Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Rugged Honda HPD Ridgeline to Compete in Grueling Off-Road Rebelle Rally
ottobre 06, 2021 - Honda Racing

Rugged Honda HPD Ridgeline to Compete in Grueling Off-Road Rebelle Rally

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  • Honda engineers ready for adventure of a lifetime in all-women 2021 #rebellerally off-road navigation event
  • 2021 Honda HPD Ridgeline will cover 1,500 miles of off-road terrain in Nevada and California

A team of Honda engineers will take the company's product development efforts to the next level later this month as they tackle the 2021 Rebelle Rally, an all-women off-road navigation #event through the unforgiving deserts of the American southwest.

Driving a rugged 2021 Honda HPD Ridgeline, two engineers from Honda's Ohio-based North American #auto Development Center, Liz Long and Tasha Krug, will compete in the in the grueling eight-day competition from October 7-16.

This is the third year Honda is participating in the longest off-road #rally in the United States, which begins in the Nevada desert and finishes 1,500 miles later at the Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California. It's not a race for speed, but a unique and demanding #event where the teams strategically navigate the rugged terrain without the assistance of GPS or cellular navigation. Instead, drivers will rely on traditional elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance using maps, compasses, and roadbooks to reach the finish line.

Competing as Team Sand Mode #208 in the X-Cross class, Long and Krug will test the handling, capability, and durability of the Honda HPD Ridgeline over 10-12 hours of off-road driving per day. In the 2019 #rebellerally, the teammates placed 3rd in the X-Cross class driving a 2019 Honda Passport, taking home the Rookie of the Year award.

Long, a Honda chassis reliability test engineer, helps guarantee the reliability of Honda and Acura vehicles through subframe and suspension testing, which includes in-lab and on-car strength, durability, and marketability analyses. Krug, a Honda engine systems and drivability test engineer, calibrates engines and confirms drivability and marketability, ensuring the vehicle operates smoothly in real-world environments.

Honda engineers use the #rebellerally to further test the HPD Ridgeline in extreme environments. Like the Honda Passport TrailSport Rugged Roads Project, the team's HPD Ridgeline features additional light modifications to further increase its off-road capability, including custom oil pan and fuel tank skid plates, custom front recovery points, a suspension lift kit, and all-terrain tires. Unique to the team's Ridgeline is a sportier-sounding custom exhaust and an in-bed dual full-size spare tire carrier.

The Ridgeline also features parts from Honda Genuine Accessories including roof rails, crossbars, and basket; door visors; cargo net; in-bed trunk cargo dividers; and all-season floor mats. The Ridgeline's HPD Package adds an even more rugged appearance with unique grille treatment, black fender flares, aggressive bronze-colored wheels, and special HPD graphics.

"We are excited for this year's #rebellerally and look forward to competing in such a unique #event,” said Krug. “Rebelle #rally is an excellent proving ground for the capabilities of the 2021 HPD Ridgeline, and we're ready to do our best and see what new adventures this year's #rally brings.”

The special #rebellerally wrap applied to the 2021 HPD Ridgeline was designed by Honda exterior designer Lili Melikian and celebrates the ruggedness of the HPD Ridgeline. The wrap is an expression of performance and power, with orange, red, gold and black lines stretching across the body inspired by the shifting colors of the event's desert landscape, while the orange lines also take inspiration directly from TrailSport, Honda's new rugged halo for its light trucks that made its debut on the 2022 Honda Passport.  

About Honda Performance Development

Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting #hondaracing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993. From pinnacle #racing in INDYCAR and IMSA Sports Cars to commercial #racing programs, HPD powers the dreams of professional and amateur racers from age 4 to 40+. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura's high-performance #racing programs in North America. HPD specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. HPD offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers and is continually expanding its palette of #racing programs that make #hondaracing products available to all #racing styles, from karting and Quarter Midgets to the highest levels of pro #racing.

www.hpd.honda.com