How Subaru’s First Factory-Sponsored Team Won The Rebelle Rally

When you think of off-roading, you might picture a Jeep Wrangler, Ram 1500, or a Ford Bronco. Not a mild-mannered 2014 Subaru Outback, purchased for hauling kids around town and commuting to work. However, that’s exactly what two women in the 2024 Rebelle Rally piloted all the way to the podium for a first-place finish.

Not only did driver Carey Lando and navigator Andrea Shaffer win the crossover segment in the all-female, 8-day off-road rally, they made Rebelle Rally history. Not only was this the first Subaru to win the rally, it was also Subaru’s first factory-sponsored team for this event. The automaker backed a champion.

Subaru Was “Pretty Darn Excited”

Winning wasn’t required of the Subaru team; Lando says the brand had no expectations for the team except to represent them with their best effort. Subaru understands that this 2,000-plus-kilometer, eight-day rally is an epic, world-class competition and recognize what it takes to win. This all-women event takes the challenge a step further by banning phones and GPS, requiring the teams to navigate with paper topographic maps, map rules, and compasses.

“I think they were pretty darn excited to see us compete,” Lando says. “There’s a growing call to support the off-road community and helping Subaru owners.”

It’s common to see Subaru owners start off-roading, but then they think they’ve outgrown it, she explains. As a result, they tend to buy another vehicle they perceive to be more capable. Subaru wants to show that you can do much more with their vehicles.

“I’ve done so much with my car,” Lando says. “So many people are surprised to see my car out there with Jeeps and Broncos and other 4x4s. I can hit the dirt, then enjoy a comfortable drive on the way home.”

And the fuel economy is excellent, Shaffer points out. It’s a win-win across the board.

“I love that Subaru is a platform that can grow with me,” Lando says. “It came to me as a commuter car and it has grown into my interests, from a mom taxi to winning the Rebelle Rally and everything in between.”

Veteran Competitors Rock the Subaru Outback

While this is the first time Lando and Shaffer have teamed up to trek across the desert, both competitors are veterans. Lando, who lives in Seattle, has competed four times and Las Vegas-based Shaffer is an original Rebelle, which means her first rally was the very first year it existed in 2016. Shaffer only missed one of the last eight competitions and looks forward to the tenth anniversary of the Rebelle Rally next year.

“Carey is an excellent driver and knows her modified Subaru through and through,” says Cora Jokinen, president of TORQ-Masters Industries (one of the team’s sponsors). “She is pushing the limits of the platform every chance she gets, and in all sorts of terrain. Andrea is an expert navigator with many years of experience. We knew they were shooting for a podium spot when we saw these two ladies pair up as a team.”

These women share a deep love of the outdoors. Shaffer regularly heads out into the desert with her family for camping and off-roading trips, while Lando spends a lot of time adventuring with different groups on different terrains, testing the limits of what her Subaru can do. She has also learned how to get comfortable being uncomfortable, she says, with the limits she had set for herself or what she thought society had set for her.

“I think the Rebelle provides an opportunity to gain confidence and find people who support your passion and push you in healthy ways,” she says.

At the end of the 2023 rally, Lando and her Outback pulled veteran rally competitors Nena Barlow and Teralin Peterit across the finish line. Barlow and Peterit ran out of fuel in the Glamis sand dunes, and Lando came to their rescue. This year, teams won their classes: the Subaru in the X-Cross class and the Barlow/Peterit team heading up the 4×4 class in a Jeep Gladiator.

Supported and Inspired by Subaru and Friends

While Subaru was Team 204’s headline sponsor, Lando and Shaffer’s support also included gear and financial contributions from TORQ-Masters Industries, iKamper, Milestar Tires, RaceWorks Coilovers, Anderson Design & Fabrications, Diode Dynamics, Scrubblade Wipers, Spiked Performance, B.stubbs Vinyl & Graphix, RalliTek Performance, Freedom Recovery Gear, DirtComplex, Goose Gear, Wavespec Rotors, Mele Design Firm, JXB Performance, Wagan Tech, OnX Offroad, The Klean Freak, Prinsu Racks, DMOS Collective, and MACC Creations.

Team 204 raved about their Milestar Tires, applauding their capability in sand, snow, ice, wet roads, and rocky trails. Equally importantly, they never had to change a tire during the rally. As the driver, Lando also lauded their Raceworks coilovers for keeping them comfortable on the trails.

“My greatest adventure to date has been finding my passion for wheeling in my Subaru,” Lando says. “It has brought me to places I never thought I’d be, made friends into family, and constantly pushes my knowledge base to grow.”

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