Subaru's Hybrid Goes Desert Racing: Forester Hybrid Defends Its X-Cross Crown at the Rebelle Rally
Subaru is back at the Rebelle Rally — and this time it's defending a title. Carey Lando and Andrea Shaffer, competing as Team 200, are running the 2026 Rebelle Rally (October 7–17) in a specially prepared 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid, aiming for back-to-back X-Cross class wins. The rally covers more than 1,500 miles of Nevada and California desert, navigated the old way: paper maps, compass, and roadbook — no GPS, no electronic navigation. Here's the story behind the most interesting factory-backed effort in off-road rallying right now.
What the Rebelle Rally actually is
The Rebelle is the longest competitive off-road rally in the U.S., and the first women's endurance off-road rally in America. Speed is almost irrelevant — the competition rewards precise navigation, consistent driving, and good decision-making across eight days of desert. The X-Cross class is for crossovers and SUVs rather than purpose-built 4x4s, which is exactly why Subaru's entry is so compelling: it's a showroom-based hybrid crossover, not a tube-frame special.
The team to beat
Lando and Shaffer aren't newcomers. They won the X-Cross class in 2024 in Lando's personal 2014 Outback, then repeated in 2025 in the Forester Hybrid — Subaru's first season as a team sponsor, and the first time a Subaru-backed entry won the Rebelle outright. Lando founded MtnSubi Consulting & Adventures and has rallycross experience; Shaffer is the team's veteran navigator. For 2026 they're back with the same pairing and a more heavily prepared version of the same Forester Hybrid.
The build
According to Subaru's announcement, the 2025 Forester Hybrid runs a 3-inch suspension lift via RaceWorks coilovers and RalliTEK adjustable arms, 30-inch Milestar Patagonia A/T Pro tires, underbody protection from Anderson Design & Fabrication, a TORQ locker, full recovery gear, and Diode Dynamics auxiliary lighting. Before pointing it at the Nevada desert, the team shook it down on genuinely hard trails — Hell's Revenge in Moab, Utah, plus Black Bear Pass and Imogene Pass in Colorado. As Lando put it: "We want to show that a hybrid can do hard things too."
More than a race entry
The 2026 livery was designed with B. Stubbs Vinyl & Graphix, blending Lando's longtime MtnSubi graphics with Subaru's classic stage-rally look — a visual link between the Rebelle's adventure spirit and the rally heritage that made the brand. Team 200 is also running for a cause: their 2026 nonprofit beneficiary is The Bluebird Fund, which expands access to motorsports through grants for safety, development, and participation, including opportunities for women in motorsport.
Why it matters to enthusiasts
Subaru built its reputation in the dirt — WRC championships, the blue-and-gold legend, and a generation of rally-bred street cars. The Rebelle program is that same DNA expressed in 2026 terms: a hybrid, a crossover, and a competition that rewards brains over horsepower. The rally runs through October 17, and you can follow Team 200 through Subaru, MtnSubi, and Rebelle Rally channels. Whatever the result, a hybrid crossover defending a desert rally title is exactly the kind of story that keeps Subaru's rally spirit alive.