ALI CURRIE TAKES ON THE REBELLE RALLY - STAGE 1
REBELLE RALLY | STAGE 1
Stage 1 has a max score of 214 points. With green checkpoints being worth 20, blue checkpoints being worth 10 and black waypoints having varying values. The black checkpoints are hidden markers that can range from 0-10 depending on how close to the point you get and how difficult they deem point. Strategy comes into play when you have two options of black checkpoints, one may be harder and take more time but will be worth more points. All teams have a designated leave time from Basecamp and a return time, if they are late they will be penalized points. So you have to calculate the risk vs. reward of going after those points and making it back to Basecamp on time.
All smiles before the start of the Rally - Photo by Richard Giordano
Right off the start the teams we’re challenged with an Enduro. Ali and Keri aced it scoring maximum points before heading out to find the checkpoints. They held nothing back and went for every hidden checkpoint they could and got all of them except for 1.
“Today was the first day of the rally and I feel like it went really well. Keri and I were in sync and after going checkpoint to checkpoint we went for the optional hidden waypoints to try and do as best as we could. It turns out we did pretty well for our first stage, just shy of the top 10. The jeep drove excellent and after seeing vehicles with flat tires and broken off shocks I’m really impressed with how well the Nitto Tires held up and how the Mohave Edition performed.”
They ended up getting 92% of the available points and now sit 12th out of the 30 car field. To put it into perspective the reigning winners got 97% of the points showing that Ali barely off the pace of the top competitors.
“Today is nearly twice as long as Day 1 at 417 kilometers, making it the longest stage of the rally. Stage 2 begins with a long on time Rebelle Enduro Challenge (REC) into California to the breathtaking Owens Valley before heading to Big Pine. Teams will search out CPs in the shadow of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the Lower 48 at 14,505 feet. While the views are stunning, teams will be using the massive features as navigation aids in an effort to locate the 19 CPs scattered throughout the course. As they near Olancha the competitors will see their first sand and enjoy a fun section of the course marked with twisting hard pack sandy roads, massive Joshua Trees, and the peaks of the Eastern Sierras in the navigator’s window in an on route REC covering 123 kilometers. The day ends at Base Camp Two outside of Ridgecrest, California at the Spangler Open OHV Area.”
Ali looks to improve on the small mistakes they had and push for perfection as the rally moves forward.
- A Currie Media House Article