athlete. Accuracy, stamina, communication and patience are just a few of the main pieces of the puzzle that capture the full picture of everything you need to prepare for a race at this level.
“The one thing it has in common with the Baja 1000 is you have to have stamina,” Hall stated, sharing some insights from some past races. “We are in the vehicle 12 hours a day with the same person, so communication is key, patience, precision. Some days you wonder whose idea it was to do this, and other days, you’re on top of the world. “I was made to do this.”
“That’s what makes it amazing is that the hard days are matched by the amazing days. If you’re a true competitor, you learn from your mistakes and come back even better next year.”
One of those incredible days was this past NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Pennzoil 400, when Pennzoil announced its partnership with Rebelle U, the rally’s collegiate program aimed at helping train and coach women interested in entering the field of motor sports. Unlike other universities or professional programs, Rebelle U does not require any past experience, giving a real open door to anyone who wants to pursue a career like this. Bree Sandlin, vice president of marketing for Shell Lubricants North America, shared how she was inspired by last year’s race that led to the perfect collaboration.
“Last year we got to go out for a couple of days and see how the event went, and it was so inspiring to see these women push themselves, go through these grueling conditions and then gain confidence and that experience,” she said. Sandlin said. . “That was all the proof we needed to know that this was something we wanted to be a part of. We get to do that in a really authentic way by being a Rebelle U sponsor that helps train drivers and boaters. The our goal is to involve more women and diversity in motorsports and the automotive industry.
“Rebelle U is available for women to come train, even if you don’t run the event. It was a perfect fit for us.”
Pennzoil offered to go a step further by introducing a cooperative mechanics program. It is an open garage available to teams for additional support, more advanced level training and extra neutral members dedicated to solving mechanical problems and helping with standard maintenance. Just as a NASCAR driver needs a pit crew during the race, Pennzoil wants to provide that paddock for the rally.
“In the evenings, after drivers come in, if they need support for their vehicles, anything that’s gone wrong they need to see a mechanic, there’s a co-op mechanic garage,” Sandlin expanded. “They work hand in hand with the mechanics to solve any problem. Pennzoil will bring some mechanics to help, and of course we’ll bring our oil, so if anyone needs an oil change during the event, they’ll have Pennzoil there for them.”
For all three women, it all comes back to the inspiration they’ve experienced firsthand. Whether as a spectator and partner like Pennzoil or a competitor and mechanic like Hall and Miller, it has truly become a pleasure to participate and host. Miller hopes to share this inspiration with others as the series continues to grow and expand.
“You never know who you’re impacting by teaching them driving and navigation skills, and then believing in them,” Miller said. “Because of Rod Hall, we have Rally Rebelle today.”
All of this inspiration was rooted in a quote that Rod Hall shared with Miller when he competed.
“He told me, ‘One of the best places to see the world was behind the windshield.'”
