Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team Recruit Fresh Intake for 2025 Dakar Rally
The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team have recruited a rapid new intake for the 2025 Dakar Rally. America’s Corbin Leaverton and Portugal’s Gonçalo Guerreiro will both be making their Dakar debuts in Saudi Arabia next January. This exciting pair of up-and-coming racers will be behind the wheel of their own Taurus T3 Max, the vehicle that Junior Team graduate Cristina Gutiérrez drove to victory in the Dakar’s Challenger class last time out.
Since its inception, the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team project has stuck to its underlying principles of developing fresh talent. Over the past four years the program has been successfully scouting and growing a new generation of championship winning off-road drivers and co-drivers. As well as being part of a professional team set-up, members of the program also benefit from a mentor scheme that has proven so successful with the Red Bull talent development programs in two and four-wheel circuit racing.
Four Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team graduates have secured themselves factory drives in the Ultimate class at the upcoming Dakar; Seth Quintero (Toyota), Cristina Gutiérrez (Dacia), Mitch Guthrie Jr. (Ford) and Guillaume de Mévius (MINI). This accelerated progression has opened up Junior Team slots in the Dakar’s Challenger category, giving Leaverton and Guerreiro the chance to shoot their shot.
“The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team is the best thing that ever happened to me and I’m sure that’ll also be true for the program’s latest recruits.” – Seth Quintero
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. 23-year-old Leaverton 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.
“I’m proud of my performances in this year’s Red Bull Scramble Series because those races take in all different types of terrain, conditions and rivals. I enjoy being able to show up anywhere and be competitive rather than being a one-trick pony.” – Corbin Leaverton
Leaverton has witnessed the journey of Quintero and Guthrie Jr. as they’ve gone from Dakar debutants in the Challenger category to Junior Team graduates racing in the elite Ultimate class. The latest Californian to join the Dakar convoy has seen what’s possible and can’t wait to get racing alongside co-driver Taye Perry in the Empty Quarter desert.
“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.” – Corbin Leaverton
Joining Leaverton in this year’s Junior Team intake is Portuguese speedster Gonçalo Guerreiro. The 24-year-old has built a fearsome reputation in his homeland, helped by victory in the SSV class at the 2022 Portuguese Cross-Country Championship plus three Baja Portalegre 500 wins.
“I started driving fast cars at 17 years old, it’s a passion I share with my dad. Now it’s been six years driving fast cars and I’m proud of my journey so far. I was Portuguese champion in 2022 and after that I moved to FIA races.” – Gonçalo Guerreiro
Guerreiro tasted further SSV glory earlier this year at the Baja España Aragon before being invited to race the Challenger class at the Baja Morocco. The trip to Northern Africa was Guerreiro’s first time racing in the desert and his first time inside the Taurus T3 Max. The Portuguese driver rose to the challenge and parked his new car on the podium. Now it's time to take on the Dakar with co-driver Cadu Sachs.
“This year I raced the Baja Morocco and I finished second overall. After the race we stayed in Morocco to do some more testing with the Taurus T3 Max with our focus switching to the Dakar. I think there are two reasons why we all love the Dakar, because it’s a challenge and an adventure.” – Gonçalo Guerreiro
At the previous Dakar it was Junior Team driver Cristina Gutiérrez who steered her own Taurus T3 Max to victory in the Challenger class. The vehicle has since undergone another year of intense testing and won races in various championships. The evolution of the Taurus T3 Max ensures that both Leaverton and Guerreiro have the best chance possible of staying on the pace at the upcoming Dakar.
The latest Junior Team recruits will face a steep learning curve when they arrive at their debut Dakar. The two-week, 8,000 kilometre race over the sands of Saudi Arabia remains motorsports’s most intense adventure. The action starts on January 3 in Bisha and finishes 14 days later on January 17 in the heart of the Empty Quarter desert.
