“Above all I want to prove that I deserve the place”
CREW FACTS
C.L
- The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team’s latest American recruit, Corbin Leaverton follows in the footsteps of Quintero and Guthrie Jr. as he swaps the sand dunes of Southern California for the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
- The 23-year-old already has a string of World Off-Road Championship (WORCS) and Best In The Desert (BITD) wins back in the States. Plus, he took the title at this year’s Red Bull Scramble Series.
- The Dakar rookie only found out in November that he would be going to Saudi Arabia in January following a ‘hush hush’ try out in the Moroccan desert.
- He had a pretty good idea he’d made the grade and so on returning home needed to discuss the possibility with his pregnant wife, who is due on… the 19th of January!
- In addition to his family and motorsport, Corbin is passionate about fashion, design and music.
T.P.
- Taye Perry made her first Dakar appearance in 2020 on a bike, earning bivouac-wide respect by finishing in 77th place despite her slight frame.
- The following year she was back navigating for fellow South African Brian Baragwanath in a Century buggy.
- Then in 2022 she replaced Mike Horn as Cyril Despres co-driver in an ex-factory Peugeot.
- Absent since then from the Dakar, she nevertheless co-driven for rising Saudi Arabian star Dania Akeel, mainly on Baja World Cup and Middle East championship events. She has also been back on a bike, competing in European rallies.
- Taye left her native South Africa almost four years ago and has dual South African / German nationality. Two years later the rest of her family followed suit and they now live on a small farm in the ‘middle of nowhere’. Away from racing Taye works on auto projects with her dad and writes fantasy fiction. She is currently completing a three-part series which she hopes will be published shortly.
2025 AMBITIONS
C.L.: “I’ve seen Seth and Mitch go through the Junior Team. To see those guys do well in the Challenger class and help develop the cars has been cool. Now both have gone on to race the Dakar in the Ultimate class. It’s a big leap from Southern California to the Dakar – different cars, different styles of racing, different cultures – and it’s been awesome to see Seth and Mitch adapt so well. I want to follow in their footsteps and reach the Ultimate class. But for now I’m here to listen and learn on the road to making myself a competitive rally-raid racer. As far as a result in January is concerned I’m a racer so I always want to win and without being disrespectful to my rivals, many who have years of Dakar experience, I think a podium is a possibility. A stage win or two would also be nice, but above all I want to prove that I deserve the place and the trust the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team have put in me. I have been with my wife since we were teenagers and she has always been totally supportive of my racing. When I told her I maybe had the chance of racing the Dakar she instantly told me I had to go.”
T P: “Red Bull were hunting around for a suitable co-driver for Corbin and happily they alighted on me. Obviously, Corbin being a Dakar rookie they were looking for someone with a bit of experience and the right mindset. We get to Saudi on the 30th and are going to have a busy few day getting as much testing time in as possible before the start of the race. Logically we will start off a bit more gently while Corbin gets his head round the whole rally-raid environment. For example, to start with I will have to call out the notes in more detail than I normally would, while we learn to work together, and he becomes more familiar with everything, and understands exactly what I’m calling. But I’m not overly concerned. He is really motivated to learn and anybody that quick at driving a car always catches on fast. We’re there to compete, and I believe we can do well together.”
