Californian Mitch Guthrie Jr. joins Ford’s newly assembled Dakar Rally team alongside reigning champion Carlos Sainz. In 2025 the Ford Raptor T1+ makes its Dakar debut and Guthrie Jr. steps up to the elite category of the world’s toughest rally.
Mitch Guthrie Jr. joins Ford to race the 2025 Dakar Rally:
- The Californian enters the Dakar’s Ultimate category after five years racing the Challenger class with the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team.
- Guthrie Jr. has tested himself at the Dakar four times in the UTV division as part of a new generation of off-road drivers aiming to win big at the world’s most extreme races.
- Guthrie Jr. is proud to be representing the Stars and Stripes alongside a growing crew of US racers taking on motorsports’s biggest test of endurance racing.
– Mitch Guthrie Jr. has never hidden his off-road ambitions since racing his first Dakar Rally in the Challenger class back in 2020. In January 2025 the American’s dream will come true as he races against “the best of the best” in the Dakar’s Ultimate category.
– Making things even sweeter for Guthrie Jr. is the fact that he’ll be behind the wheel of the brand-new Ford Raptor T1+. “Before I could even drive, I saw the Raptor come out and it was my dream car,” Mitch Guthrie Jr. confesses. “I was able to buy one in 2019. I still have it and still really enjoy it.”
– The Raptor T1+ is a bespoke design tailored to meet the unique challenges of the Dakar. The collaboration between Ford Performance, M-Sport and Red Bull is fitted with a fearsome V8 engine, advanced suspension and 37-inch tyres as American muscle attempts to tame the relentless Dakar.
– “Ford is such a well-known brand and synonymous with the United States,” Guthrie Jr. reveals. “To now be in the T1+ category, driving for Ford… it’s a dream come true for me. I can’t wait to race against the best of the best.”
– Guthrie Jr. made his own Dakar debut as part of the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team when Saudi Arabia hosted the rally for the first time in 2020. Impressive Challenger class results have followed with wins at the Sonora Rally and Desafio Ruta 40 on route to second place in the World Rally-Raid Championship and at the Dakar.
– “Mitch’s achievements in off-road racing speak for themselves, and we’re confident he will be a valuable addition to our Dakar team,” Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance, explains.
– Before embarking on his Dakar adventures Guthrie Jr. was already an established name on the desert racing scene in North America. UTV wins at the Baja 1000, Mint 400 as well as back-to-back King of the Hammers titles came early in his career.
– Alongside Guthrie Jr. in his Ford Raptor T1+ will be co-driver Kellon Walch. This all-American pair have bagged an impressive eight stage wins across two editions of the Dakar while racing together in the Challenger class. Walch adds over 10 years of Dakar Rally experience to the mix, including a stage win while riding in the bike class.
– Also racing a Ford Raptor T1+ at the next Dakar will be reigning Ultimate class champion Carlos Sainz. Guthrie Jr.’s new team-mate is a legitimate off-road legend and one of the best in the bivouac to learn from.
– “The future is looking bright and I can’t wait to get some racing in the Raptor under my belt,” Guthrie Jr. concludes, “When we get to the Dakar we’ll see how we stack up against the other cars. Overall, I just want to go out there and win races.”
– The 2025 Dakar Rally runs January 3-17 with a racing distance of 5,000 spread across 14 days of competition. The rally will finish on the notorious sand dunes of the Empty Quarter as the rally’s difficulty increases day-by-day under an intense desert sun.
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