68

OVRMAG.COM

36 Teams Travel 10 Days and 5,000
Miles to Vie for a 40th-Year Rally Win
TEXT & IMAGES BY MERCEDES LILIENTHALOVRMAG.COM69

70

OVRMAG.COM

During the Alcan 5000 Rally, no one leaves a fellow
rallier stranded. We stopped to check on someone inneed. It was our rallymaster, Jerry Hines. He was ingood hands already, so we made our way again.

Rally, now celebrating 40 years, combinesseveral things Andy and I love: traveling,vehicles, experiencing new things, meetingand being around like-minded people, andpushing ourselves outside our comfort zone.

2024 Alcan 5000 Rally
Route?
This year’s extreme endurance rally started
in Kirkland, Washington, and progressed
due north through British Columbia. It thencovered parts of Alberta and the Northwest
Territories to Yellowknife, then switcheddirections westward to Whitehorse, Yukon
Territory. Next, teams headed to Fairbanks,Alaska. It was there where teams had a day
off to either relax at Chena Hot Springs orendure an optional jaunt to Coldfoot above
the Arctic Circle and back via the Dalton
Highway. Being slightly nuts, we opted forthe latter.

As this latest issue of OVR goesto print, my husband Andy andI just got done competing inthe 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally in a
new INEOS Grenadier Trialmaster 4x4. We
took to North American snow- and ice-covered byways to pilot the new SUV over
5,000 miles in just 10 days. We competedin the 40th running of this storied timespeed-distance (TSD) competition that took
place February 21 through March 1, 2024.

How Does the Alcan 5000
Rally Run?
This TSD rally is one of the longest-runningroad rallies in North America. It tosses
teams into the elements while they try
to achieve perfect times, routes andcalculations to hit hundreds of invisible
checkpoints perfectly—for 10 grueling days
straight. In addition to morning timespeed-distance competitions, we faceearly-evening TSDs, too. However, they’rehundreds of miles away. And then we’dhave to find our motel for some shuteye.
The rally has optional “extreme controls”
teams must consider completing. Thesetasks help them get additional awards.
Teams battle against Mother Nature, her
Arctic elements, and a gauntlet of challenging road conditions, as well as gigantic

wildlife like moose, bison and caribou.
Fatigue, lack of sleep, hunger, sickness andother issues can crop up, too.
To some it sounds like a recipe for disaster,
but for us and the adventurous sort it’s aconcoction of brilliance. The Alcan 5000

One of many custom
Porsche Cayennes on
the 2024 Alcan 5000
Rally, this one belonged
to a rookie team.

Once the rally’s “day off” ended, teams
unexpectedly split into fractured groups.
They either braved the conditions and drovedown to Valdez, Alaska, via Thompson Pass,
which was closed at the time. Ralliers had
to catch a critical TSD the next morning andthen make their way toward Anchorage
for the final time-speed-distance eventOVRMAG.COM

in Palmer. Or, teams headed straight toAnchorage, the final destination of the10-day event, and skirted the second-tolast TSD rally in Valdez. It was a complete
toss-up.

Which Way to Win?
As with any adventure-focused excursion,
you must be prepared for the unexpected.
We set our sights on Valdez and made itto the coastal town after the pass opened.
White-out conditions with snow drifts thesize of stacked city buses met us as we
made our way south. Thick ice greeted us
on one side, but as we crested the summit
the other side was clearer.
After vying for Valdez, we discovered thelast TSD in Palmer, Alaska, was canceled.
We made the right choice! We foundourselves leading the 2 SOP Truck and SUVclass. We were gunning for gold. Of 36
teams, 17 vehicles were competing in ourclass. The Valdez TSD would determine thefate of who’d get the 40th-year rally win.
And, after a herky-jerky performance, witha white-out section and slow-moving traffic, Andy and I narrowly held our lead tosecure the class win! It was our first major
rally victory as a team.

