Arctic Rally Countdown

In Wheel Time Podcast · Sep 3, 2026 · 31m · transcript

6,300 miles in about 11 days sounds unrealistic until you meet Andy and Mercedes Lillienthal, the kind of rally couple who treats the map like a promise. They’re heading back to the Alcan 5000, one of the most iconic endurance road rallies in North America, and the goal is not raw speed. It’s precision: a time-speed-distance rally where you chase a master schedule, hit invisible checkpoints on time, and adapt when real life shows up in the lane next to you.

We talk through what makes this year’s Alcan 5000 so intense, including long stretches of dirt and gravel, remote northern routes pushing…