New Hyundai Santa Cruz to race in this year’s Rebelle Rally

On October 6, Hyundai will hand over the keys to the Hyundai Santa Cruz to two auto journalists who will compete in the seventh annual Rebelle Rally, which is an off-road navigational challenge for women.

For the first time, Hyundai will compete in the eight-day, 1,500-mile event. Racers will begin at an unannounced location in Nevada before travelling hundreds of miles through the desert to the finish line in Southern California's Imperial Sand Dunes. Jill Ciminillo and Kristin Shaw, both automotive journalists, will pilot the truck in its first appearance at the Rally.

The Rebelle Rally isn't a competition to see who can cross the finish line first. It's a navigational challenge with a focus on direction, hidden checkpoints, and time, with contestants using maps and a compass to navigate. Smartphones and GPS are not permitted, and race authorities collect cellphones at the start of the race to avoid cheating.

Ciminillo and Shaw will prepare by attending a two-day navigation course and a two-day off-road driving school. The schools will give the two a crash course in off-road driving and recovery abilities. They'll learn how to diagnose vehicle issues, read and interpret maps, plot longitude and latitude, and diagnose vehicle difficulties.

They'll be driving a brand-new Santa Cruz pickup truck outfitted with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard on all Santa Cruz models. The pickup has 8.6 inches of ground clearance, and Hyundai added a skid plate and off-road tyres for extra protection in the desert.

“We are ecstatic to be sponsoring our first Hyundai squad in the Rebelle Rally,” stated Dana White, Hyundai Motor North America’s chief communications officer. “We’re ecstatic to be working with Jill and Kristin on this trip, and we can’t wait to see them in action in Santa Cruz.”

The Rebel Rally has, over the years, become the battleground for automakers to flaunt their fresh offerings. Previously, Ford has taken its Bronco Sport to the event and even won the X-Cross class. The Hyundai Santa Cruz will be competing in the very same class this year.

Also Read: Hyundai USA partners with IonQ to launch quantum machine learning for future mobility