America’s Corbin Leaverton and Portugal’s Gonçalo Guerreiro will form the second generation of Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team for Dakar Rally.
With 4 original offroad junior program racers graduating to Ultimate Car category this year, Leaverton and Guerreiro will be making their first steps in Dakar Rally 2025 in Challenger class. Here’s what you need to know:
– The second generation of the program comes after former youngsters land seats in Ultimate category – Seth Quintero (Toyota), Cristina Gutiérrez (Dacia), Mitch Guthrie Jr. (Ford) and Guillaume de Mévius (MINI)
– America’s Corbin Leaverton and Portugal’s Gonçalo Guerreiro will both be making their Dakar debuts in Saudi Arabia next January driving Taurus T3 Max
– The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team has already produced Dakar winners in Challenger class with Cristina Gutiérrez, while Guillaume de Mévius came second in the Ultimate class in 2024 edition
– Corbin Leaverton follows in the footsteps of fellow Americans Quintero and Guthrie Jr. as he swaps the sand dunes of Southern California for the deserts of Saudi Arabia. 23-year-old already has a string of World Off-Road Championship (WORCS) and Best In The Desert (BITD) wins back as well as Red Bull Scramble Series title in the States.
– “I’m proud of my performances in this year’s Red Bull Scramble Series because those races take in all different types of terrain, conditions and rivals. I enjoy being able to show up anywhere and be competitive rather than being a one trick pony,” says Corbin Leaverton.
– “The Dakar is simply the biggest challenge there is in off-road racing, It’s a big leap from Southern California. Different cars, different styles of racing, different cultures – and it’s been awesome to see Seth and Mitch adapt so well. I want to follow in their footsteps and reach the Ultimate class.”
– One of the graduates of the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team, fellow Californian Seth Quintero commented on the importance of the program and the challenges Corbin will face transitioning to international racing.
– “I was with the junior team from the beginning, and I owe my career to this program. It was a challenging start with the car being developed. It instilled a lot of work ethic for me and it was one of the most amazing things that happened during that period – records, wins, etc. I don’t think there’s a better way to start racing Dakar Rally than with a junior team.”
– Joining Leaverton in this year’s Junior Team intake is Gonçalo Guerreiro. The 23-year-old has built himself a reputation in Portugal, helped by victory in the SSV class at the 2022 Portuguese Cross-Country Championship plus three Baja Portalegre 500 wins.
– “I started driving fast cars at 17 years old, it’s a passion I share with my dad and I’m proud of my journey so far. I was Portuguese champion in 2022 and after that I moved to FIA races.” – Gonçalo Guerreiro
– “This year I raced the Baja Morocco, and I finished second overall. After the race we stayed in Morocco to do some more testing with the Taurus T3 Max with our focus switching the Dakar. I think there are the two reasons why we all love the Dakar, because it’s a challenge and an adventure”
– The trip to Northern Africa was Guerreiro’s first time racing in the desert and his first time inside the Taurus T3 Max and it finished in a podium for the young racer.
– Since its inception in 2019, Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team has been scouting and providing growth opportunities to new generation of offroad racers. As well as being part of a professional team set-up, members of the program also benefit from a mentor scheme that has proven successful with the Red Bull Junior Team in open-wheel racing.
– The latest Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team recruits will face a steep learning curve when they arrive at their debut Dakar Rally. The two-week, 10 000 kilometer race over the sands of Saudi Arabia remains motorsports’ most intense adventure. The action starts on January 3 in Bisha and finishes 14 days later on January 17 in the heart of the Empty Quarter desert.
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