Our Team
Jeff and Ella McMillen
Tricked into his first rally in 2002 by a friend, Jeff was seduced by the scenery, the camaraderie, the joie de vivre, and the challenge of precision driving and has participated in every major event in the Northwest since. His first full season, saw him on top of the podium for the Pacific Coast Challenge. He has competed in the 2008 Winter Alcan and worked the summer event.
He is joined by his 18 year old daughter. Ella worked her first event at the age of 9 and has been navigating since age 12.
Described by no one as fearsome competitors with nerves of steel, they hope to be the first father/daughter team to take a trophy at the Alcan 5000.
Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal
Andy Lilienthal (driver)
Andy Lilienthal is a die-hard gearhead. He's written about cars professionally since 1999 and has worked in the automotive aftermarket for 16 years, mostly at Warn Industries. Andy is an advanced off-road driver, teaches vehicle recovery classes, and writes about outdoor, off-road, and automotive topics for outlets like TREAD Magazine, GearJunkie, The Truth About Cars, and more. He's also appeared in the New York Times, APM Marketplace, and other publications. In addition, Andy piloted the 5,120-mile 2020 winter Alcan 5000 Rally in the couple’s 1991 right-hand-drive diesel Pajero 4x4, has competed in Pacific Northwest time-speed-distance rallies as well as autocross races, and even did the Gambler 500. When not competing or writing, Andy works on his 4x4s and new 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. When not wrenching, he and his wife, Mercedes, can be found exploring off-road trails across the world.
Mercedes Lilienthal (navigator)
As the Editor-At-Large of TREAD Magazine and contributor to The New York Times, Car and Driver, Forbes, Autoblog, and several other automotive outlets, Mercedes creates award-winning content involving vehicular adventure travel, the automotive industry as a whole, and women within it. In addition to auto journalism, Mercedes offers PR/marketing services to a variety of automotive-related clients. Aside from her work, she’s competed in several rallies, like the 2018 and 2021 Rebelle Rally. In '21, Mercedes partnered with Volkswagen of America to drive the newly released all-electric AWD ID.4 off-road over 1,400 miles to the finish line. Her team made history as the first and only full-EV crossover to complete the competition. Mercedes also partnered with Andy as his navigator for the 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally. They were the tribute 4x4 to legendary racer Rod Hall, placing 2nd in the Historical Class and achieving Finisher/Arctic awards, as well as the coveted Go Farther award. This year they bumped up to SOP class from Novice, eagerly learning time calculations and other tricks to progress their rally efforts.
Garrett and Kristen Arendt
After adventuring together for nearly a decade, Garrett and Kristen entered the world of TSD rallies by a little luck when they were selected off the wait list as the final entrants for the 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally. Always game for adventures of the 4-wheel variety, they decked out their 2004 Lexus GX470 and did what they do best—went flying by the seat of their pants.
Returning in 2022 with their trusty GX for their third ever TSD, Garrett will be putting his time trials racing skills to the test as the driver, while Kristen, with her creative writing background, will be doing her best as the navigator to not do any more math than is absolutely necessary.
Glyn Trafford and Bart Vogelzang
Pop, pop, pop echoing through the trees, blur of a car, then 8 foot flames. A mythical dragon? No, a classic Group B rally car whizzing through the forests of Washington. What a memory! Plus watching Alcan, the second running, end at Expo 86 in Vancouver BC, just a few months earlier. Welcome to rallying!
That was Bart & Glyn almost 40 years ago, we’re still here, still rallying together, and still making memories.
Highlights:
Getting stopped by the “beach police” in Seaside OR for speeding across the sand to a Check Point. Finishing Targa Tasmania. Blowing the clutch and forfeiting the Nor’Wester in B.C. Fire in the car trunk, but we kept driving. Running “Course Closing” at PFR stage rally with the Jeep and beating several competitor stage times. Running Targa Newfoundland. Running Wild West & seeing the previous 5 cars in the ditch, gulp! Stopped by a trooper and forced to demo the rally computer. Testing our first Pro Car & accidentally hitting the ‘kill switch’ doing an 80 km/h curve, at night & losing all the lights. Working in our ‘shop’ in the winter, with snow drifts literally blowing onto our backs while working on one of our 8 rally cars. Deputy Safety Officer at Baie Pro Rally.
That's rallying, lots more 4x4 stories too…
Rod Sorenson
Rod ran his first rally in 1964 in a Renault Carevelle, and soon finding no talent behind the wheel he became a rally navigator. With many years of success in national rallying, he entered the first Alcan 5000 in 1984, coming in second. He ran the first four Alcans before professional commitments took him away from Rally.
Never very far from Rally, at the age of seventy-three, he entered the 2018 Alcan 5000 as a motorcycle entrant. Claiming to have more skill at motorcycle building than motorcycle riding he managed to claim Third Place in addition to other awards for having driven 830 mile in one day and having gone further north than any other competitor.
The Rally KTM motorcycle has been rebuilt for the 2022 event where it has been accepted as the first motorcycle on the road, thirty-nine years after running the First Alcan 5000.
