The three stars of the future representing the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Program in 2020 are Blade Hildebrand, Mitch Guthrie Jr. and Seth Quintero. This trio of young, raw-talented and hungry drivers will compete at a worldwide calendar of famous off-road races in the coming year under the stars and stripes banner of Red Bull Off-Road Team USA.
The Red Bull Off-Road Team USA off-roaders will travel the globe in 2020 to compete in iconic races. In their native North America they plan to race the Mint 400, Baja 500, Vegas to Reno and more. You’ll also see the young drivers at international cross-country events such as the Silk Way Rally, Morocco Rally, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the most extreme off-road race on the planet, the Dakar Rally.
The goal of the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Program is to scout, develop and grow the next generation of off-road champions. As well as being part of a professional team set-up, members of the program will also benefit from a mentor scheme that has proven so successful with the Red Bull Junior Team in open wheel racing.
The first appointment for Red Bull Off-Road Team USA will be the toughest rally of them all, the Dakar Rally. Blade Hildebrand and Mitch Guthrie Jr. will both be in Saudi Arabia racing the purpose built OT3 by Overdrive. The OT3 is the first prototype side-by-side (SxS) machine ever constructed specifically for rally-raid and cross-country. During testing its fearsome 1000cc rear-mounted turbo engine produced an impressive 177 horsepower and 290Nm of torque in its FIA version.
Even though Blade Hildebrand has just turned 21 years old, he’s already a Dakar champion. The off-roader from California’s Yucca Valley won the OP.1 class at the 2019 Dakar and is ready to jump in his brand-new OT3 side-by-side (SxS) machine for another shot at glory. The OP.1 race at Dakar covers a vehicle category based on the US off-road race SCORE Series that includes the Baja 1000.
Blade Hildebrand will also race the OT3 package at races in the United States next year. He’ll be aiming to add to his two wins at the Laughlin Desert Classic and take full advantage of the opportunities being part of Red Bull Off-Road Team USA will give him.
« Having the right backing – the right group of people who want to see you succeed – is a big part of it. I think the main goal of everyone on the team is to step up. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I want to go out there and win. That’s the ultimate goal. » – Blade Hildebrand
Making his Dakar debut in Saudi Arabia in January is 23-year-old Mitch Guthrie Jr. The native of Glendora, California is already an established name on the SxS racing scene in North America thanks to a stack of career wins; including the Baja 1000 (2017), Mint 400 (2017, 2019) and King of the Hammers (2018, 2019).
« I think that in 2020 and beyond this program is going to really raise a lot of awareness for people in the United States, letting them know what international racing is all about. And it’s also going to build a lot of hype here for Dakar. » – Mitch Guthrie Jr.
Mitch Guthrie Jr. will also race the OT3 by Overdrive at the Dakar and other international cross-country rallies, but will represent Red Bull Off-Road Team USA in a Polaris RZR Turbo SxS when competing in North America. The turbocharged Polaris RZR has proven successful across a range of North American desert races, thanks in no small part to its 168 horsepower and cooling system designed to give reliable performance in harsh conditions.
The third member of Red Bull Off-Road Team USA is 17-year-old Seth Quintero, a bona fide phenom on the off-road racing scene. The resident of San Marcos, California won the youth UTV World Championship at age 11.
Fast-forward to today and he’s added two Pro UTV titles to his résumé. The teenager has also been crowned a World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) winner twice. He’s recently made history by becoming the youngest ever driver to win the UTV Pro class in five Best In The Desert races. And he’s just getting started…
« Red Bull Off-Road Team USA is a team that is going to allow for young kids like me to really progress in the sport. Having the opportunity to work with the best equipment and having the best people around me is definitely going to help me in my career in 2020 and beyond. For me to be chosen for this team at 17 years old is a real honor. » – Seth Quintero
Just like Mitch Guthrie Jr., Seth Quintero will race a Polaris RZR Turbo at races in the USA (but in the Pro Production N/A class) and get behind of the wheel of an OT3 for international cross-country rallies once he turns 18 years old.
As well as competing at top races worldwide as part of a professional team, the three members of the first-ever Red Bull Off-Road Junior Program have the chance to learn from some of the best in the business. Three-time Dakar car class winner Nasser Al-Attiyah has given his input into the OT3 machine that the team will drive at the Dakar and five-time Dakar bike race winner Cyril Despres is in place to mentor the trio throughout the season.
« We’ve already got to hang out with Cyril Despres. He was a legend standing in front of us, but he made us feel really comfortable. We were able to talk with him about any issues that we had. » – Seth Quintero
It’s going to be an action-packed year for Red Bull Off-Road Team USA as they criss-cross the globe to compete in illustrious races. You can follow their progress by watching Destination Dirt on Red Bull TV.
