Offroad
Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team deal full house at Vegas to Reno desert race
The full squad of young drivers – plus a special guest – assembled in the States for the first time, and the mission was a 495-mile Vegas to Reno off-road race.
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Heavy rainfall in Nevada during the week leading up to the race forced organisers into some last-minute modifications. A new start line was picked and a neutralisation zone was established in the middle of the course. Despite the shake-up, there was still just shy of 500 miles of gnarly off-road action to contend with.
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Mitch Guthrie Jr settles the score
Guthrie Jr knows all about how cruel things can get on the route from Vegas to Reno. Two years ago he was leading with just five miles to go when disaster struck. A heavy collision with a rock resulted in his headlamps cutting out.
“We were trying to drive completely blind with zero light and we used a little flashlight going super slow,” said Guthrie Jr. “I was then caught by second place and I followed his brake lights for five miles until I couldn’t do it anymore. We kept using our flashlight to get to the finish in second.”
This year Guthrie Jr qualified his Polaris RZR Pro R in second place for the UTV Trophy Unlimited race. The 25-year-old continued his pace from this April’s Silver State 300 on the route out of Vegas as he kept up with the very best in his class. Guthrie Jr was challenging for the win as the race crossed the 350-mile mark, and he put the hammer down to take first in class at the finish line.
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Seth Quintero steers towards a third consecutive territory
Quintero was back at the race that he had recorded back-to-back victories at in 2019 and 2020. Racing his Polaris RZR in the UTV Turbo Pro category, the 19-year-old clocked the 18th fastest time in the qualification round. When the real race got under way on Friday, Quintero wasted no time charging through the field. He reached the midway neutralisation zone in the podium positions before eventually crossing the finish line in seventh place in the UTV Turbo Pro class, after having a great battle with Dakar rival Chaleco López along the way.
Quintero will be swapping his Polaris RZR for his OT3 in time for October’s Rallye du Maroc. “I’m excited for these next few months as we have multiple different types of racing disciplines we will be doing,” said Quintero when asked about future plans. “I’m all in for the adventure!”
More from the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team
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Serious Spanish talent shows up Stateside
This was a first attempt at a Best in the Desert race for Cristina Gutiérrez and co-driver Pablo Moreno. The plan was for the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies champion Gutiérrez to hand over the controls of her OT3 to WRC regular Dani Sordo at the halfway point of the race.
Gutiérrez brought her OT3 through the first part of the race in the Top 10 of the UTV Trophy Unlimited class, then Sordo took over for the second half of the race. An encouraging start saw him climb the rankings before eventually being forced to retire before reaching the finish line.
“Everything apart from that electrical issue was amazing,” said WRC legend Sordo. “Without suffering our problem I’m sure we were in with a shot to win the race.”
Cristina Gutiérrez ready to roll the dice in Reno
© Art Eugenio/Red Bull Content Pool
I want to thank the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team for this opportunity to race alongside a great driver like Dani
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An invaluable experience for young crews
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