Nicole & Joe McKinnon’s GM Careers and Rebelle Rally Journey.
Nicole and Joe McKinnon are not only accomplished engineers at General Motors (GM), but they’ve also become a power couple in the world of off-road motorsports.
After meeting while working together at Cadillac Performance, they embarked on an exciting journey that took them from GM’s engineering labs to the challenging terrain of the Rebelle Rally—an all-women’s, eight-day off-road race across California and Nevada. Along the way, they showcased their expertise and the capability of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison truck.
Nicole McKinnon’s Path at GM
Nicole's career at GM began as an infotainment integration engineer, where she worked on models like the CTS-V, CT4, and CT5 Blackwing. But her journey didn’t stop there. Nicole’s career evolved as she moved into a performance and off-road motorsports engineer role, where she now leads the Chevrolet factory-backed off-road racing team.
Nicole also manages Chad Hall, an off-road racing icon, guiding his team through racing trucks that use mostly production parts. Through this, Chevrolet pushes the limits of its vehicles in off-road conditions, applying the lessons learned to improve their consumer trucks.
Joe McKinnon’s Long History at GM
Joe McKinnon’s connection to GM runs deep. With a father who worked for over 30 years as a product electronics technician on the Corvette program, Joe followed in his footsteps. He began his career at Milford Proving Grounds as a development tech on the rear-wheel-drive Cadillac team.
Today, Joe leads teams working on Full-Size, Mid-Size, and Battery Electric Trucks. His role allows him to manage some of GM’s most talented technicians, pushing the boundaries of vehicle development.
How Their Careers Crossed Paths
Nicole and Joe’s professional paths converged at Cadillac Performance, where they worked on performance enhancements for GM vehicles. However, it wasn’t until Nicole’s newfound interest in off-road racing that their lives would take a thrilling turn.
In 2022, Nicole spearheaded the proposal to enter the Rebelle Rally, a women-only, off-road race that spans 2,500 kilometers of rugged desert terrain.
Joe, who had been involved in performance upgrades for off-road trucks, was excited to support her vision. Together with Kristen Goslawski, a fellow GM engineer, they tackled the challenge of participating in the grueling race.
The Rebelle Rally: No GPS, Just Paper Maps and Compasses
The Rebelle Rally isn’t your average race. This is a challenge of navigation, endurance, and resilience, where participants drive for 10-12 hours a day for eight days, all while navigating without the use of GPS. Competitors rely solely on paper maps and compasses, which added an extra layer of challenge.
Nicole described her first Rebelle Rally as both a training and project management experience. She said, “It was an incredible way to demonstrate the capability of our product and our people.” The team trained for months to prepare both themselves and their Chevrolet truck for the extreme demands of the rally.
Outfitting the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison for the Rally
Behind the scenes, Joe and his team at Milford Proving Grounds were busy preparing the truck for the race. As soon as Chevrolet received approval to enter the rally, Joe and his team sprang into action. They worked meticulously to ensure the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison was up to the task.
Joe recalls, “We wasted no time putting together a comprehensive checklist to ensure the off-road truck was fully prepped for the race.” The team worked together to ensure that the truck was equipped with the right accessories from GM Performance Parts, making it fully capable of handling the tough desert terrain.
A final safety check and a rigorous shakedown ensured the truck was ready for the race.
The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison: Built for the Toughest Terrain
The 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison was developed in partnership with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), and it’s built to conquer even the toughest terrains. This truck is not just a race vehicle but also a proven off-road icon, tested on the Rubicon Trail and other demanding environments.
The ZR2 Bison was tested by Chad Hall, an off-road champion, and his input helped fine-tune the vehicle’s capabilities. It’s a testament to Chevrolet’s commitment to developing trucks that excel in real-world off-road conditions, all while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in off-road vehicles.
Rebelle Rally is an annual, women-only off-road rally that covers over 2,500 kilometers of rugged desert terrain across California and Nevada. It is a challenging, eight-day competition that tests not only the driving skills of its participants but also their ability to navigate through rough landscapes using only paper maps and compasses, with no reliance on modern navigation tools like GPS.
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The rally is recognized as one of the longest and most difficult women's off-road events in the world.
Participants in the Rebelle Rally are tasked with navigating through unpredictable desert landscapes, enduring 10-12 hours of driving each day while dealing with challenging weather conditions and extreme terrain.
The rally features different vehicle categories, including production vehicles, and competitors must adapt their driving and navigation strategies to each day's unique challenges. It is as much a test of teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance as it is of physical endurance.
The rally not only attracts female off-road enthusiasts and professional drivers, but also serves as an avenue for automotive manufacturers and engineers to showcase the capabilities of their vehicles in extreme conditions.
Teams participating in the Rebelle Rally typically consist of two drivers, working together to tackle the grueling journey, navigate using traditional methods, and complete each stage of the rally successfully.
For many, participating in the Rebelle Rally is more than just a race—it’s an opportunity to empower women in motorsports, push personal limits, and demonstrate the durability and capability of off-road vehicles, particularly those with production-based features designed to endure the harshest environments.
