Stock Cayenne S Takes on Rebelle Rally With Confidence

First-Timers

The all-women, no GPS-allowed Rebelle Rally just wrapped up another year of putting a variety of teams and vehicles to the ultimate test, an effort that included first-time off-road racers Abby Bassett, Beth Bowman, and a stock Porsche Cayenne S. After spending a full week in the desert, the trio emerged with a newfound appreciation for Porsche's legendary engineering prowess.

Photos: Porsche

Tackling Obstacles

Bassett and Bowman - who call their team "The Wanderettes," piloted the Cayenne, which is finished with a Transsyberia-inspired orange and yellow wrap and adorned with the number 209, on a set of road-going 20-inch wheels wrapped with General Grabber A/T tires, tackling every obstacle in their way without breaking much of a sweat.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this rally Cayenne S right here in the Rennlist forum.

Off the Grid

"We're just returning to the grid after 10 days of total contact blackout and exceedingly challenging off-road driving in our bone stock Cayenne S," says Bassett, the driving half of The Wanderettes. "Together, Beth and I pushed more than 2,500 km through cold, heat, snow, rain, and sleet, survived a massive sandstorm and scorpions, and earned nearly 1,000 points in our first rally. What a wild and amazing thing."

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this rally Cayenne S right here in the Rennlist forum.

Flawless Choice

Ruby, the name given to the SUV by The Wanderettes, took the torture in stride without suffering any damage or puncturing a tire. "Our third teammate, Ruby, was simply jaw-dropping. There's no other vehicle I'd have chosen," Bassett said. "From Big Dune to Dumont to Glamis, we were never once stranded in a dune, and we even pulled a team out of a tricky spot in Glamis. Every single morning Ruby purred to life, kept us warm and safe, and did the work without a single complaint or hiccup. Over gnarly rock crawls and super soft washes, the Cayenne performed, again and again, that melodious twin-turbo ringing off the canyon walls."

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this rally Cayenne S right here in the Rennlist forum.

Epic Experience

The X-Cross Class competitors navigated their way through checkpoints and endurance stages, relying on each other for support and connecting with other teams to swap tips and stories from the route. "To say that the Rebelle Rally changes you is an understatement. To say it teaches you how to conquer things that you never thought you could is to shortchange the entire experience," says Bowman. "In one word, my time competing in the rally has been downright epic."

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this rally Cayenne S right here in the Rennlist forum.

Impressive Finish

Bassett and Bowman's first foray into off-road rally racing saw them finish seventh. The training sessions the team put in beforehand helped the Cayenne improve its points total each day and finish the rally unscathed, and for The Wanderettes, they leave the event with much more than bragging rights.

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this rally Cayenne S right here in the Rennlist forum.

Challenging but Rewarding

"For now, I'm grateful, exhausted, and still a bit dusty and dirty," smiles Bassett. "I'm shot and still recovering from one of the most challenging things I've done in the last two years, both mentally and physically. I can also say I am now officially a Rebelle."

Photos: Porsche

>>Join the conversation about this rally Cayenne S right here in the Rennlist forum.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.