Most competitors must use their jerry cansduring the event. We used our canisters threetimes, with the longest stretch between fuel stops
being 304 miles.

Along with our 2024 INEOS Grenadier Trialmaster, we topped the 2 SOP Truck/SUV
class and landed in 10th place overall. We
led our segment seven of the 10 days andwon two stage days (Day 2 and Day 7). We
successfully finished all optional extreme
control routes, garnering Arctic and Go
Farther awards.

The INEOS Grenadieris Gold“The Grenadier felt solid,” Andy said.
“The doors closed like bank vaults. Thereweren’t any rattles. The engine had plentyof power and lots of torque. It never leftme lacking for power.”
Built by burgeoning automaker INEOS
Automotive, the 2024 INEOS Grenadier
Trialmaster 4x4 was an ideal rally companion. It showcases a body-on-frame ladderchassis, 115-inch wheelbase, and front and7172

OVRMAG.COM

exceptional winter traction. Armed withMichelin’s EverWinterGrip rubber inclusion technology, we found they had great
ice-braking ability and exceptional snow
footing, even without studs.
“They far exceeded my expectations,”
Andy said. “They were quiet. They wereexcellent in the snow and ice. They weretotal champs. They were very responsive
and kept us safe and secure.”
We ran factory-optional accessories like a RED
winch, rock sliders, rear roof-access ladder,and a Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform rackhousing two jerry cans of premium fuel, four
Maxtrax recovery boards, and Rhino-Rackfolding aerial antenna brackets holding
two beefy Rugged Radios antennas. Withinminutes we could stow our antennas fortransport or secure them upright for use.

rear recovery points. Also on board was a
2.5:1 Tremec two-speed transfer case andsolid axles with 4.10 gearing from Italianmanufacturer Carraro. The Grenadier also
has a turbocharged BMW B58 3.0-liter
inline six-cylinder gasoline engine and 10.4
inches of ground clearance, which came inhandy in deep-snow situations.
One of its most overlooked areas of promise
is its cargo-carrying opportunities. “TheL-track in the rear [cargo area] is brilliant.
More companies need to offer that. It’s fantastic for tying down your cargo,” Andy said.
There’s a host of other rated tie-down
points, too. It’s just so good for keeping geartied down and secured. We used D-rings in
the rear door jambs to ratchet backpacks
down. There were also rated D-rings in theupper parts of the rear cargo area. We didn’t
use them, but it had them.
Other than throwing a few error codeswhen temps reached around 30 degrees
below zero that later resolved themselves
when it got warmer, we didn’t experienceany mechanical failures or catastrophic
issues. We just had a few slight curveballs when learning a new vehicle on
the fly—especially from a first-time auto
manufacturer in a competition so extreme.
The Grenadier had a winning combination:
power, capability, good ground clearance

and comfort. It’s a great recipe for overlanding in addition to time-speed-distancerallying.

Optional Accessories &Aftermarket Parts
We were equipped with aftermarket
265/70 R17 Michelin X-Ice SNOW tires for

Washington residents
Shane Bowman andJohn Williams, with
their #17 Jeep Wrangler
JL, championed their
way to second place inthe 2 SOP Truck/SUVclass. Not only were
they one of our buddy
cars, but they’re also
good friends of ours.

Next to tires, carrying quality recovery gear
was important. Andy and I brought Factor
55 gear: soft shackles, a kinetic rope and atow strap. We also had two snatch blocks
just in case. We also carried a syntheticwinch line extension, heavy-duty gloves
and a full-size shovel in case we needed
to extract ourselves or someone else. Allof this was housed in a Factor 55 bag.

