Stock Ranger Raptor Wins Rebelle Rally; Quintero Takes ARA Title

A Ranger Raptor with no performance mods won the Rebelle Rally and Ford swept the podium. The ARA season ended in Michigan with Seth Quintero taking the title by 2 points. We also have new pricing and spec news from Polaris, BMW, Ducati, MINI, Falken and Baja Designs.

Automotive News

• MINI Countryman Untamed Edition: A Lifted Crossover for Dirt Roads, Not Rock Crawls. MINI's 2027 Countryman Untamed adds a lift, all-terrain Pirelli tires and tough-looking trim, but has no low range and a skid plate question mark. Worth a read if you plan dirt-road use.
• 2027 Polaris RZR Pro R Boost: 275 HP Turbo and Active Suspension From $49,999. Polaris added a turbo to the 2027 RZR Pro R Boost, with 275 HP and active suspension from $49,999, and the post covers what the early drives couldn't test.
• Ducati DesertX V2 Confirmed for India in Q4 2026: Specs Inside. Ducati says the 890cc DesertX V2 reaches India in the fourth quarter of 2026. Price is still unannounced, but the post lays out the spec sheet.
• 2027 BMW F 450 GS US Pricing: Three Trims, $6,995 to $8,195. BMW's entry-level 2027 F 450 GS now has US pricing from $6,995 to $8,195 across three trims, with details on what each gets and when dealers should have them.

Motorsport News

• Stock Ranger Raptor Wins 2026 Rebelle Rally in a Ford Podium Sweep. A Ranger Raptor with no performance mods won the Rebelle Rally overall and in 4x4, and Ford took all three podium spots across 2,500-plus km of desert navigated by paper map and compass.
• Quintero Wins ARA Title by 2 Points After Block's Last-Corner Double Puncture. Seth Quintero was 17 points down going into the finale and won the 2026 ARA title by 2 points after Lia Block's double puncture on the Power Stage. Results are provisional.
• Quintero Edges Block by Two Points as Raftery Wins L4WD at ARA Finale. Two ARA titles were settled on the last stage in Michigan: Seth Quintero took the overall crown and Aoife Raftery won L4WD after taking 15 of 16 stages.

Overland Gear

• Baja Designs XL Lights Explained: Five Look-Alikes, Five Jobs. Baja Designs says buyers keep ordering the wrong XL because five models look nearly identical, and its new guide argues the lowest-lumen one throws the farthest.
• Falken Adds Four Wildpeak Sizes: A/T4W and H/T02 Fit New Rigs in Late 2026. Falken is adding three Wildpeak A/T4W sizes and one H/T02 size for the Ranger, Land Cruiser, Traverse, Passport and half-ton trucks, due in Q4 2026.

What to watch

Q4 2026 is when Falken's new Wildpeak sizes and the Ducati DesertX V2 in India are due, and we are waiting on the DesertX price. The ARA results are provisional, so we will watch whether the final standings hold. We will also follow when the BMW F 450 GS reaches dealers.

From the archive

• Sonora Rally 2027 Goes Three-Day: Pitch Camp Once, Race From It. Sonora Rally's 2027 edition moves to three days run from a single bivouac, with December schools and a Dakar entry prize, so it is useful for anyone planning a season.
• Gone Mobile Vans Lifts an AWD Ford Transit Into an Off-Grid Camper. This build shows what a lifted 2026 AWD Transit looks like with 33-inch tires, a 10 kW battery system and a bed that folds up out of the way.
• Lia Block Loses ARA Title to a Rock on the Final Stage in Michigan. It covers how a rock took two left-side tires on the final stage in Michigan and cost Lia Block the ARA title, which Seth Quintero won in his rookie year.