For rugged performance in any conditions, you can’t beat a Bronco. Ford’s outdoor Bronco brand of Built Wild and 4x4-only SUVs are currently striving to make a three victory repeat at the Rebelle Rally’s X-Cross bone stock class. Ford took the Bronco Sport back to the event earlier last week. The Bronco Sport will join a Bronco two-door and four-door at the all-woman outdoor navigation competition.
Melissa Clark, a Bronco Moab Off-Roadeo Trail Guide and 2021 X-Cross winner, has joined Chris Benzie, a veteran Rebelle Rally navigator and semi-retired aerospace engineering executive, to make the three-peat happen. X-Cross is one of only two categories at the rally and provides two-wheel or all-wheel drive models. The other class is 4x4 for, naturally, four-wheel drive vehicles, like the full-size Bronco.
Beyond showing off the off-road prowess of the vehicle entries, the Rebelle Rally is created to challenge the navigation skills of the participants. The event started in Incline Village, Nevada, on Oct. 6, winds its way across rugged terrain in Nevada and California, and is completed in the Imperial Sand Dunes in southern California on Oct. 15. Every racing team includes a driver, navigator, and their vehicle, with no personal support crews allowed. Participants spend their nights camping along the way.
Tenured driver and Bronco Brand Ambassador Shelby Hall teams up again with Penny Dale, an experienced navigator in the 4x4 class. They will navigate the 1,500-plus mile terrain in a Bronco Wildtrak™ with a HOSS 3.0 System Package upgrade. The HOSS 3.0 System Package offers FOX™ 2.5-inch Internal Bypass Dampers, Ford Performance severe-duty steering rack and tie rod ends, a front steel bumper, and front steel bash plate.
Earlier in the decade, Hall and Dale won the X-Cross class in 2020 with a Bronco Sport and finished fourth in the 4x4 class for 2021.
The third Ford Bronco racer is being helmed by Kathryn Reinhardt, director of marketing for 4 Wheel Parts, and Victoria Bundrant is navigating. This team will unveil a customized Bronco Badlands outfitted with 4 Wheel Parts in the 4×4 class. They finished 21st as rookies in the event last year and are looking to improve on their performance.
For all the latest information about Ford’s rugged SUVs and performance highlights, look no further than Haldeman Ford in Hamilton. To learn about the latest Ford Bronco or any of Ford’s new vehicles, don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or to set up a test drive today!