Mitch
Guthrie Jr.
United States
·
Rally Raid
Tanggal Lahir | 20 November 1996 |
|---|---|
Age | 29 |
Nationality | United States |
Karir dimulai | 2012 |
Disiplin | Motorsports Various |
Mitch Guthrie Jr. has, by his own admission, been fortunate to have had a mentor like his well-known father, Mitch Guthrie Sr., but now it's the son who's making the headlines.
Mitch began racing shortcourse at the age of 11, in the CORR series, followed by the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series in 2008, racing in the Stock Kart class before moving up to the Modified Kart class, where he impressed in the 2011 season – his final year in karts.
He has also been a navigator for his father and he's the youngest-ever participant in the King of The Hammers UTV race.
At 15 years old, Mitch raced his first season in a Polaris RZR XP 900 in the 2012 WORCS Series in the production 1000 class and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Regional Series.
In 2013, Mitch dominated in WORCS Production 1000 with five wins and six podium finishes in just nine rounds of racing to win the overall championship. Next up, in 2014, was Mitch's rookie year in WORCS Pro class, racing his Polaris RZR XP1000. He finished fourth overall, with five podiums and one win.
In 2015, (Mitch's final season in WORCS) he continued to race in the WORCS series in SXS Pro and Unlimited. He finished the season winning the championship in Unlimited and finishing fourth overall in Pro.
By 2016 Mitch was ready for a new challenge and he opted to try his luck in a different format of racing in the Best in the Desert Series. Again racing in a Polaris RZR, Mitch competed in the Pro turbo class, where he finished the eight-race season with six top-10 finishes (four of those in the top-five) and one win – in the 2016 UTV World Championship.
Mitch's 2017 season began with a win in the Parker 250, before a career highlight of winning the 2017 Mint 400, and he completed the season with a win at the Tonopah 250. The 2017 Baja 1000 was another career highlight for Mitch, who, as a driver for Jagged X Racing, took the overall UTV win at the 50th anniversary of the race.
In 2018, Mitch emulated his father by taking the win in the King of the Hammers and a year later he become the first back-to-back King of the Hammers champion since his dad.
He also won the Best in the Desert Pro Class Championship in 2019 before joining the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA in time for the 2020 Dakar, where he raced in the T3 class.
Mitch started his Dakar career in fine style, winning Stage 4 of the famous event before being forced out of contention due to mechanical failure, but he continued in the Dakar Experience category and won Stage 8 and Stage 10.
During the 2021 edition of the Dakar, Mitch had high hopes of achieving a podium finish, but unfortunately his race was cut short due to an engine oil pressure issue.
Mitch unfortunately missed out on the 2022 Dakar due to illness, but he won five stages in 2023 with co-driver Kellon Walch (USA) to take charge of a T3-M by MCE5 vehicle for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich.
After finishing as runner-up in the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship, Mitch was riding high at the 2024 Dakar and claimed victory in Stage 7 before things unravelled for him due to a string of technical issues.
His performances over the previous few years showed that despite his tender years, Mitch is more than ready to step up to compete in the Dakar Rally's premier T1 car class, and snapping him up for the 2025 race is motoring powerhouse Ford, who are debuting in Saudi Arabia. Teamed up with Dakar's defending champion, the great Carlos Sainz, we can't wait to see how Mitch gets on.
Mitch Guthrie Jr. is desert-ready
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Mitch Guthrie Jr. is stepping up to Dakar's Car class for 2025
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Mitch Guthrie Jr. chases victory in his Taurus T3 Max
© Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool
Mitch Guthrie Jr. is heading back to the Dakar
© Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool