N°314 Car RED BULL OFF-ROAD JR TEAM USA BY BFG

MITCHELL GUTHRIE

(usa)

2021: Ab. Stage 5
2020: Ab. Stage 7

2022: Rallye du Maroc (5th T3)
2021: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (abandon) / Andalucia Rally (14th T3)
2020: Andalucia Rally (13th T3)
2019 and 2018: King of the Hammer (UTV) / Mint 400 / Best in the Desert champion 2019
2017: Baja 1000 UTV / Mint 400

Interview

“A new beginning for me”

Mitchell Guthrie is none other than the son of the legendary racer Mitch Guthrie Senior. Mitch Junior succeeded his father in 2018 and 2019, after winning the WORCS Unlimited Series (2015), the UTV world championships (2016) and the Baja 1000, which he won in 2017, along with the Mint 400, all before his 22nd birthday. A competitive journey that the American could have continued without ever having left the United States. Instead, Mitch decided to take up the challenge proposed by the Red Bull Off-Road Junior team: the Dakar. On the first edition in Saudi Arabia, he won stage 4, before being forced to continue the adventure in the Dakar Experience category due to engine failure. He won two more stages and returned in 2021 only to lose more than four hours in stage 1 with punctures. This didn't dampen the American's enthusiasm and he showed he more than deserved his place by setting the third fastest outright time on stage 4 before suffering another engine problem. Mitch was counting on putting an end to his misfortune on his third Dakar last January but tested positive for Covid just before leaving for Jeddah. Guthrie Junior was reunited with his co-driver Ola Floene on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge but was once again forced to retire. Then first time at the Rallye du Maroc they finished 5th in class, after which Mitch jumped ship for the Andalucia Rally, driving a brand new 2023 spec T3 entered by the French MCE-5 team in the Open class with the hugely experienced Kellon Walch as co-driver. The car performed well, running at a similar pace to another 2023 spec T3 entered in the Open class and driven by a certain Stephane Peterhansel. The newly formed duo will have one more chance to shake their car down at the Dubai International Baja at the beginning of December before getting ready for the big one less than a month later.


M.G.: “After a season with some ups and downs this year, the Andalucia Rally was like a new beginning for me. The new MCE-5 has been built by a group of French engineers who I know well and with whom I have a great working relationship with. They are very attentive to the feedback I give them and this is a fantastic opportunity for me to get in on the ground floor -especially as the car has been built specifically to incorporate hybrid technology in the future. We made a ton of changes following the car’s first race in Spain and we’ll be testing those developments out in Dubai at the Baja, but I was really happy with how the car performed first time out. As in Spain I’ll have Kellon (Walch) beside me. He’s co-driven for Austin Jones and Robbie Gordon in the past and his experience is a major plus for us. After the Dakar we’re scheduled to race the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Rallye du Maroc and depending on how January goes we’ll adjust our programme accordingly.”

Vehicle

RED BULL OFF-ROAD JR TEAM USA BY BFG

T3M BY MCE-5 DEVELOPMENT
RED BULL OFF-ROAD JR TEAM USA BY BFG

  • T3M
  • BY MCE-5 DEVELOPMENT
  • MCE-5
  • MCE-5
  • T3.1: Lightweight Prototype Cross-Country

Ranking 2023

All news of M. Guthrie

Summary - 14/01 17:34 [GMT +3]

Dakar 2023 — Stage 13 | One for the history books

FOCUS
To pay tribute to the Empty Quarter and bid it a dignified farewell, the penultimate special was held to the south of Shaybah, in a vast and beautiful expanse of sand with chains of dunes as far as the eye can see. Kevin Benavides leveraged his flair and adaptability to drag himself back into contention for the title in this final dune-surfing test, mixed with a return...

Reactions - 14/01 13:21 [GMT +3] - Car

Mitchell Guthrie: "It's been a great rally"

The American made the best of a bad job by clinching his fifth stage win today, boosting his confidence in his own pace and the potential of his new T3 by MCE5 development.

"It was a tough day, but a lot of fun. The car did great, so we're happy and we'll see where we end up in the stage. It was dunes the entire time, so we never had one break, there...

Newsflashes - 14/01 11:43 [GMT +3] - Car

López takes over the reins

Halfway through the stage, "Chaleco" López has taken control ahead of Hélder Rodrigues, who already proved his mettle on a motorbike. Mitch Guthrie slipped to third place by over a minute, followed by the two Yamahas of Ignacio Casale and Ricardo Porem. Guillaume de Mevius is conceding a tad under 2 minutes. The overall leader by a country mile, Austin...

Newsflashes - 14/01 09:35 [GMT +3] - Car

The T3 race is on

Mitch Guthrie has started the special ahead of Ignacio Casale after pipping the Chilean at the post yesterday. Austin Jones still leads the overall by more than an hour over Seth Quintero. Jones will be fifth on the road today.

Newsflashes - 13/01 13:21 [GMT +3] - Car

Guthrie gets his revenge

 Mitch Guthrie has picked up a fourth victory in this edition of the Dakar! The American, who encountered mechanical problems yesterday, has achieved the day’s best time, depriving Ignacio Casale of victory by 29 seconds. Guillaume de Mevius climbs onto the third step of the podium for the day’s special, less than one minute behind the winner’s...

Newsflashes - 10/01 10:43 [GMT +3] - Car

Guthrie already leads

Mitch Guthrie, third to start today, provisionally leads the stage at the first time check point after 43 km, with a lead of 29’’ over Seth Quintero and 45’’ over Ebenhaezer Basson, who is once again making a fine debut. The 11th driver to start, Guillaume de Mevius has not yet reached the way point.

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