Mercedes and I are doing the 2025 Alcan 5000 Summer Rally in a 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Elite. In fact, Honda actually just put out a press release about it; here it is below.
The rugged 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport will take on the iconic Alcan 5000 Rally, North America’s longest endurance time-speed-distance rally competition. The rally covers nearly 6,000 grueling miles in unforgiving conditions that include 900 miles of challenging off-road terrain. The Passport TrailSport will compete in the demanding 11-day event (September 2-12) without modifications. This will showcase the SUV’s class-leading combination of off-road capability and on-road dynamics. The 2025 Alcan 5000 Rally begins in Kirkland, Washington, journeys north through Yukon Territory, Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, and finishes in British Columbia, Canada.
About the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport
The new 2026 Passport TrailSport is the most rugged Honda SUV ever. The vehicle includes standard General Grabber all-terrain tires, high-strength steel underbody protection, off-road tuned suspension, a robust all-wheel drive system, and heavy-duty recovery points. Each recovery point is able to handle twice the weight of Passport. The 2026 Passport’s 3.5-liter V6 engine makes 285-horsepower. It’s mated to a responsive 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, a torque-vectoring i-VTM4® all-wheel drive system, and four-wheel independent suspension are unmodified for competition. The all-new suspension of the 2026 Passport is fortified with stronger forged steel suspension arms and sturdy cast-iron knuckles. Seven drive modes, including Sand, Snow, Sport, and Trail, give the new Passport TrailSport ultimate flexibility for driving conditions.
Variation from production spec is limited to adventure-ready genuine Honda accessories that take the rugged capability of Passport further. This includes rock sliders, aluminum front scuff plate, black accessory wheels, full-size spare wheel and tire, cargo roof platform. Other details include a black hood decal and MOLLE boards. To improve night vision, the Passport is fitted with auxiliary lighting from Baja Designs with a prototype light bar mount by Rally Innovations.
Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal To Campaign the Alcan 5000 Passport Trailsport
The Passport TrailSport will be driven in the 2S class by Alcan 5000 veterans Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal, class-winners of the 2024 winter event. “Our confidence in the capability of the 2026 Passport TrailSport is bolstered by the fact that it has undergone the very highest level of off-road testing validation by Honda engineers on America’s most challenging trails,” said navigator Mercedes Lilienthal. “There are three things we want in the perfect Alcan rig: capability, comfort and power. The new 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport has all of them,” stated driver Andy Lilienthal.
The Alcan 5000 Rally is a unique accuracy-based time-speed-distance event. Teams use a paper route book to navigate public roads at or below posted speed limits per the route book’s turn-by-turn directions. They must stay on time and on route. Teams with the closest times to the rallymaster’s overall perfect zero times win their class or overall title. First run in 1984, the iconic event continues the competition journey of the 2026 Passport, which has competed in the Rebelle Rally and Mint 400.
The all-new 2026 Passport is the ultimate Honda adventure SUV, with true rugged design, authentic off-road capability, next-level versatility and innovative features. This year Passport has posted record sales, up 27%, with TrailSport accounting for about 80% of sales.
For more information on the Honda Passport click here.
This will be our fourth Alcan 5000, and second summer version. The 2S class (trucks and SUVs) is typically the largest class. We hope to perform well again this year as we tackle this grueling rally.
Mercedes and I plan to do all of the rally’s optional “extreme controls.” These are more adventurous routes on dirt/gravel. This will bring the rally’s mileage total up closer to 6,000 miles. FYI, the rally finishes in Williams Lake, BC on September 12.
Wish us luck!