Crankshaft Culture

09/03/2026

DAY 2: 12 hrs. 45 min. seat time, 484 miles.

Today's Alcan 5000 Rally time-speed-distance (TSD) leg: Blackwater (27.9 miles). While this particular rally leg has always been one of our best, immediate max scores threw us as we scrambled to stay on pace. We knew we were right on, so we trudged ahead, running essentially blind, as we couldn't see how far off we were againt each checkpoint (it kept throwing 300 max scores).

We were the second car out (car #4) and completed about half of the rally before an emergency update came over the app. It stated the rally start time was inputted incorrectly and scores would be updated later.

We did our best staying on course and on time, even though we couldn't get feedback on how well we were actually doing. We finished challenged, but although we slipped in daily standings, we jumped ahead cumulatively!

Officially, we nabbed 2nd in the SA (SOP) class (of 14 SA teams) and 3rd overall (of 22) combining Day 1 and Day 2 scores! We got 5th in class for Day 2's regularity, however.

Afterward, we went to Peace River, Alberta, grabbed a late dinner with other ralliers, and got a few hours of shuteye.

Nine more days of competition to come! Our goals: 1) Get to the Arctic Ocean and above two Arctic Circles and beyond before we finish the rally. 2) Do the best we can as we're learning a new-to-us timing (on the fly). We're figuring out each exact time differently to get to the next route change as the rally changed formats to "nearest minute" out times instead of specific ones.

Stay tuned to Crankshaft Culture, Day 3's updates soon!

We are a collaborative team: Crankshaft Culture and Rally Innovations, USA.

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

Huge thanks to our partners who helped to make this happen!

TITLE SPONSORS:
Baja Designs
Black Rhino Wheels
Leitner Designs
Primitive Racing
Subaru of Las Vegas

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
Falken Tire
K&N Filters
MAXTRAX
OPTIMA Batteries
PRP Seats
R1 Concepts Inc. - Performance Brake Parts
RokBlokz
Rolotech Car Wraps
Shop TPMS
sPOD
SpeedStrap

VEHICLE SPONSOR:
Subaru of America, Inc.

VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
Rally Innovations
ZENSPEED

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Frank’s Auto Service

09/03/2026

DAY 1: 11 hrs. 45 min. seat time, 504 miles.

We completed our first two Alcan 5000 Rally time-speed-distance (TSD) legs: Mosquito Lake and Soda Creek making our way from Kirkland, WA to Quesnel, British Columbia.

At 33.2 miles long, Mosquito Lake winds its way through the countryside in a picturesque setting. However, even though we, Andy Lilienthal and Mercedes Lilienthal, have done it before, Mosquito Lake always "bites us."

We took multiple time allowances due to slow traffic. We also faced the "bridge of doom"—never seeming to nail speed changes there. However, two checkpoints were tossed and we pushed on.

Soda Creek at 16.5 miles is mostly gravel with a steep, washed out descent and exposed areas. We had our best showing by far, even with testing a new incremental timing method and driver/navigator comms!

After Day 1, we settled in at 4th place Seat of Pants (SA) class (of 14 listed) and 5th overall (of 22 vehicles). Two teams aren't classified yet.

Ten more days of rallying over thousands of miles to come! Stay tuned to Crankshaft Culture as Day 2's happenings are right around the corner!

We are a collaborative team: Crankshaft Culture and Rally Innovations.

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

Huge thanks to our partners who helped to make this happen!

TITLE SPONSORS:
Baja Designs
Black Rhino Wheels
Leitner Designs
Primitive Racing
Subaru of Las Vegas

SUPPORTING PROJECT PARTNERS:
Falken Tire
K&N Filters
MAXTRAX
OPTIMA Batteries
PRP Seats
R1 Concepts Inc. - Performance Brake Parts
RokBlokz
Rolotech Car Wraps
Shop TPMS
sPOD
SpeedStrap

VEHICLE SPONSOR:
Subaru of America, Inc.

VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
Rally Innovations
ZENSPEED

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Frank’s Auto Service

09/02/2026

We made it to the start line and passed tech inspection! Check out all the different kinds of rally rigs! Plus, we are given a special "lucky moose" for our travels.

We're taking a modified 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness deep into the Arctic and beyond for the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally! It will be appr. 6,300 miles (1,300 dirt/gravel) to the Arctic Ocean and above two Arctic Circles—in just 11 DAYS. Then, we're driving back from Fairbanks, Alaska to Oregon where we live. We expect to clock about 10,000 miles in THREE WEEKS.

Stay tuned to Crankshaft Culture as Day 1's happenings are right around the corner!

We are a collaborative team: Crankshaft Culture and Rally Innovations.

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

Huge thanks to our partners who helped to make this happen!

TITLE SPONSORS:
Baja Designs
Black Rhino Wheels
Leitner Designs
Primitive Racing
Subaru of Las Vegas

SUPPORTING PROJECT PARTNERS:
Falken Tire
K&N Filters
MAXTRAX
OPTIMA Batteries
PRP Seats
R1 Concepts Inc. - Performance Brake Parts
RokBlokz
Rolotech Car Wraps
Shop TPMS
sPOD
SpeedStrap

VEHICLE SPONSOR:
Subaru of America, Inc.

VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
Rally Innovations, USA
ZENSPEED

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Frank’s Auto Service

09/02/2026

Mitsubishi Motors has released the next Pajero / Montero. What are your initial thoughts?

