Cristina Gutierrez Herrero achieved something quite rare and extraordinary, she became the second female winner to win in the Dakar Rally. Cristina Gutierrez managed to win in the Challenger Class of the Dakar Rally. Mitchell Guthrie the initial leader of the race, lost time early due to some technical problems which made Gutierrez’s win possible.
She became the first female driver to win the Dakar Rally since Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2001. Cristina Gutierrez races for the team owned by none other than the racing legend Lewis Hamilton. Gutierrez along with Sebastien Loeb won the Extreme E championship in 2022 while competing on behalf of the Mercedes team
— Cristina Gutiérrez (@crisgutierrez) January 20, 2024
“It was an unbelievable moment”- Cristina Gutierrez opens up on her feelings after the win
Gutierrez when she is not racing in one of the most extreme conditions in the world, she treats people with dental problems, as she is also a dentist. Cristina Gutierrez opened up about her feelings after she completed the race
“It was an unbelievable moment. When I finished, I thought we finished in second place, which is also a good position. Then I saw a friend from us from Spain at the finish, and he was doing something with his hand: ‘Go, go, go, you can win’. I didn’t understand. I was surprised to see everyone screaming and shouting that maybe I could win. I felt a bit of pain for Mitch [Guthrie Jr], but also happiness – because for me, a dream come true. It was an amazing moment I will never forget about in my life.” Gutierrez said
Did Mitchell Guthrie’s technical problems become a boon for Cristina Gutierrez?
Gutierrez won the Challenger class together with her co-driver, Pablo Moreno. She explained how she got confused and believed they were heading for a second-place finish but a friend from Spain clarified the situation for her and made Gutierrez realize that she could win the race.
Cristina Gutierrez even remembered to mention Mitchell Guthrie and his misfortunate end to the race.
Mitchell Guthrie held a substantial lead over Gutierrez before the final stage. However, Guthrie soon experienced technical problems in his car which forced him to stop for 25 minutes. Although he comfortably maintained his lead, he later had to stop again due to a problem in the gearbox, which cost him another 25 minutes and ended his chances of emerging Victorious.
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