Photo: Honda
Honda desperately wanted to heal their Ridgeline pickup truck’s reputation of not being a real truck when they rolled out the HPD performance off-roading package. A great way to cement this change would be to enter one into a 1,500-mile dash across the Nevada and California desert with dozens of other trucks to race against.
That’s exactly what Liz Long and Tasha Krug from Honda's Ohio-based North American Auto Development Center are about to do. In her time not racing, Liz works as a chassis reliability test engineer specializing in subframe and suspension system quality assurance. Her co-driver Tasha works as a Honda engine system and drivability test engineer.
Starting October, 7th the duo will compete in the Rebel Rally, a women’s only 1,500-mile (2,414-km) racing adventure across two states through the unforgiving desert and even more unforgiving sand dunes. The big catch, of course, is that there’s no GPS or cellular navigation of any kind allowed.
They will cover the route as Team Sand Mode #208 in the X-Cross class. The duo will thoroughly put the HPD Ridgeline, now decked out in all the necessary rally race garb, through a series of grueling tests to see if it actually is more than just an SUV chassis with the back end chopped off.
Honda’s had a bit of an off-roading kick as of late, with the Ridgeline HPD being the most notable example, but also the Passport Trailsport unveiled earlier this year. The Ridgeline HPD these women will be driving will come with more than a few exclusive goodies. Roof rails, crossbars, door visors, cargo net, in-bed trunk cargo dividers, and all-season floor mats, and custom Rebel Rally graphics are on the list. Good luck to both at this year’s race, the reputation of the truck they drive may be on the line.
Starting October, 7th the duo will compete in the Rebel Rally, a women’s only 1,500-mile (2,414-km) racing adventure across two states through the unforgiving desert and even more unforgiving sand dunes. The big catch, of course, is that there’s no GPS or cellular navigation of any kind allowed.
They will cover the route as Team Sand Mode #208 in the X-Cross class. The duo will thoroughly put the HPD Ridgeline, now decked out in all the necessary rally race garb, through a series of grueling tests to see if it actually is more than just an SUV chassis with the back end chopped off.
Honda’s had a bit of an off-roading kick as of late, with the Ridgeline HPD being the most notable example, but also the Passport Trailsport unveiled earlier this year. The Ridgeline HPD these women will be driving will come with more than a few exclusive goodies. Roof rails, crossbars, door visors, cargo net, in-bed trunk cargo dividers, and all-season floor mats, and custom Rebel Rally graphics are on the list. Good luck to both at this year’s race, the reputation of the truck they drive may be on the line.
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