Seth Quintero (born September 12, 2002) is American off-road racing driver. He is currently part of Red Bull's rallying team for rally raid events and competes in the World Rally-Raid Championship.[1]
| Seth Quintero | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  American |
| Born | September 12, 2002[1] California |
| Current team | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
He holds the record for the most number of stage wins in a single Dakar, with 12 stage victories in the 2022 Dakar.
Career
editQuintero grew up in San Marcos, California, where by age four he was already riding ATVs.[2] Quintero began competing in SSV racing at age 10, and at age 11 won the Junior UTV World Championship.[1] In 2015, Quintero won the Junior UTV World Championship again as well as winning the World Off Road Championship Series.[1]
In 2018, Quintero moved up to the professional ranks with backing from energy drink company Red Bull.[1][3] Quintero finished second at the Mint 400 and the Vegas to Reno events during his debut season. In 2019, Quintero won the Best in the Desert championship in the UTV Pro category, winning six events including the Mint 400.[4]
In 2020, Quintero began competing internationally, and one year later, in 2021, began competing at the top level of SSV racing, including making his debut at the Dakar Rally and making two appearances in the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. In the 2021 Dakar Rally, Quintero won six stages, in the process setting a new record for youngest stage winner in Dakar history.[2] At the 2022 Dakar Rally, Quintero set a new record for most stage wins in a single running of the event, claiming 12 stage victories out of 13 total. However, in the only stage he failed to win, Quintero lost over 17 hours due to mechanical failures, resulting in a distant 16th place finish in the overall rankings.[4] Besides the Dakar, Quintero also contested the full season of the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship, where he finished second in points with an event win at the Rallye du Maroc.
At the 2023 Dakar Rally, Quintero secured his first podium in the event with a second place finish overall and two stage victories, finishing only behind his teammate Austin Jones.[1] After winning the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the American went on to clinch the T3 title by taking the runner-up spot at the final round in Morocco, narrowly beating Mitch Guthrie and Austin Jones.[5]
For 2024, it was announced that Quintero would be stepping up to the Car/T1+ class with Toyota Gazoo Racing. He would be taking part in the 2024 Dakar Rally and the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship, alongside his navigator/co-driver of multiple past campaigns, Dennis Zenz.[6] After experiencing troubles at the Dakar, the American would impress in Abu Dhabi, winning stage 3 and coming third overall, scoring his first podium in the top class.[7][8]
Rally results
editDakar Rally results
edit| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stages won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Light Prototype |  OT3
|
18th | 6 |
| 2022 | 16th | 12 | ||
| 2023 |  Can-Am
|
2nd | 2 | |
| 2024 | Car |  Toyota GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U
|
101st | 0 |
Complete World Rally-Raid Championship results
edit(key)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA | Overdrive Racing OT3 | T3 | DAK 963 |
ABU 334 |
MOR 147 |
AND 215 |
2nd | 169 | |
| 2023 | Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA by BFG | BRP Can-Am Maverick XRS | T3 | DAK 277 |
ABU 150 |
SON 918 |
DES 820 |
MOR 236 |
1st | 201 |
| 2024 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota GR DKR Hilux EVO T1U | T1U | DAK 1015 |
ABU 330 |
PRT 434 |
DES 1116 |
MOR 526 |
6th | 81 |
* Season still in progress
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Seth Quintero". redbull.com. Red Bull. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Profile of Seth Quintero". dakar.com. ASO. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "San Marcos teen Seth Quintero sets world rally racing record". thecoastnews.com. The Coast News. March 1, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Ryan, Nate (January 9, 2022). "Seth Quintero aiming for Dakar win record: 'I've learned giving up is not in my vocabulary'". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ UTVUnderground (2023-10-20). "World Rally-Raid Championship crowns winners at Rallye du Maroc after stunning season". UTVUnderground.com. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ Bowen, James (2023-12-13). "Toyota confirms five crews for Dakar 2024". DirtFish. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
- ^ Nguyen, Justin (2024-02-29). "2024 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: Quintero blazes to Stage 3 win, Moraes goes down in blaze". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
- ^ "Podium finish for TGR's Seth and Dennis at 2024 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge". Podium finish for TGR's Seth and Dennis at 2024 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Retrieved 2024-03-03.