Communication is Critical
For communications we used two Rugged

74

OVRMAG.COM

Radios R1 handhelds with XL batteries forlonger-use capacity, and we wired themto individual roof-mounted antennas. We
chose this portable setup as we havemultiple off-roaders at home, so havingtransportable communications is key
versus a hard-mounted dedicated systemin each vehicle.
We used three smartphones for technology.
One ran the Richta rally app that recorded
our scores during TSD competitions. Anothermanaged an overall odometer reading
during transit legs plus a separate TSD digital
odometer app during TSDs. The third one
was used for a backup Richta rally app. It ran
the program constantly, helping the officials
know where we were by pinging them when
we passed through on-course checkpoints
during transits and while running during
TSDs, too. We also ran a Garmin GPSMAP 66i
inReach device for emergency communications and satellite tracking.
Mounting communications and smartphonedevices was a challenge. There isn’t much

The natural beauty discovered while competing in the Alcan 5000
Rally is magni icent.
From jagged peaks
and frozen lakes to icy
glaciers and slenderpine trees, these views
will be seared into ourmemory for years tocome.

Our INEOS Grenadier
Trialmaster, including
factory-optional Rhino-Rack platform rack,
LED light bar, rocksliders and rear ladder
has an MSRP just shy
of $91,000 (includingdestination). The jerrycans and mount, Maxtrax recovery boards
and mount, as well as
the Rugged Radios
antennas and mounts,
are extra.

room on the Grenadier’s windscreen orside windows, and we didn’t want to utilize that space due to airbag placements.
Mounts also have a propensity for falling
off of externally placed locations if notproperly adhered in this kind of cold. We

tested Gorilla Tough & Clear mounting tapewith a few heavy-duty magnetic mounts
on the Grenadier’s interior ceiling plate
where the switches were. After a while thesuction cups let loose, but the tape wasstill secure.

76

OVRMAG.COM

We decided to use the Grenadier’s glovebox grab handle for most of our tech. It
was warmer here and wasn’t near theairbags. Additionally, the center stack cupholders housed our R1 Rugged Radios. We
stashed drinks in the door and water in a
CamelBak mounted on Andy’s seat.

Planning & Execution
Rallies of this magnitude take time toplan. Andy and I learn things from fellow
competitors every time we compete. We
jokingly say the Alcan 5000 Rally is partadventure, part sleep deprivation andhunger. But it’s also about preparedness
and adaptability.
Andy and I faced Richta rally app
problems every day, possibly attributed

to using new phones. Our Grenadier’s
mileage trip odometer would mysteriously
reset itself and we’d lose critical overall
odometer readings until we realized it
was operator error. Our inverter powering the electronics was lying on top of
the infotainment selection button. On
pothole-ridden roads, the inverter would
bounce atop the button and reset it
continually until we caught the problem.
(Pushing down meant hitting reset on theodometer reset screen.)That was quite a challenge when most of
the rally takes place in Canada, though
the rally is run in mph.

Just Do It

After crossing the Canadian border, theGrenadier kept the speedometer in miles
per hour but visually showed speed signs
in kilometers per hour. The option tochange the vehicle’s display units wasdeleted from a previous software change.

Put yourself out there. Learn and failuntil you start getting it. You never know
where life might take you and the things
you might see you until you push yourself. We’re proof of that. Let the outdoors
be your TV. Go ahead and challengeyourself.

After talking with INEOS corporate, thisshould be fixed with a future software
update. On-the-fly fix: I created a mph-tokm/h cheat sheet so we could reference it
at a moment’s notice during the competition.

(Top) We were stopped
by the pilot car andasked if we could pullo onto the side of theroad for this 22-footsemi-truck long-hauler
headed up the road. Weagreed.
(Far left) There is a lot
to keep track of as anavigator. Not only
do you have yourroute book and yournavigational supplies,
but you have your communication devices, like
our Rugged Radios R1
handhelds and smartphones, and a host ofother gizmos.
(Far left, middle) For
only the second time,
I’ve had my camera
internals freeze on me.
Both times were shooting ice racing during
the Alcan 5000 Rally in-20-degree (or colder)temperatures.