"I'm just hoping for a clean year"
IN BRIEF
S.Q.
- The face of the emerging generation of rally-raid talents, Quintero has been racing lightweight prototypes since the age of 10 and landed his first championship win at 11.
- Signed up by Red Bull as a youngster, he made his Dakar debut in 2021 at the age of just 18, winning no fewer than 6 stages in the Challenger/T3 category.
- In 2022 he set a new all-time Dakar record by winning 12 stages in a single edition, although mechanical issues prevented him going for overall victory.
- In 2023 Quintero took his best Dakar result to date (2nd) and snatched victory in the Challenger class in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
- He made headlines by stepping up to the Ultimate class with the Toyota Gazoo Racing team ahead of Dakar 2024, but was once again struck by technical issues in the first week, finishing 42nd.
- Quintero and longtime co-driver Dennis Zenz continued to get to grips with their T1+ Toyota Hilux throughout 2024, with highlights including a podium at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (3rd), and stage wins in Abu Dhabi and Argentina.
- The young American also helped Toyota Gazoo Racing land the W2RC Manufacturer's title for the third straight year.
D.Z.
- Dennis Zenz comes from a family of motorsport fans and started karting as a seven-year-old. He got his first experience of being a co-driver at 13 and decided to continue down that road.
- He has memories of going to see the WRC in Germany as a boy and trying to get autographs from stars like reigning Dakar champion Carlos Sainz.
- At 16 he began racing officially in the German rally championship, and has spent more than 15 years competing on the national and European rally scene.
- He first met Quintero at the airport on the way to the Andalucia Rally in 2020, where they both made their rally-raid debut. They have been competing together ever since.
2025 AMBITIONS
S.Q.: "We went into Dakar last year having only done the Dubai Baja, testing for two days in the dunes. We showed up at Dakar and came second in the prologue, which I thought was a good start, and then on Stage 4 we had a couple of issues. But now to have a full year under my belt, I'm super confident. I've run the pace all year long and hopefully it's only going to keep getting better. I know these new cars are getting faster, everyone's getting faster. Having more manufacturers and more competitors is nothing but good for the sport. Obviously we're all racers, we all want to race each other, and the more the merrier. It makes you feel better at the end of the day, when you can beat guys who come from all around the world. Every single year it's been a learning curve, and we've had a lot of curveballs thrown at us. Every year there's been a lot of drama. So I'm just hoping for a clean year. We've paid our dues. We've been through a lot and I think we've showed that we're not going to give up, no matter what. That's ultimately what's gotten us here to this point today. This will be my fifth year now, which is crazy, I'm only 22. I don't see myself going anywhere. I hope we stick with the Toyota team for the rest of my career. It's been a wild adventure already. I started four or five years ago, so I feel like everybody has watched me grow up. I don't think I'll have 40 more years, I'm not sure I'll be racing at 62 like Carlos [Sainz]! But I've got a few more in me for sure."
D.Z.: "We started our first Dakar in 2021 and we had no idea what to expect. It took us three years to become world champions in the Challenger class. Now we're preparing for our second year in the Ultimate class at Dakar 2025. We've learned a lot in the past couple of years, especially this year with the 'big guys' in the top FIA category. I won't say we are ready, but for sure we have improved and we'll be up there. This season we won stages in Abu Dhabi and Argentina. So we know we have the speed, we know we have a car and a team giving us the tools to do our job. We just have to put everything together and have the kind of luck you need to manage a rally over 14 days. I think 2025 is going to be a great year for the championship. Dacia and Ford are coming in, Mini have a new car. Everyone has good drivers, navigators and teams. For sure there will be huge competition, but we'll be there. We'll keep preparing well for Dakar 2025, where we want to fight against the top guys."
