FORD

MG

• Mitch Guthrie Jr is gearing up for his fifth Dakar in 2025, and his first in the Ultimate top category.
• The 28-year-old American suffered final-day heartbreak at Dakar 2024. Leading the Challengers by 25 minutes, he saw the title slip through his grasp due to mechanical issues and finished second behind eventual winner Cristina Gutierrez.
• Motorsport is in the blood for Mitch, whose father Mitch Guthrie Senior is a legendary UTV racer with six wins at the King of the Hammers.
• Mitch Jr began competing at age 11 in the CORR Series, working his way up through the American offroad scene at the Lucas Oil Off Road Series, the WORCS Series and the Best In The Desert series.
• In 2018 and 2019 he also won King of the Hammers, becoming the first back-to-back champion since his father. He also conquered the Best In The Desert Pro class championship in 2019, which earned him a spot on the Red Bull Off-Road Junior team for Dakar 2020.
• Mitch served notice of his potential with three stage wins on his Dakar debut with Ola Floene, although two of them came in the Dakar Experience category after they suffered engine failure on Stage 7.
• Since Dakar 2023, Mitch has been competing alongside highly experienced American co-driver Kellon Walch. They struggled with mechanical issues in their first Dakar together, despite five stage wins.
• His best result at the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) was second overall in 2023, when Quintero pipped him to the Challengers title by just five points. Despite leading the W2RC after Dakar 2024, Mitch limited his competitive outings during the season to focus on testing with the new Ford. He came fifth in the Challengers at the Rallye du Maroc.
• Mitch also runs a shop close to where he grew up for the Polaris he races at home.