Engineers By Day. Rebelles By Night. Iridium Engineers Gear Up For Rebelle Rally
Two Iridium® employees are going from satellites to sand dunes as they prepare for the 2024 Rebelle Rally. The first women’s off-road navigation rally in the United States and the longest competitive off-road rally in the nation, the Rebelle Rally blends the love of driving with the ultimate challenge of precise map and compass navigation over eight days of competition. With no cell service and limited access to everyday technology, Iridium stands as the official communications and safety partner.
Teams consist of two members: a driver and a navigator. This year, the Iridium team is composed of two software engineers: Mali Vander Leest (Driver) and Sara Russo (Navigator). Watch our Behind the Network feature on Mali here:
For them, choosing who drives and who navigates was an easy decision. Mali is an experienced motorcyclist, eager to drive the sand dunes, whereas Sara is more detail oriented and best suited to navigate the pair across the unknown.
Sara and Mali contemplated participating in the competition for a while and talking to former Iridium Rebelles made them ready to take on this new endeavor. Last year, Iridium had two teams that made waves during the rally. These former Rebelles—along with seasoned competitor, Iridium COO Suzi McBride—are helping Mali and Sara train both mentally and physically to prepare for success.
Team #133 Rebelles Mali Vander Leest (left) and Sara Russo (right).
Training and preparation are essential in a competition like this. To train for the Rebelle Rally, Suzi has taken Sara and Mali out in her personal Jeep, nicknamed Stormtrooper, which she used twice when she participated in the Rally. The pair has also had several official training sessions with Rebelle Rally Founder Emily Miller, along with unofficial training sessions to keep up momentum ahead of the race.
Mali driving Suzi’s jeep, Stormtrooper.
When it comes to an off-roading experience like the Rebelle Rally, safety and communication are crucial. Sara and Mali were able to test their Iridium devices during training, and as engineers working on the backend, it’s been exciting for them to be on the user side.
“As someone that works in technology and engineering, the accuracy of our Iridium devices is still so amazing to me, especially in these remote locations,” said Sara.
“I’ve heard so many stories of people getting caught somewhere isolated and alone without cell service and a way to call for help,” added Mali. “The cool thing about Iridium is that you can call someone from anywhere in the world. It gives us peace of mind that we can go anywhere and get in touch or help as needed.” The Rebelle Rally requires a team effort in more ways than one. Iridium keeps Rebelle Rally participants and staff safe and connected with truly global comms during the event along with Iridium partners Icom, Roadpost, and YB Tracking.
Partner Q&As
Find out about the role Iridium partners play during the Rebelle Rally in these conversations:
