Tag Archives: Dakar Rally

Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team will have two new drivers at the Dakar Rally

The start of one of the world’s toughest races, the Dakar Rally, is approaching, and the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team has announced that its new drivers will be Corbin Leaverton and Gonçalo Guerreiro. The two young drivers will replace the previous four drivers, Seth Quintero, Cristina Gutiérrez, Mitch Guthrie Jr. and Guillaume de Mévius, who will compete in the Ultimate Car class.

The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team has already had Dakar winners in the Challenger class, the brilliant Cristina Gutiérrez, while Guillaume de Mévius finished second in the Ultimate class in the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally.

Leaverton followed in the footsteps of Portuguese Seth Quintero, who said: “I was in the junior team from the beginning and I owe my career to this program. It was challenging to start with a car that was still in development, but it instilled a lot of work ethic in me. A lot of incredible things happened during that time, including records and victories. I don’t think there’s a better way to start racing in the Dakar than by competing for the junior team.”

“I’m proud of my performance in this year’s Red Bull Scramble series, because these races are held on different types of terrain, in different conditions, and the rivals are different. I enjoy showing up anywhere and being competitive. The Dakar is simply the biggest challenge in the world of off-road racing. It’s a big jump from Southern California. Different cars, different racing styles, different cultures… It’s been great to see Seth and Mitch adapt so well. I want to follow in their footsteps and get to the Ultimate class,” said Leaverton.

Also, Gonçalo Guerreiro said that he is excited to participate in the Dakar Rally and that he shares the great passion for the adventure that this race provides. “I started driving fast cars when I was 17. It’s a passion I share with my father and I’m proud of my journey so far. I was the champion of Portugal in 2022, after which I moved to FIA racing. This year I participated in the Baja Morocco race, where I finished second overall. After the race we stayed in Morocco to test the Taurus T3 Max because of the Dakar focus. I think there are two reasons we all love Dakar, which is a challenge and an adventure,” said Guerreiro.

The 2025 Dakar Rally starts on January 3 in Bisha and ends on January 17, in the Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali) desert.

Source: Red Bull

Two motorcycle Dakar Rally champions will be co-drivers in the Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+

In 24 days, one of the world’s toughest rally races, the Dakar Rally, will kick off in Saudi Arabia. As all the teams make their final checks, drivers Toby Price and Sam Sunderland have completed their first car test with the Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+.

Toby Price and Sam Sunderland have previously competed in the race as motorcycle riders, and this will be their first time competing in the car category. Price has been competing in car and other events since 2015, and he won the Baja 500 this year and has also scored podiums in the Stadium Super Trucks series. He also recently competed in the Dubai Baja with Hannes Kiningadner.

“It’s all a bit surreal to be honest. We’ve worked so hard on this and it’s incredible to see it all come together. It’s really exciting to show the car to the world and to have the great partners who support us,” said Price.

Sunderland will be the navigator for the team and he highlighted the ability to focus on one thing as a positive aspect of competing in a car. “The advantage is that there are two riders in one car. We’re going to make mistakes, things are going to go wrong sometimes, but we’ll still have some traces of bikes and cars in front of us until we get used to it and find our bearings. After that, we’ll be good,” said Price. “I’m extremely lucky to have been in this sport for a long time and to have good relationships with the riders and drivers. I was lucky to be able to talk to Mathieu Baumel a few days ago and get a lot of information. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m picking out the key information and learning day by day,” said Sunderland.

Pierce highlighted that the advantage of the two will be experience, as they have both won this race twice. “Even though we have more than 20 Dakar participations, this is still a new category for us, so previous victories do not guarantee anything. Finishing the Dakar in the top 10 would be a great result for us. You can make a thousand plans, but it will not be enough. We have to go day by day and make sure the wheels are rolling,” said Price.

It remains to be seen how this duo will work together and whether, with their experience, they will be able to contribute to a good result for the team.

Source: Reuters

2025 Dacia Duster Soul of Dakar

The start of one of the largest and most difficult rally races in the world, the Dakar Rally (01/03 – 01/17/2025), is approaching, and the Romanian car manufacturer Dacia has presented a special vehicle dedicated to this race, the Duster Soul of Dakar.

The Duster Soul of Dakar has a livery reminiscent of that of the Dacia Sandero prototype that will compete in the upcoming Dakar Rally. It is equipped with optional components for the Duster model (InNature) such as a waterproof bag, a luggage box and a shovel, located on the roof rack. Inside, there are YouClip fasteners such as hooks for bags and holders for smartphones, tablets and drinks.

Although Dacia could have done more, some believe that the Soul of Dakar is an example of what a series of special versions based on the current offer will look like. This was also hinted at by Dacia director Denis Le Vot. Such a project would not require large investments, and it would be a good marketing move.

When it comes to the powertrain, the car uses the same engine as the standard Duster, a mild hybrid 1.2-liter engine with 130 hp (95 kW). The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission with an electronic four-wheel drive system, which is different from most Duster models that have front-wheel drive.

At the upcoming Dakar Rally, Dacia will participate with the Sandrider model powered by Nissan’s 3.0-L twin-turbo V6 engine with 360 hp (265 kW). In the vehicle will be one of the greatest in the world of rally sports, Sebastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah.

Source: Dacia

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