Day 6 — Final stretch
At Johnson Valley OHV, the sun peeked across the dusty valley just before 7 a.m. and bathed the nearby San Bernardino National Forest in morning light. Teams were already assembled — in some cases up for hours plotting their courses — for the penultimate day of the 2020 Rebelle Rally.
So far, Team Wander Women and the other 35 all-female teams have traveled more than 1,000 miles between Lake Tahoe to Southern California. Driver Nicole Wakelin and Navigator Alice Chase have driven at the foot of snow-capped peaks and to the lowest basin in the U.S. The hundreds of miles they've covered have been dotted with hundreds of checkpoints, too. With just a handful remaining on Day 7, which is the final day of the competition, the finish line is nearly in sight.
Wakelin and Chase spent Day-6 traveling through Joshua Tree National Park and escaped points penalties for speeding that cost teams precious positions in the final standings. Around the Salton Sea and down toward Glamis, California, Wakelin and Chase will prepare for the final day of competition in their INFINITI QX80 QXploration after a grueling challenge that started more than a week ago.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
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Day 5 — Trail daze Part 2
mar·a·thon
noun
\ˈmer-ə-ˌthän, ˈma-rə-\
1 : a competition in which participants vie with each other to see who can last the longest in doing something : a contest that tests the stamina and endurance of the contestants : an endurance contest
For Team Wander Women and the INFINITI QX80 QXploration, Day 5 is Day 4+2. That's because Day 4 signaled the start of the rally's marathon portion, where competitors weren't offered the comforts of Base Camp at the end of the day. Camping in the Dumont Dunes overnight after the fourth day of competition, Team Wander Women Driver Nicole Wakelin and Navigator Alice Chase ventured further into the dunes and toward more taxing checkpoints for Day 5.
It was never going to be easy.
"This event wouldn't have the same impact on the competitors if it was only three or four days long," said Rebelle founder Emily Miller. "It isn't until Day 5 that you really start to feel the weight of the event. Even something as simple as setting up your tent can seem like a monumental task when you are completely exhausted. It is in these moments that we learn what we are truly capable of."
Guidance from the fourth QXploration teammate, Renault DP World F1® Driver Daniel Ricciardo, will pay off in the last three days of competition. Ricciardo, who grew up near dunes at his home in Australia, advised Wakelin that driving in the dunes is mentally exhausting: "Especially when you get fatigued and tired…all the dunes look flat nearly. It's hard to see what's over the crest. It's part of the challenge and the excitement."
The daunting dunes have been lucky so far for Team Wander Women. Day 5's point haul was the largest of the competition so far.
Day 6 begins early with competitors setting off into Joshua Tree National Park, around the Salton Sea's shores, and toward the Imperial Dunes, where they will finish after seven days of competition. Stay tuned.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
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Day 4 — Trail daze
mar·a·thon
noun
\ˈmer-ə-ˌthän, ˈma-rə-\
1 : a competition in which participants vie with each other to see who can last the longest in doing something : a contest that tests the stamina and endurance of the contestants : an endurance contest
Highs and lows dominated Day 4 at the 2020 Rebelle Rally. Team Wander Women began the day at Wagon Wheel OHV in San Bernardino County, California, at the southern tip of the Sierra Crest, near the shadows of Mount Whitney, which is the highest peak in the contiguous U.S. at 14,505 feet. Team Wander Women Driver Nicole Wakelin and Navigator Alice Chase traveled south, through the ghost town of Ballarat, California, to the lowest point in the U.S., Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level.
Although organizers said Day 4's terrain was moderate in difficulty, the day also signaled the start of the marathon phase of the rally. Camping in the Dumont Dunes, teams were without mechanical assistance and the comforts of the Rebelle Rally base camp for Day 4 heading into Day 5. Wakelin and Chase have prepared for the marathon portion already — their specially prepared QX80 QXploration serves not only as their "third teammate" but also their temporary home "with all the comfort and style of INFINITI," Wakelin said.
Day 5's stage will wander in and around Death Valley National Park as the teams prepare for a final push toward the finish line, at the Imperial Sand Dunes near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
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Day 3 — California rush
Three days into the 2020 Rebelle Rally and there's no sign of letting up.
