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No GPS, no shortcuts. Just maps, compasses and more than 1,500 miles of raw desert. That is the challenge facing the new 2027 MINI Countryman Untamed Edition on its first-ever Rebelle Rally. The eight-day off-road navigation event runs from Las Vegas, Nevada, to the dunes of Glamis, California, and ends on 16 October. MINI USA has thrown its freshly revealed adventurer straight into the deep end.
This is no flat-out sprint. Crews earn points for pinpoint navigation and hitting checkpoints, guided only by paper roadbooks and their own instincts. Raw speed counts for little here. Precision rules everything, and one wrong heading can cost a team dearly. The Countryman Untamed Edition broke cover only days before the start, so this is a baptism of fire.
Behind the wheel sits Felicia Killman, a rising rally talent from Washington state. Alongside her, navigator Erika Ferrer brings serious pedigree from BMW Group Mexico, with three co-driver championship titles to her name. Together they race as team #206, proudly dubbed the #NotSoMINIRebelles. They make a formidable pairing. And so far, the desert has thrown everything at them.
Day four brought storms and water crossings, yet the crew clawed back third place in the X-Cross class with 463 points. Ferrer says the Countryman has forded rivers and scrambled up steep, rough climbs. Rival crews, she adds, have been impressed by how it attacks obstacles. Killman calls the car a fantastic partner on the stages. She also admits there is still precision and pace to find.
MINI USA’s Vikash Joshi says the rally is exactly the real-world proving ground the brand envisioned for this car. The team now faces the final stages before the scores are tallied. Fans can follow the action through the live tracking dashboard and MINI USA’s social channels. Whatever the result, this MINI has already shown real grit. Small badge, big attitude.
