2026 Bentley Continental GT S in action at the Trinitē Road Rally.
Regine Trias
When you think of a race track, you might think of F1 cars screaming around corners or Ferrari and Lamborghini supercars speeding down the straightaway. You probably don’t think of everyday cars and trucks tackling the track not for speed, but for precision timing.
Yet that’s just what happened in the inaugural Trinitē Road Rally in California. First, all 38 teams spent two days on public roads completing time/speed/distance challenges during which teams must reach a specific checkpoint at a specific time by driving a calculated average speed. On the third day, the Sonoma Raceway opened its gates to allow teams—driving everything from a vintage Porsche to a Chrysler minivan—could try the same thing around the 2.52-mile track.
Team 48 consisted of Rebecca Donaghe and Nykki McGee in the new Bentley Continental GT S. This grand touring car might have 771 horsepower thanks to its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 paired with a plug-in hybrid system, but it’s typically more at home on an overnight trip to the winery than taking on the tight chicanes and off-camber turns of Sonoma. In past off-road navigational rallies, Donaghe has found herself atop the podium as both a driver and co-driver. Stunt driver McGee can often be found sliding cars around in TV shows, commercials and movies like Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and Michael.
Nykki McGee (left) and Rebecca Donaghe, Team 48.
Heather Lewis
Here’s what they told me about their track experience in the ultra-lux Bentley:
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Rebecca: On the dirt it’s very easy to lose traction in corners, so I was a little apprehensive at first. But the Bentley just sticks and I had full control of every element going around a turn. When driving off-road I constantly have to look out for dips or rocks, but on the track I only had to concentrate on the racing line; the control I had in the Bentley made it easy. I found that Sport mode tightened everything up a bit too much and made the throttle and brakes a little too responsive [on the track during competition]. It would be a great mode for getting a quick lap time, but our goal was to average 71 kilometers per hour for 3 ⅞ laps, hitting each checkpoint at precise speeds and timing to the second. Instead I used Bentley mode, which smoothed things out just a bit in the throttle but still allowed for tight turns with little noticeable body roll, even though the GT S weighs over 6,400 pounds.
Nykki: My drift car is a Mazda Miata, so not a lot of power with a short wheelbase. Plus, stunt cars are usually old and not really in the best condition. So for me to have the experience of a balanced vehicle that can handle the corners was really exciting. And I loved the adrenaline, that immediate rush of getting on the track and getting up to speed. Our prescribed average speed was only 77 km/hour, but since we had to slow down a little bit for the turns, we had to make up that time and go a bit faster when we could. The Bentley can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 3.1 seconds and feeling those G forces in those moments was amazing.
Bentley Continental GT S at the starting line
Regine Trias
Rebecca: (Laughs) Yeah. I just wanted to go faster and let loose and not care about the competition!
Nykki: 100%. The autocross course they had set up was pretty much a mini racetrack where you might only be going 20-25 miles per hour but the turns are such that you feel like you’re going much faster. That was great to get a feel for the brakes but… I totally would have loved to really open her up on Sonoma’s straight.
The garage at Sonoma Raceway in California.
Regine Trias
Rebecca: I was thinking it would be a lot of fun to find out what that vehicle is like in soft sand and dunes. It’s got all-wheel drive and so much power that its curb weight doesn’t matter so much, but the dunes are where a vehicle truly reveals itself in terms of driving nannies like ABS and traction control. You’d have to keep it in Bentley mode as Sport mode would probably put too much power down at once and you’d bury the tires without any finesse, but there is definitely some turbo lag in this mode. In the sand when you ask for the power, you need it to respond immediately. But with some clearance it would be really fun to throw up some dirt roosts out in the dunes.
Nykki: With all the power, getting it sideways would be fun! But with all-wheel drive it’s not as easy to get the rear end to come around as it would be for a rear-wheel drive car. However, Bentley says you can turn the ESC system all the way off and that will allow drivers to balance the car using throttle inputs, so it would be a blast to explore that on an open skid pad. Reverse 180s are my favorite though, so I would love to see what that would be like. Reverse 180 to an immediate drift. Let's go.
On day three of the rally, teams were required to maintain an average speed on the Sonoma Raceway.
Regine Trias
Let’s go, indeed. At the end of the competition, Team 48 came in sixth in the car class–the crossovers and classic cars were scored separately–and the two came away with another notch on their driving belts.
If you want to learn more about the Trinitē Rally, click here for photos and a full recap of the three-day road rally.
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