– Seth Quintero (USA) brought a fifth stage win of his 2022 Dakar Rally back to the Riyadh bivouac tonight. The 19-year-old has set the fastest T3 time on five of the six racing days at this year’s edition of the world’s toughest rally.
– Alongside co-driver Dennis Zenz (GER), Quintero is on a mission to wrack up as many stage wins as he can before the chequered flag falls at the Dakar on January 14. The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team driver became the rally’s youngest ever stage winner during his Dakar debut in 2021.
– « That’s win number five and we’re going to keep ticking them off. » – Seth Quintero
– Quintero’s attack on the overall leaderboard was undone due to mechanical misfortune on Stage 2.
– Still in the running for an overall podium finish is Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) who recorded fourth place finishes on Stages 4 and 5. It’s this type of consistency that saw her win the Andalucia Rally and Rally Kazakhstan for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team last year.
– Gutiérrez and co-driver François Cazalet (FRA) are fifth overall in the Dakar’s T3 category after Stage 5. The gap to the overall podium stands at less than 20 minutes and gives the duo a tantalising target to aim for as the rally approaches the halfway point.
– « We’re still in the race and now we’re close to the rest day. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
– It was another long day in the dunes for Dakar debutant Guillaume De Mevius (BEL) who required the help of the assistance truck to reach the end of Stage 5. De Mevius and co-driver Kellon Walch (USA) have been on a roller coaster ride together at this Dakar. Highlights so far include winning Stage 2 and finishing runner-up to Quintero on Stage 4.
– Nearly 2,500km spread across seven further desert stages are still to be raced in Saudi Arabia before the chequered flag falls at the Dakar. After tomorrow’s Stage 6 the entire Dakar convoy will pause racing for a Rest Day in Riyadh on Saturday, January 8.
LIGHTWEIGHT PROTOTYPE (T3) STAGE 5 RANKINGS
1. S. Quintero (USA)/D. Zenz (GER) – OT3, 02:52:23
2. F. Lopez Contardo (CHL)/JP. Latrach Vinagre – CAN-AM, +08:46
3. S. Eriksson (SWE)/W. Rosegaar (NLD) – CAN-AM, +10:03
4. C. Gutierrez (ESP)/F. Cazalet (FRA) – OT3, +12:33
5. M. Margaillan (FRA)/A. Roux-Decima (FRA) – CAN-AM, +24:37
LIGHTWEIGHT PROTOTYPE (T3) OVERALL RANKINGS
1. F. Lopez Contardo (CHL)/JP. Latrach Vinagre – CAN-AM, 20:38:29
2. S. Eriksson (SWE)/W. Rosegaar (NLD) – CAN-AM, +20:16
3. P. Pinchedez (FRA)T. Gaidella (FRA) – CAN-AM, +2:03:38
4. F. Alavarez (ESP)/X. Panseri (FRA) – CAN-AM, +2:19:25
5. C. Gutierrez (ESP)/F. Cazalet (FRA) – OT3, +2:22:20
Select Quotes
Seth Quintero: « We started up front so took the decision to run at our own pace again. About 150km from the finish we lost power steering so that was pretty rough battling the rocks and dunes. Overall it was really good. »
« I think we won by about seven minutes and got another stage win. That’s win number five and we’re going to keep ticking them off. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « It was a good stage for us. It was the first day that we didn’t have any problems with the car. Also this stage was very difficult for the navigation. We had some trouble finding the way at the beginning and this cost us a few minutes. As we got into the stage things got better. Finally we arrive at the finish line. We’re still in the race and now we’re close to the rest day. »