San Marcos, CA (1/26/2017)
- Fourteen-year-old Seth Quintero made a strong
statement by finishing seventh in his first
race in a full-size UTV during the SXS World
Finals. Quintero stepped up from a Polaris
RZR 570 to the RZR 1000 in the SXS 1000 Stock
class during the season opener for the WORCS
off road series.
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Polaris'
Seth Quintero finished seventh in his
first race in a RZR 1000 |
Run as a doubleheader racing weekend, the
event featured a short course race on Saturday,
followed by a traditional long haul WORCS
off road event on Sunday. Both finishes were
combined for an overall result. Weather played
havoc with rain washing out qualifying on
Friday, blue skies and warm temperatures on
Saturday, and wintry mix with sleet and rain
on Sunday.
Driving a car built by UTV Underground, Quintero
was running on a waiver. Despite him being
half the age of most of the rest of the field,
he finished seventh overall in a field of
29 entries.
“It was a pretty big jump to go from a 570
to a full-sized race car,” explained Quintero.
“It felt good to be able to run with the big
boys. Here it’s more about the skill than
the power, so it was nice to be able to run
with them. It’s a big honor to have WORCS
allow me to race here on a waiver. I need
to thank UTV Underground and Joey D. for letting
me run their car. Our relationship has become
like family. He’s more than just a sponsor.
I also want to give a big thank you to Red
Bull for their help.”
Quintero started well back in the field in
the short course race after drawing his starting
position. He ran hard, after avoiding a crash
that sent him off the track he ended up finishing
ninth in his first race on a Lucas Oil style
track.
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| Seth
Quintero worked his way up to fifth
place after a second row start on Sunday. |
“My Walker Evans shocks played a huge roll
in the race. Along with my BFGoodrich Tires
to hook up a little better in the turns,”
said Quintero. “This was my first time on
a short course. I hope I can do more of it
in the future. The suspension and tires were
the most important things. Without that, I’d
be spinning out left and right.”
After making a tire change, Quintero started
ninth in Sunday’s race,. Starting on the 2nd
line to take off and worked his way up to
a fifth place finish.
“I stayed with the same shock set up for
Sunday's race,” said Quintero. “They offer
a little more ride height for the longer course.
It was muddy out there. I basically submerged
my car. We ran really well in third, but I
had to pull into the pits with a broken radius
rod.”
Quintero came into the event with hopes of
just finishing. Scoring a top-ten wasn’t even
on his radar screen.
“We really didn’t expect anything from this;
we just wanted to finish the race,” said Quintero.
“We wanted to see what we were up against.
I’m a 14-year-old racing a bunch of 30-year-olds
getting shoved around, but it’s fun to run
with them.”
Quintero likes the family atmosphere of the
WORCS racing weekends. Along with his sponsors,
he is thankful for his mother and father’s
support.
“I like the way the WORCS series puts on
its events,” said Quintero. “It’s very family
oriented and I like that. My mom and dad are
my biggest supporters. It’s so nice to walk
around and see people that I know will be
there for me if I need them.”
Quintero is pleased to kick off the season
with a strong showing. He is definitely after
that first win this year. “I’m excited for
the season,” said Quintero. “Coming into this
next round, I’m definitely looking for the
win.”
Quintero and his UTV Underground/Red Bull
Polaris will be back in action as the WORCS
series heads to Honolulu Hills Raceway in
Taft, CA February 17-19th.
Seth Quintero’s
2017 Sponsors:
Redbull, Polaris, UTVunderground, Walker
Evans, CageWRX, PRP, SuperATV, Rugged Radios,
NCY, Team Associated, Active Screen Printing,
Factory Canopies, Magiksc, Ripkas Equipment
Repair, Alpinestars, BFGoodrich Tires , Benchmark
Performance, MPI Steering wheels , Necksgen,
UTV INC, Trinity
