The significantly more capable 2027 Honda Passport TrailSport will take on one of America’s most demanding off-road competitions when a team of Honda associates competes in the 2026 Rebelle Rally as part of the Honda of America Racing Team (HART), company officials announced in a press release.
Reengineered Suspension Adds Ground Clearance & Articulation
The 2027 Passport TrailSport features an extensively reengineered suspension that increases ground clearance by 1.38 inches to 9.65 inches, along with increased suspension articulation and improved approach, departure and breakover angles. Nearly 70% of the major suspension components have been redesigned, including springs, dampers, control arms, stabilizer bars and knuckles, helping make the 2027 Passport TrailSport the most off-road-capable SUV Honda has ever built, the release noted.
This is the eighth year Honda has competed in the Rebelle Rally, and as in previous years, Honda engineers use the demanding conditions of the event to explore the rugged performance of off-road components of the vehicle in extreme environments.
The 2027 Passport TrailSport will compete without modifications to its chassis, off-road-tuned suspension, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system.
Wearing a special Rebelle Rally and HART wrap, the Passport TrailSport will be driven by two Ohio-based Honda associates and Rebelle rookies: Abby Connolly, a senior design engineer in the powersports power performance group, and Amy Hein, a senior test engineer in the battery electric group, both at the Honda Automotive Development Center in Raymond, Ohio. They will compete as team #208, the “Good TrailSports,” and are entered in the X-Cross Bone Stock class.
“The 2027 Passport TrailSport was designed with enhanced off-road capabilities in mind, and I can’t wait to see what it can do. The Rebelle Rally is the perfect place to put it through the ropes,” said Hein. “Abby and I have taken Honda’s associate off-road training courses and practiced in the Michigan sand dunes. We have spent many evenings map plotting and running mock enduro training for this event. We are excited to see what our team and new Passport TrailSport can accomplish together. I think it’s really cool to work for a company that grants us the opportunity to push their vehicles in real-world competitions such as Rebelle Rally and use our experiences as an opportunity to improve future developments.”
Inside the 1,500-Mile Rebelle Rally Off-Road Navigation Challenge
Not only is the Rebelle Rally America’s longest off-road rally, but it’s also the first women’s off-road navigation rally in the United States. This year, the event will begin outside of Las Vegas and finish more than 1,500 miles later near Imperial Sand Dunes, California. In the Rebelle Rally, teams strategically navigate rugged terrain without GPS or cellular navigation, relying on paper maps, compasses and headings to locate hidden checkpoints and accumulate points while reaching the finish each day.
The 2027 Honda Passport TrailSport will be put to the test over 10-12 hours of extreme off-road driving per day, covering every type of terrain, altitude and temperature. The event runs Oct. 7-17, with seven days of scored competition.
For co-driver Connolly, this has been a dream come true. “I have been gaining experience as a part of HART since 2021, assisting with multiple Pikes Peak International Hill Climb efforts. Now I’m excited to be the first team to compete in the 2027 Passport. Being passionate about women in motorsports, women in STEM, camping and nature, I am excited to take part in an event that brings all of those interests together through the Rebelle Rally.”