An Aurora Magna employee is on the verge of a ‘daunting’ adventure, as she joins a team of women on a 2,500-kilometre rally race across the Nevada and California desert.
Kerstin Brandt, who works as a patent agent for Magna International in Aurora, is part of a team of Magna employees set to compete in the Rebelle Rally in October.
The challenging race sees competitors dropped on Mammoth Mountain in northern California, armed with a 4x4 Jeep, some navigation and their wits, and tasked with navigating the rugged terrain of the Nevada and California deserts.
They are not allowed phones or GPS, and have a series of checkpoints to reach across the eight days. Points are awarded based on who can get closest to all the checkpoints across the eight days.
“I am always up for an adventure, I feel it’s also an opportunity for a lot of personal growth,” said Brandt. “It really incorporates everything I like, I like being outdoors, I have been camping in a lot of provincial and national parks. I’ve been on several road trips with our camper.”
“I haven’t really done anything off-roading yet, so that will be the new challenge, and the scenery is just really spectacular too,” she added. “So ever since I saw Magna sent in the first team, I thought, ‘Oh, wow, I would love to be a part of a team going to this rally.’”
Brandt, who is originally from Brandenburg in Germany, has been working for Magna in Aurora since 2003. She will be joined on a team by Katharina Burkart, who works as an engineer for Magna in Austria.
Magna sent a team to the all-female rally competition in 2022, but not in 2023. This year, they received so many applications from employees across their operations, the company opted to send two teams, with Brandt and Burkart forming one team, dubbed Force de Fem II, and a pair of American engineers forming the other team of two.
"Having received over 35 internal submissions with a diverse range of expertise, we proudly entered two teams to demonstrate the exceptional talent within our company," Eric Wilds, Magna chief sales and marketing officer, said in a news release.
“The Rebelle Rally embodies a similar spirit as Magna – be relentless, never settle and push the boundaries. As we get closer to the October start date, excitement continues to build throughout our company. In the meantime, we extend our best wishes to all the participating teams gearing up for the event.”
With the October start date slowly approaching, Brandt was keen to get in some training with the gear and camping once the July heat in Nevada subsided.
“The closer it actually comes the more daunting it is, but it is also a good challenge and I hope we will handle it OK,” said Brandt. “That will be the challenge, too, it could be pretty stressful at times, too, to maintain our cool in a lot of situations, so that is all part of the journey, I guess.”
Brandt said her friends and family have had a range of reactions when she’s told them about the challenge, with some congratulating her on her bravery while others have been more nervous for her.
“They say, ‘I hope you come back alive,’ but I hope it doesn’t come to that,” she chuckled.
“We are excited to welcome Magna back to the start line this year,” said Emily Miller, the event’s founder said in a news release. “The Rebelle Rally is a proving ground, showcasing the incredible resilience of our competitors and the vehicles they drive. Each year, we’re inspired by the grit and determination of our teams, and we look forward to another unforgettable competition this year.”
More information about the Rebelle Rally can be found online.
