onX Offroad’s Guide to the Rebelle Rally 2022

The longest competitive off-road race in the United States is back in full force, and it just happens to also be entirely for women: The Rebelle Rally. Every year competitors travel to the remote desert of the southwest to off-road across unknown and rough terrain as they vie for prizes in different competitions. The biggest challenge? Absolutely no cell phones or GPS devices allowed. These experts in navigation have spent the last year using onX Offroad to train for a secret course. Now, they are putting their skills to the test. 

onX Offroad is a proud sponsor of the Rebelle Rally, the ultimate navigation competition. Emily Miller, the Founder and Rally Director of Rebelle Rally, tells us what it’s like to plan, pre-run, and manage an off-road rally of this caliber using onX Offroad. 

What is the Rebelle Rally?

Emily Miller, the founder and rally director, has created an off-road competition for women to put their extreme navigation skills to the test, to cheer each other on, and to compete in a challenging, but safe way. 

The Rebelle Rally is the ultimate test of navigation, off-road driving, on-the-spot decision making, and determination. Spanning 2,500 kilometers of remote, desert terrain across Nevada and California, the rally runs for eight days and each day’s route is not made available to the teams until the day of. Teams compete not on speed, but rather on time and distance using paper maps and their compass, and finding hidden checkpoints over those eight days— competitors are not allowed to use GPS units or cell phones at any time.

They must rely on the training they have received and the skills they have worked on, many using onX Offroad, prior to the event to carry them across the finish line.

onX Offroad’s Affiliation and History with the Rebelle Rally

onX Offroad joined the Rebelle Rally movement in 2021. The Rebelle Rally is considered to be the most challenging navigation-focused off-road race in the U.S., so of course we wanted to be a part of it. Although competitors aren’t allowed to use the App during the eight days of competition, onX Offroad is used heavily by competitors, the rally planners, and media throughout the entire year.

“We really use the onX Offroad App in every way possible,” says Miller, “from planning out the course, laying out the course, running the course—it’s a critical tool for us.” Miller has 130 people on the Rebelle crew who use the App extensively on the backend, such as sharing Waypoints and 3D mode with members of media, taking notes and sharing those with staff, and relying heavily on Offline Maps when service is non-existent. 

Miller stresses that onX Offroad is absolutely critical when setting the course. For example, Miller explains: “As we go through the process of the pre-running and filing for permits, I can easily see what’s public land and what’s not. Then, I can turn on the Private Land Layer to determine if we need to route around the area, or if I need to contact the landowner to get permission to access it.” Additionally, Miller and her team tap on Featured Trails to view trail data such as photos, descriptions, elevation profiles, and more to discover new trails in the area, since the route changes every year.

Not only does Miller track the entire course using onX Offroad’s Go & Track features, she also drops over 300 Waypoints across the course with photos and notes she can share with staff and media. 

“The interface is very user-friendly and easy to share with someone who’s never used the App,” says Miller. Ease-of-use is critical to the event because, she says, once the rally starts “we only have one chance to get it right.”

Rebelle Rally Rules

The Rebelle Rally is a competition of strategy where two-person teams travel to checkpoints along the course where they accrue points. There is an Enduro challenge, based on time or on route, and a Compass and Map challenge, where teams find physical Waypoints that are rated on difficulty. There are other challenges and ways to earn—and lose—points along the way. 

Additional rules: 

• Absolutely no outside assistance at any time.
• Absolutely no GPS, internet-enabled, radio, or cellular devices allowed during the rally.
• Teams must clear tech inspection.
• Teams must use maps provided by the rally.
• No spectators allowed.
• No outside mechanical support allowed.

For a complete set of rules, check out the Rebelle Rally Rulebook.

Rebelle Rally 2022 Course and Map

To add to the excitement, and really put competitors to the test, each section of course is not released to the teams until the day of each stage. Most of the Rebelle Rally staff do not know the course, nor do the media teams. Even onX Offroad doesn’t have access to the course! “We have designed an interesting course that is fun to drive,” says Miller, “and respectful to our desert environment.” Competitors must use the official maps provided by the rally, to ensure fairness across teams.

Rebelle Rally 2022 Cost

Registration covers the cost of this incredible 10-day event, including:

• Land-use permits.
• Basecamps with showers.
• All meals and water at basecamps as well as while on the course.
• Medical and mechanical crews.
• Major all-inclusive final event.
• Tons of team swag, and more .

Pricing per team (split between two people) is approximately $13,850.

Key Rebelle Rally 2022 Dates

Participant Requirements

Competitors of all ages and experiences are welcome, however strong navigational skills are required. Participants must comply with all rules, especially given the remote nature of the course. 

Additional requirements include:

• This is a competition designed for women.
• Teams must be two competitors.
• A 4×4 driving course or equivalent experience, and an introductory navigation course (offered online and free of charge by the Rebelle to pre-registered participants) is required to cross the starting line.
• Stock vehicles are allowed; vehicles must be street-legal and plated.

Find all requirements here: https://www.rebellerally.com/home/faqs/

Application Process

Before applications open to the public, Rebelle allows rookie teams (two women who have never competed before) to apply. Want to give it a shot? Keep an eye on the Rebelle Rally website. (Insider tip: applications may open before the Rally starts this year.)

Applications open to the general public mid-fall. Teams who register will have 72 hours to complete payment. Upon completion, teams are officially registered for 2023 but will still need to comply with vehicle and participation requirements in order to participate. 

Didn’t make it in? No worries. Get on the waitlist because teams inevitably have to drop every year.

How to Track Rebelle Rally Results and Standings

Starting October 6, 2022, follow all of the competitors on Rebelle’s live tracking here: https://www.rebellerally.com/live-tracking. Keep track of the standings and scoring as the competition progresses.

None of us will know the entire course until drivers cross the finish line, but curious what it might be like? Pull up your onX Offroad App, zoom into the California/Nevada border and pan around the desert. Switch over to 3D mode to explore the challenging, varied, and remote terrain. Want an even bigger experience? Pull it up on desktop at www.onxmaps.com/offroad/app. As Miller puts it, “On desktop, it’s like 3D on steroids.”

FAQ

• Q: What is the Rebelle Rally?
  • A: The Rebelle Rally is the first women’s off-road navigation rally raid in the United States. Blending the love of driving with the ultimate challenge of precise navigation, the Rebelle tests your skills over eight days of competition. It is not a race for speed, but a unique and demanding event based on the elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance using maps, compass, and roadbook.
• Q: When is the Rebelle Rally 2022?
  • A: October 6-15.
• Q: How can I watch or follow the Rebelle Rally 2022?
  • A: Follow the competitors here: https://www.rebellerally.com/live-tracking.
• Q: Where is the Rebelle Rally 2022?
  • A: The course is kept a secret, even to the competitors, until each day of the rally. However, we know it is somewhere in the remote California/Nevada desert.
• Q: How long is the Rebelle Rally 2022?
  • A: 2,500 kilometers.