After a grueling Day 2 - the longest-distance stage in the rally's history that covered nearly 400 kilometers — Day 3 began with a short 1-kilometer challenge in Spangler OHV, near Ridgecrest, California. Team Wander Women and the INFINITI QX80 started with a steep ascent and descent in the morning, collecting checkpoints scattered along the rutted and bumpy route. A technical challenge as much as a navigational challenge, the small sprint challenged Driver Nicole Wakelin and Navigator Alice Chase's training and concentration heading into the long rally stage for the third day of competition.
Teams left Spangler OHV on a 200-km navigational rally with 23 checkpoints dotted along the route to Red Rock State Park OHV near Rancho Seco, California. The course was likely the most challenging of the rally so far for Chase — organizers claimed Day 3's challenge specifically tested the team's navigational skills. Along the route, Team Wander Women steered toward green checkpoints, located on the maps and on the stage, for the largest point hauls of the day. Intermediate checkpoints for fewer points, marked by a blue square, are harder to find and not located on the map but marked with small flags. Advanced checkpoints, black diamonds, are the hardest to find and aren't located on the map or by flags, although teams can spot those and "check in"with a transponder.
The rally's course will eventually lead the team toward the Imperial Sand Dunes, near the U.S.-Mexico border — although there are plenty of miles to go for the next four days. Stay tuned.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
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Day 2 — Life off the road
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The long road ahead for Team Wander Women isn't much of a road at all, really.
That's because Driver Nicole Wakelin and Navigator Alice Chase, who are competing this year in the 2020 Rebelle Rally in the INFINITI QX80 QXploration, have more than 1,500 miles to travel from Lake Tahoe to the Imperial Sand Dunes near the U.S.-Mexico border — and they're doing it the hard way. As Wakelin, Chase, and other competitors dash from checkpoint to checkpoint, the navigational Rebelle competition is actually held mostly off-road; winding through narrow canyons, scrambling at the foot of the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, and clambering up narrow rocky passages. According to Emily Miller, founder of the Rebelle Rally, Day 2's overall stage was the longest recorded in the history of the rally.
While the route may be in tricky terrain, their specially prepared QX80 is well-suited to the task with leather-appointed seats that are heated and climate-controlled, plush interior trim, and a hushed cabin. When not mashing through the off-road challenges, Wakelin and Chase find comfort in the basecamps that feature fuel for the (off)road ahead, including meals prepared by Michelin-star winning chef Drew Deckman. Competitors in the Rebelle Rally camp every night through the 8-day competition in a roving headquarters that follows them throughout the challenge.
At the starting line before Day 2, Wakelin and Chase agreed that the accommodations were comfortable, but agreed there was just one food item they most looked forward to every day: "Coffee. All we need is the coffee," Wakelin said before setting off.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
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Day 1 starts strong
With the first day of the 2020 Rebelle Rally officially in the books, Team Wander Women Driver Nicole Wakelin and Navigator Alice Chase set an impressive early pace in the all-female navigational rally raid. This year, rookies Chase and Wakelin found footing in their specially prepared INFINITI QX80 during a Day 0 prologue held yesterday before attacking the Tonopah Loop's enduro challenge and 18 checkpoints today.
The course wound through breathtaking canyons and spectacular terrain near the Nevada-California border as the teams blitzed through the foothills. The Tonopah Loop route scattered checkpoints near Blair, Nevada, a mining boomtown during the Tonopah rush since abandoned for more than 100 years. Wakelin and Chase netted a 64% of the overall points haul for the first day, good enough for 24th position overall and in the top 10 among rookie contenders. Wakelin and Chase will set off again tomorrow into the second day of the 8-day race, tackling more challenging terrain on their way from Lake Tahoe to the Imperial Sand Dunes near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
Day 0 tech check
The road may end here but another is just beginning for Team Wander Women and the 2021 INFINITI QX80 #QXploration. On Thursday October 8, 2020, the team arrived to South Lake Tahoe and completed tech inspection for the 2020 Rebelle Rally. The navigational competition winds through more than 1,500 miles as competitors travel from Lake Tahoe to the Imperial Sand Dunes near the U.S.-Mexico border. Thursday's tech inspection ensured the QX80 #QXploration was fit for service throughout the 10-day competition and teams will begin Day 0 on Friday with a prologue run before the competition begins Saturday.
Follow the official team accounts for live updates,
Team social accounts
Nicole Wakelin on Twitter, on Instagram
Alice Chase on Twitter, on Instagram
The Rebelle Rally on Twitter, on Instagram
INFINITI on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube
Websites
Follow Team 142 LIVE on the Rebelle Rally's blog (Live at 07:00 AM CT)