09/01/2026

Follow us at Crankshaft Culture as we kick off the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally NOW. 🏁

Follow us via live tracking as all the teams heard northward (link in comments).

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

We'll pilot our 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness deep into the Arctic and beyond for the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally! Appr. 6,300 miles (1,300 dirt/gravel) to the Arctic Ocean and above two Arctic Circles in just 11 DAYS. Good luck to all of the teams!

📸: Paolo Baraldi Photography

08/31/2026

REPOSTING to help Tok, Alaska:

Tok, Alaska, is a lunch stop on the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally. However, this tiny community is currently being affected by the Mukluk Fire. This fire has burned at least 40 structures in Tok and displaced many residents. (This includes areas where the rally has historically held its Tok TSD stage.) Because of this, we’re organizing a voluntary donation to collectively raise money, as the Alcan 5000 Rally, for the people of Tok. Again, thank you for your donation!

Anything you can give would benefit the community—a regular stop on this rally each year. Please patronize the businesses—restaurants, fuel stations, and gift shops—whatever we can do as Alcan rallyists to help get Tok a boost would be great.

Donations can be sent to Shane Bowman (Car #5) via Venmo (link in comments). He’ll deliver a check on Sept. 10 to the funds at Tok’s Denali State Bank branch on behalf of the Alcan 5000 Rally participants. If you need to pay in a different way, please reach out to us directly via phone/text to Mercedes at 503-515-1404 (Mercedes and Mercedes Lilienthal, Car #4), and we'd be happy to assist. Every bit helps, thank you!

08/31/2026

Our pre-rally prep is done! Soon we will pilot our customized 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness deep into the Arctic and beyond for the 2026 Alcan 5000 Rally! This year's competition will be appr. 6,300 miles (1,300 dirt/gravel) to the Arctic Ocean and above two Arctic Circles—in just 11 DAYS.

But first, check out the finishing touches we did on the Subaru, and how we start every grand adventure. Here we GO! 🏁

Follow and all the teams via Spotwalla map tracker! Link in comments. We are .

We are a collaborative team: Crankshaft Culture and Rally Innovations.

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

Huge thanks to our partners who helped to make this happen!

TITLE SPONSORS:
Baja Designs
Black Rhino Wheels
Leitner Designs
Primitive Racing
Subaru of Las Vegas

SUPPORTING PROJECT PARTNERS:
Falken Tire
K&N Filters
MAXTRAX
OPTIMA Batteries
PRP Seats
R1 Concepts Inc. - Performance Brake Parts
RokBlokz
Rolotech Car Wraps
Shop TPMS
sPOD
SpeedStrap

VEHICLE SPONSOR:
Subaru of America, Inc.

VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
Rally Innovations, USA
ZENSPEED

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Frank’s Auto Service

08/29/2026

We're on In Wheel Time this morning at 9:30am Pacific time! We'll talk all about this year's Alcan 5000 Rally and do a walkaround of our customized 2026 Subaru of America, Inc. Forester Wilderness rally car. Watch it on their Facebook channel. Later on YouTube. Start line in a few days! 🏁

We are a collaborative team: Crankshaft Culture and Rally Innovations, USA.

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

Huge thanks to our partners who are helping to make this happen!

TITLE SPONSORS:
Baja Designs
Black Rhino Wheels
Leitner Designs
Primitive Racing
Subaru of Las Vegas

SUPPORTING PROJECT PARTNERS:
Falken Tire
K&N Filters
MAXTRAX
OPTIMA Batteries
PRP Seats
R1 Concepts Inc. - Performance Brake Parts
RokBlokz
Rolotech Car Wraps
Shop TPMS
sPOD
SpeedStrap

VEHICLE SPONSOR:
Subaru of America, Inc.

VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
Rally Innovations
ZENSPEED

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Frank’s Auto Service

08/28/2026

Mercedes Lilienthal's The New York Times microcars article is featured on their page! It's also on their LinkedIn and Bluesky pages, too. Give it a read or listen! 👇

Microcars are lightweight vehicles for economical urban commuting. They're underpowered, noisy and sometimes smoky, and it helps if you’re good with a wrench. But “the struggle is what makes it fun,” one enthusiast said. https://nyti.ms/4qKALTm

08/28/2026

Last month we, Mercedes Lilienthal and Andy Lilienthal, rallied this fire-breathing WRX STI-swapped 2006 Subaru Baja on the inaugural Colorado Adventure Rally. We drove it over 2,000 miles from Anaheim, CA to Denver, CO, for the rally, then back through 108° heat to Anaheim just in time for Subiefest California. It was built at Rally Innovations, USA by ZenSpeed, a student car club from Placentia, CA's Valencia High School. These young gearheads helped make this potent pickup a rally-ready ride. Full story in OVRmag; link in comments.

Driver: Andy Lilienthal | Navigator: Mercedes Lilienthal

We're grateful for our sponsors! Many thanks for your support.

TITLE SPONSORS:
Leitner Designs
Black Rhino Wheels
Baja Designs
Rally Innovations, USA
Subaru of Las Vegas

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
Falken Tire
K&N Filters
MAXTRAX
OPTIMA Batteries
PRP Seats
R1 Concepts Inc. - Performance Brake Parts
RFCAutoRepair
RokBlokz
Scrubblade Windshield Wipers
sPOD
SpeedStrap

VEHICLE BUILD PARTNERS:
Rally Innovations, USA
ZENSPEED

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
Bumper Master
Frank’s Auto Service