Destination Dirt will follow these young drivers throughout the season as they are thrown into a brand-new level of competition. Traveling across the globe to far-flung and exotic destinations such as Russia, Morocco, China and Saudi Arabia, the three must learn to stand on their own amidst unfamiliar cultures and grueling competition.
Although many were interested in joining the team, the selection of the three drivers was made through an internal process run by Red Bull and its industry experts. The drivers were picked based on a combination of past performance and future potential.
Quotes
Blade Hildebrand: “My dad raced NASCAR a bit, and then my brother got diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, so dad handed the reins down to me and my sister. A lot of my racing has to do with my family. I keep pushing forward for my brother, my mom, my dad… all of them. To bring the OT3 to the States and race it in front of family and friends and sponsors at big events like the UTV World Championship and the Mint 400 – I’m super excited.
« Dakar is the toughest race that I’ve ever endured. There’s no way to completely prepare your body, physically or mentally. It’s like putting 12 Baja 1000s together in 12 days – everything it throws at you is super hard. It was my first Dakar Rally, no experience at all, and I ended up winning the OP.1 class! There’s no other feeling like it in the world. It’s so unpredictable. So much fun. Blitzing through whoops almost out of control, but in control somewhat… just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.
« Having Cyril Despres as a part of the program is awesome. He knows what it takes to win at Dakar, and for him to give us that information helps so much with the mental side. But also having Red Bull and Overdrive behind us helps that much more. Having the right backing – the right group of people who want to see you succeed – is a big part of it. I think the main goal of everyone on the team is to step up. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I want to go out there and win. That’s the ultimate goal. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « Our family always went to the desert for fun. My dad did rock crawling competitively, and we were into off-road. At my very first race, I wadded up my car. I locked bumpers with another car, went into a whoop section and totaled my kart. So that was my start to racing!
« The initial test we did with this program was in Morocco, driving the car for the first time. It was
Mitch Guthrie Jr © Red Bull
definitely a different experience, but it was cool because we had a lot of good people mentoring us who had been there before. Then we tested in France, another place I’d never been, and did some training in Andorra, where Cyril Despres lives. We learned a lot from everything he’s been doing to get ready for races for more than 10 years now.
« I think that in 2020 and beyond this program is going to really raise a lot of awareness for people in the United States, letting them know what international racing is all about. And it’s also going to build a lot of hype here for Dakar.
« I’m just trying to branch out and learn as much as I can, and this program is really allowing me to do that. This is a whole new thing for me, and having the help of people who have been doing it for 10 or even 20 years is going to make a big difference with the learning curve at Dakar and the other international races. In domestic racing, my car will be a fully wrapped Red Bull car, and I don’t think anything quite like that has been done in the UTV category before. I think it’s really going to up the game and open some eyes about what the UTV class is moving towards. It’s going to be a pretty wild experience. While it’ll be tough, I think we have a really good team – and the best team behind us. We have a good shot at it, for sure. »
Seth Quintero: « We’ve already got to hang out with Cyril Despres. He was a legend standing in front of us, but he made us feel really comfortable. We were able to talk with him about any issues that we had. Also having Nasser around was a blessing. Again, one of the biggest legends I’ve ever met, and he actually came by the shop after winning a stage just to check on us and see how we were doing! That will stick with me forever.
« Traveling the world to race with two of my best friends and experience different cultures is something I never thought I’d be doing. I want to be in the moment and try to appreciate and understand what’s going on around me. I’m so young that I’m just excited to learn time and time again.
« Red Bull Off-Road Team USA is a team that is going to allow for young kids like me to really progress in the sport. Having the opportunity to work with the best equipment and having the best people around me is definitely going to help me in my career in 2020 and beyond. For me to be chosen for this team at 17 years old is a real honor.
« I want to perform for my family. My parents worked for everything they have. Knowing that we have come from nothing and now we’re at this amazing point with Red Bull, starting to travel the world for racing, is something I’m definitely super proud of. »
Cyril Despres: « The drivers of Red Bull Off-Road Team USA have a great opportunity. I’m older than them and have lots of experience I can share. The process of sharing advice has already began, but there is still some important information to give them. I’m waiting until the Dakar to tell them certain things because we don’t want to overload them right now.
« I’ve been with the young guys in Morocco, France and the USA, showing them how to identify the dangers that exist in rally-raid. I’ve been in the OT3 with them all, sometimes I’ll drive and sometimes them. This way I pass on my tips and observe anything that needs to be worked on. These are all talented drivers who have already achieved a lot, but rally-raid is new and there are things they can learn. »
Christine Fial & Scott Houston,