Watch a Rally Truck’s Built-In Jack System in Action
Red Bull driver Seth Quintero offers a tour of all the buttons in his Dakar rig.
Competing in the multi-day, 8,000-kilometer Dakar Rally is an endurance test. Having a great vehicle makes a difference, and trucks kitted out like Seth Quintero’s Red Bull rig are key.
One of the best features of Quintero’s truck includes is a built-in jack that operates with the flip of a button, raising the vehicle 3.2 feet with no effort at all. As an off-road competitor, I’m feeling pangs of envy. In a recently released video from Red Bull, Quintero explains all of the nifty buttons inside his rig, and it offers just an inkling of why competition trucks like this are not cheap.
Let me tell you a little bit about Quintero. The 21-year-old started racing UTVs when he was 10, going on to win the youth class of the UTV World Championship by age 11. At 15, Quintero competed in his first Mint 400 and finished second; he won the UTV Pro class the following year, the youngest ever driver to do so.
The first time he tried to race the Dakar, he was denied because he was only 17. He returned the following year and continued to set the record books afire by becoming the rally's youngest stage winner in the race’s history.
All that to say that when it comes to off-road rigs, Quintero knows what he’s talking about.
Several buttons on the truck operate standard features like the windshield wipers, headlights, and turn indicators. Others are specialized, like the speed limiter wheel for when the vehicles are rolling through town and the anti-lag switch that keeps the turbo spooled up. There’s even a communications wiring setup complete with a backup in case something goes awry.
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