A brand-new collaboration between the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team and Can-Am has put anticipation for the upcoming 2023 Dakar Rally into top gear. An ultra-talented squad of six drivers are targeting glory at the world’s toughest race in January, racing Can-Am machinery under the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team banner. And that’s just the first step of this exciting journey… the team are also developing an all-new sustainable hybrid prototype machine alongside cutting-edge company MCE5, ahead of the 2024 Dakar.
To facilitate such an innovative and ambitious project the squad has been divided into two groups – Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich and Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team. With so much fresh news to explore, let’s take a closer look at all six race crews and the vehicles they will drive across the deserts of Saudi Arabia in January.
Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich brings together the very best young, hungry, talented desert specialists from the States. 20-year-old Seth Quintero has been rewriting the Dakar history books along with co-driver Dennis Zenz. Not only is Seth the winner of most stages at a single edition of the rally (11) he’s also the Dakar’s youngest-ever stage winner. The FIA World Rally-Raid Championship T3 runner-up now has his sights set on becoming the Dakar’s youngest overall winner in 2023.
« This year we’ve made a very big change, but I don’t think my driving style or mindset is going to change at all. We have a really good shot at winning Dakar this year » – Seth Quintero
Among Seth’s new team-mates is fellow American Austin ‘AJ’ Jones and his co-driver Gustavo Gugelmin. AJ was the overall winner of the T4 race at the last Dakar and finished second the year before. AJ now joins Seth in racing a Can-Am Maverick T3 by South Racing in Saudi Arabia next month.
« This next Dakar route is the longest it’s been for a while now. We’ve got 5,000 kilometres and 15 days of racing. It’s definitely going to be a challenge with the extra days, but I’m excited for it. More days and more kilometres gives extra opportunities for things to happen » – AJ Jones.
The third Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich crew is Mitch Guthrie and co-driver Kellon Walch who will take charge of a T3-M by MCE5 vehicle. In addition to featuring a 32-inch KDR3 BFG tyre and bespoke KMC wheel combo, this machine is a key piece of the puzzle as the team strive to develop a hybrid vehicle inline with the latest FIA regulations for the T3-U (Ultimate) category at the 2024 Dakar.
« I’ll be racing the new T3-M by MCE5. This is a development vehicle looking towards the future and our goal is to be the first UTV hybrid to race the Dakar » – Mitch Guthrie
The second branch of the squad will compete under the Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team banner and features three more exciting off-road talents behind the wheel of Can-Am Mavericks. Cristina Gutiérrez returns for her seventh Dakar and her third as part of the Junior Team set-up. Since joining the squad Cristina has won the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and finished third in this year’s inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship with co-driver Pablo Moreno.
« The strategy is going to be the same as always at the 2023 Dakar, I want to be clever on each stage and take things day by day. After driving the Can-Am Maverick I now feel comfortable with the car and the team are great to work with. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
Dakar heavyweight Chaleco López is now part of the Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team. The three-time Dakar winner and reigning T3 champion joins the team as a driver and also mentor to the younger members of the squad alongside co-driver Juan Pablo Latrach.
« This year I have a new role in a new team and this gives me such a lot of motivation to do the very best I can. » – Chaleco López
Among those younger members of the team looking to learn from Chaleco is fellow new recruit Rokas Baciuška. The 22-year-old Lithuanian talent and co-driver Oriol Vidal are aiming to improve on last year’s third place result when they join the start line of the T4 category in 2023.
« I’m going back to the Dakar looking for the win. In 2022 I was third and that was a good result for my first-ever Dakar. Now everything is in place for me to fight for top spot. » – Rokas Baciuška
Since its inception three years ago, the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team project has now expanded to bring a record six drivers to the Dakar for the first time and this time out can start counting on the support of world-renowned manufacturer Can-Am BRP Group. The underlying principles of the Junior Team remain unchanged: supporting the next generation of off-road talent, growing the global footprint of the team and driving towards a sustainable future for motorsport.
The new collaboration with Can-Am BRP is crucial to the Junior Team’s goals with off-road UTV racing remaining one of the most affordable and fastest growing motorsport disciplines in the world, and especially in the United States. In addition to next year’s World Raid-Rally Championship, the team will race four major Stateside races including the Mint 400 and Baja 500 plus the entire 2023 Red Bull Scramble Series. This multi-stop SxS race series takes place across the USA in extremely varied locations and terrain (frozen lakes, snow, sand dunes, tight woods and more). The exact locations and series schedule will be announced shortly.
First up it’s the 2023 Dakar, and what a platform the rally will provide for the new-look squad’s debut! The fourth edition of the world’s toughest rally hosted by Saudi Arabia will feature 5,000 racing kilometres spread over 14 challenging stages. It all starts on December 31, 2022 and the chequered flag will fall on January 15, 2023 in Dammam on the shore of the Arabian Gulf. We can’t wait to see what impact the new-look Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team will have on the 2023 Dakar and beyond!