The Rebelle Rally is America’s longest competitive off-road rally and the nation’s first all-women’s navigation rally. This October marked the 9th edition of this eight-day race, which began in Mammoth Lakes, California. Each team consists of one driver and one navigator as they attempt to navigate 1500 miles through some of the most challenging terrain Nevada and California has to offer. It is a tough, raw, authentic, 10-day event with eight days of competition that is attracting adventurous, smart, empowered women from across the globe.
Christine Seville of Walnut Creek and daughter Peyton, 24, Oakland, were one of 65 teams to compete in this grueling experience.
“When your 24-year-old daughter sends you a text with a link and says,’ Hey, mom. How about we do this together?’ Basically, I don’t even look at the link. I just say ‘yes.’”
Any empty-nester parent knows what she’s talking about. Once committed, she began researching what she had agreed to do. “I realized what a giant undertaking it is. But I’m, of course, still super excited to spend 10 days with my daughter, learning that we can do hard things.” It is not cheap. Registration alone is more than $15,000 and does not include training course fees or safety gear rentals.
Rebelle Rally is a navigational-based race. You are stripped of your devices that have GPS software, including phones, computers, and your car. Each team is given a compass and a map.
Each day, you are given longitudinal and latitudinal checkpoints to reach. Each checkpoint successfully navigated will earn your team points. Checkpoints are colored coded for varying values based on their degree of difficulty to locate. The plan is to reach as many of the checkpoints as possible for the most points each day. At the end of each day, all teams meet at base camp, set up camp, and enjoy dinner prepared by Michelin Star Chef Drew Deckman, and tuck in as the next day’s leg begins at 5:00 a.m., and repeat for eight days.
Neither Sevilles has any experience in any of this. While Peyton is an engineer, as is most of the competitors, Christine has had her career in medical sales. Nothing they have done could have prepared them for this, except, as Christine says, they have “grit.” So much so they named their team “Grit Chicks.”
Peyton has an adventurous soul. She had heard through a newsletter about an engineer at a different company who had done it and thought that sounded really interesting. She knew her parents had just purchased a 2024 INEOS Automotive Grenadier, a revered British SUV, and challenged her to enter the rally.
“You get up in the morning, you get longitudinal and latitudinal checkpoints, and then you plot them out on your map. And you take off in the car, and you find them only using a compass,” Christine explained.
This is hardcore. There are no bathrooms, no amenities, and lunch is Mountain House dehydrated camping meals. And no showers — Peyton said they used baby wipes.
This was also during some of the hottest days on record, from October 9 -19, driving through the outskirts of Death Valley, through the Dumont Dunes and Imperial Dunes in Nevada. At one point, one of their wheels caught fire. “We were in our car, and then someone pulled up, alongside and said, ‘Your wheel’s on fire.’ We had to put out the fire,” Peyton said.
“It was so hot. When we were camping out in the dunes, the wind was so hard. It kept blowing our tents over.” They also broke their drive shaft but persevered over the final two days.
The Grit Chicks accomplished their goal and finished in 58th place. As for the mother-daughter bonding, both stated overall, it was amazing fun, and they would do it again, but with different teammates.
At midway through the week, during some of the more difficult days, Peyton turned to her mom and said, “If you’re ever wondering what I’m gonna talk about at your funeral, this is gonna be it.” And they laughed.
