I have to admit, I was sad to see Sandy the Santa Cruz go. She was a great little truck who did an amazing job for us in the last two years of the Rebelle Rally. But when Ram Trucks said it wanted to sponsor The Brute Squad this year with the Ram 1500 RHO, it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. I am simultaneously excited and terrified.
Ram announced our entry into the Rebelle last week with a story in CarBuzz. Even though we’ve known about the sponsorship for months, the official press release and story made it all more real.
With greater capability comes greater responsibility. Sure, we can tackle bigger obstacles and go further than we could in a trucklet, but that puts a lot more responsibility on me, the navigator, to make sure we don’t get lost. Gulp.
What is the Rebelle Rally?
If you aren’t familiar with the Rebelle Rally, it’s a women’s only off-road navigational challenge. We’ll traverse about 1,500 miles of terrain – most of it off-pavement – in the deserts of Nevada and California. One day could include rock climbing and the next could be sand dunes. So, we have to be prepared for any terrain. We also have to be prepared for weather. Last year, we camped outside at 14 degrees. Another year, there was a severe wind storm with white out conditions.
Oh, and we do this all without the help of cell phones, GPS or other digital aides. Our primary tools: a paper map, a compass, map rulers and a protractor.
In simple terms, it’s kind of like a scavenger hunt where you’re hunting for check points. Some are marked, some aren’t. But you collect points along the way with each point you find, and the person with the most points at the end of the game (not a race) wins.
Jill Ciminillo is plotting longitude and latitude points on a map during summer training. (Photo by Kristin Shaw)
Entering the 4X4 class
Switching from AWD in the Santa Cruz to 4WD in the Ram 1500 RHO allows us to switch to the 4X4 Class this year, and since the RHO is inspired by desert off-road racers, we won’t need to lift the suspension or add any aftermarket mods. This means we’ll also be competing in the Bone Stock category.
The RHO has 35-inch tires and has 11.8 inches of ground clearance and 32 inches of water fording capability. We’ll also have access to Mud/Sand, Rock, Snow, Sport and Baja modes via the Drive Mode selector, and I anticipate we’ll use them all during the 8-day navigational challenge.
Things like traversing whoops and craggy power line “roads” will be much easier in the RHO. We’ll be able to carry more speed because we won’t be worrying about ground clearance, which means we’ll be less likely to time out at our checkpoints. We won’t have to pick our way as carefully across the terrain. I still remember our first year when we got lost in a wash for 2 hours. We knew where we needed to go, but in the tiny trucklet, we couldn’t find a path forward that wouldn’t get us stuck. Then along came competitors in a Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler who helped us with a lead/follow, forging a path for us and being present in case we needed an extra shovel.
Being bougie is better
We got spoiled with Sandy’s heated-and-ventilated seats that accommodated the drastic temperature swings of the desert. The RHO has that and more. We’re looking at Nappa leather seats that won’t absorb our sweat on sweltering days. Then there’s the 12-way power adjustable seats – with a memory setting – so that my partner and I will be able to get the perfect driving positions, set it and forget it. It’ll make it easier for us to swap places in a hurry if necessary.
Then there’s all the screenage. We’ll have a 14.5-inch infotainment screen and a 10.25-inch passenger screen – both of which have access to camera displays. We will have to disable our navigation, which Ram Trucks will do for us prior to the event, but we’ll still have access to forward, reverse and 360-degree cameras.
Plus, the RHO comes standard with the up-level 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. Woof. Though we won’t have access to the radio or our phones for music, we’re working with Harman Kardon to get a USB key with music to help us on our journey.
The feature I’m looking forward to most: Massaging seats. At the end of a long day – or after 2 hours of plotting points bent over a table – this will be clutch.
Jill Ciminillo (left) and Kristin Shaw are teaming up again on The Brute Squad in the 2024 Rebelle Rally. They did their summer training an a 2025 Ram Rebel. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)
Why I’m terrified
So, here’s the thing. In the 4X4 Class you get a different set of longitude-and-latitude plot points than the XCross Class. These points take you further into the Wilderness (yes, with a capital W) and create greater opportunity to 1) get stuck or 2) get lost. My partner is a great driver, so I’m less worried about the former.
Since the Ram 1500 RHO is so capable, being precise and methodical while plotting and route planning will be key. Deep breaths. As we get closer to D-day (Oct. 11), I’m setting aside a minimum of 30 minutes each day to look at maps and plot points, then double checking the points to make sure I did it correctly.
With 29 days left, I’ve also started the panic purchases of extra map rulers, extra compasses and extra erasable pens.
Another panic point: We know Rebelle isn’t ending in Glamis this year, which it has done every year since it’s inception. So, there’s a mind game going on with knowing the course will be drastically different this year. Will we even have sand dune driving?
It’s also worth noting that we won’t have done any training in the RHO before we take it on the course as the truck isn’t out yet. We did our training this summer in the Rebel (in the featured image), which is close but not exactly the same. Therefore, as we do our last-minute gearing up prior to heading to base camp, we’ll be familiarizing ourselves with the new rig.
The bottom line
The Rebelle Rally is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It strengthens me as a person, empowers me as a woman and challenges me to do things I thought were impossible. Yes, I’m terrified, but I’m excited to stretch myself yet again. And I’m looking forward to spending time with my partner in an amazing truck that’s going to take us to some of the most beautiful places on earth.
This is my third year competing. I could do this 1 million times, and I still don’t think I’d feel ready. But still. I can’t wait to get out there.
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