05/30/2024
to what SHOULD have been the worst part of the Rebelle for SDHQ Racing (and a couple of reasons why it wasn't that bad).
The night before this photo was taken, we were flying high - we'd landed in Ridgecrest after the first marathon night, and our first goal for the week had been accomplished: clawing our way into the (incredibly competitive) 4x4 Group A - the top half of the (4x4) pack.
And it was on to Goal #2: Hit the middle of Group A, top 25%.
The night that this photo was taken, that goal had to be forgotten. Two flat tires (and only one spare) took us off the trail between checkpoints 1 & 2, and we were done for the day, while the heroes at the mechanics truck (and back on the home front at ) worked magic to pull us back in for Day 5.
We collected a total of 28 points, and lost 40 in penalties for on-course assistance and outside assistance (the tire delivery). End of day total: 0 points, by the mercy of the rule book (and the fact that negative scores don't exist). But there was no way around that. We threw the day in the fu....back seat.
We could've been demoralized, but instead - we re-plotted, re-strategized, put our heads together, and were able to support our fellow Rebelles as they came off the tail end of a long, tough day.
All we could do was move on, and keep our spirits up. Well, that and sneak in showers while base camp was empty in the middle of the day. Hey, back off. We needed them after rolling around in the dirt digging out the truck. Sweat + trail dust = muddy people. Gross.
In the end, it was a test of our team. We could have chosen a better route, we could've taken a different line. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
None of that mattered. We were still in it together.
The Rebelle Rally doesn't break teams - teams break teams. And we didn't break.
No blame game, no shame game. Heads on straight, and a new plan. Only one team (well, two I guess...) can win the Rebelle, but every team has a chance to win the day, every day. SDHQ Racing won day 4, with a goose egg on the board.
Teamwork makes the dream work, brother.