Nissan Navara heads to America for 2,000-km ‘tough and smart’ women-only rally
Award-winning Nissan pickup on the start line for grueling off-road competition
2017/10/09
- Rebelle Rally lasts a week, with two-person women-only teams covering 2,000 km
- Navara's "tough and smart" credentials put to the ultimate test
- Unique-in-segment five-link rear suspension means refined ride in dunes and dirt tracks
PARIS, France – Nissan's award-winning Navara is taking a trans-Atlantic trip to the spiritual home of the pickup truck later this month. There it will do battle in a grueling off-road event that will push its "tough and smart" credentials to the limit.
The rugged Navara – current holder of the prestigious International Pickup Award – is taking part in the Rebelle Rally. An annual week-long stage-race, it's a 2,000-km test of driving and navigation skill through the stunning deserts of California and Nevada in the U.S.
Designed for production vehicles rather than rally-prepared racers, the event is open to women-only teams of two and attracts competitors from across the globe. It incorporates long-distance off-road driving and traditional navigation, using only topographic maps and a compass to find hidden checkpoints. GPS devices including smartphones are strictly forbidden, and time limits force competitors to make swift decisions.
BONE STOCK NEWS! Manufacturer support for the Rebelle Rally continues to increase. We are excited to share @nissan France’s news as they field a team of two employees in the Nissan #NAVARA pick up. The vehicle is expected to pass the inspection for the Bone Stock Designation. • We congratulate #Nissan on their support of their employees to chase their passion for automotive and adventure. An manufacturer team testing out the products they sell by putting it through the paces for 8 days of driving the American West? Sounds like an good decision to us! • Click the link in our bio to learn more about Florence Pham (@flo_olf) and Karen Rayrolles of #Team123 from Nissan France’s News Release! And...Flo and Karen will sport the Bone Stock Designation AND the International Cup. #rebellerally #jointheRebelle
A post shared by Rebelle Rally (@rebellerally) on Sep 28, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT
While it is one thing to join the rally while living here in the States, it is a completely different challenge to #jointheRebelle from overseas! Coming all the way from France, meet Florence Pham (@flo_olf) and Karen Rrlls (@krn_rrlls), aka Flo and Kiki, from Team Flowkey, #123! #RebelleTeamWeek • Their name Flowkey comes is a play off their names, FLO-rence and KI-ki, and is a nod to their mutual love of music. Not only do they get to rock the International Cup designation on their vehicle and vests, but they are also in contention for the Bone Stock Award, as they are competing in a #NissanNavara shipped all the way from @nissan France. • To find out more about these badass, French Rebelles, read their team feature on our blog! bit.ly/FloAndKiki #team123 #teamflowkey #navara #rebellerally #jointheRebelle
A post shared by Rebelle Rally (@rebellerally) on Oct 5, 2017 at 6:24pm PDT
The Rebelle Rally runs from October 12-21, and each day's route remains secret until a few hours before the start. Now in its second year, 40 teams representing 12 countries are taking part, using vehicles from a variety of manufacturers.
Two Nissan employees from Nissan France – Karen Rayrolles and Florence Pham, who work in the Communications and Marketing teams respectively – are driving a Navara in the event and are looking forward to a unique challenge.
"The Navara's tough and smart character makes it the perfect choice for the Rebelle Rally," said Rayrolles. We're thrilled to be taking part in this amazing event. Anyone can track our progress via the live link at rebellerally.com or at nissan.fr."
Rayrolles and Pham are using a Navara Double Cab model and competing for the Bone Stock Award. This category is open to teams using standard vehicles where the only modification is a set of off-road tires.
The Double Cab will be perfectly at home on the sand dunes and dirt tracks of the desert. The epitome of tough and smart, this Navara blends go-anywhere ability with the latest driver assistance technologies. The result is a level of refinement, style, comfort and quality that's on a par with Nissan's acclaimed family of crossovers – the Juke, Qashqai and X-Trail.
The Navara is the latest in a long and highly successful line of rugged Nissan pickups stretching back more than 80 years and 12 generations. Globally Nissan has sold more than 14 million pickups since 1934. The Navara is not sold in North America, where Nissan's three-strong pickup range is the Frontier, TITAN and Titan XD.
Happy Tuesday – one of the best days of the week in our opinion! Not only is today a #RebelleTeamTuesday, but today kicks off our #RebelleTeamWeek where we will be featuring one of our incredible new teams every day! Teams this incredible cannot be contained on Tuesdays alone. 😉 • Up first on our Team Week is Sedona Blinson (@donacruiser) and Leah Heffelfinger (@leahheffelfinger) of @team.wild.grace, #106! While the name is a bit mysterious and leaves us wanting to learn more, for those who know Sedona and Leah, it sums them up perfectly. Piloting a @nissan Frontier PRO4X in the Rebelle, this dynamic duo is up for a wild ride – with a dash of grace, of course! • Head over to our blog to get the lowdown of their team! bit.ly/SedonaAndLeah #rebellerally #jointheRebelle
A post shared by Rebelle Rally (@rebellerally) on Oct 3, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT
A team from the U.S. is also competing in the rally. Leah Heffelfinger and Sedona Blinson will drive a Nissan Frontier. Blinson competed in last year's inaugural Rebelle in a Nissan TITAN. Heffelfinger, no stranger to off-roading, is immersing herself in navigation training. Among other things, this involves learning how to plot latitude and longitude points on a map, finding headings with a compass and reading detailed topographic maps. The two have named their Nissan Frontier PRO-4X "Piper" because Piper falls into the "Bone Stock" category of the Rebelle; the only upgrades this Frontier will receive are new off-road tires.
Contact
Richard Yarrow
Manager – Product Communications (Content)
richard.yarrow@nissan.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)7966 507759
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