Cristina Gutiérrez

Cristina Gutiérrez is a Spanish rally-raid driver from Burgos who made history as the first woman to win the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and the first Spanish woman to claim an overall Dakar Rally category victory. Between crushing it in the desert, she somehow finds time to work as a dentist—because apparently, one high-pressure profession wasn’t enough.

EARLY YEARS

Born in Burgos, Spain, Cristina Gutiérrez grew up with a passion for motorsport that burned from an early age[1][3][5]. That passion wasn’t some fleeting childhood crush—it stuck. By 18, she made her racing debut in Rally Raid in 2010, diving headfirst into one of motorsport’s most grueling disciplines[2]. While most of us were figuring out college majors, Gutiérrez was figuring out how to navigate sand dunes at speed.

She didn’t abandon practical pursuits entirely, though. Somewhere along the way, she became a dentist, maintaining a private clinic practice between races[3]. It’s the kind of dual-career setup that sounds impossible until you meet someone actually doing it. The combination of precision, steady hands, and nerves of steel required for dentistry? Probably decent prep work for piloting a vehicle through the world’s most unforgiving terrain.

OTHER INTERESTS

Outside the cockpit and the dental clinic, Gutiérrez’s interests lean adorably specific. She loves turtles—so much that she earned the nickname “Tortu” and always races with a turtle on her helmet[3]. It’s a charming detail in a sport not exactly known for its whimsy, and it makes her instantly recognizable whether she’s tearing through the Sahara or navigating the Empty Quarter.

EARLY SUCCESS

Gutiérrez wasted no time making her mark. In 2011, just a year after her Rally Raid debut, she competed in the All-Terrain Spanish Rally Championships and finished top of the female category—a position she would hold for five consecutive years, from 2011 through 2015[1][2]. By 2015, she’d pushed beyond the women’s division entirely, securing second place overall in the mixed-gender category[1][2]. The message was clear: she wasn’t just fast for a woman. She was fast, period.

Her rise continued internationally. In 2016, she became the first woman to win the Sealine Cross Country Rally and earned a top-three finish at the Campus FIA Qatar[3]. These weren’t token victories or symbolic milestones—they were hard-earned results against full fields of competitors who didn’t care about her gender, only her stage times.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2017: First Spanish woman to finish the Dakar Rally in a car[1][3][4].
• 2019: Finished 26th overall at the Dakar Rally[1].
• 2021: Overall victory in T3 class at Rally Andalucia, marking Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team’s first-ever rally win[1][2].
• 2021: First-ever female driver to win the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies[1][2][3].
• 2021: Second woman ever to achieve a stage victory at the Dakar Rally[1].
• 2021: Second place overall in inaugural Extreme E championship with Sébastien Loeb for Team X44; third in Desert X-Prix on Extreme E debut[1][2].
• 2022: First Spanish woman to step onto the final podium of the Dakar Rally[2][3].
• 2022: Extreme E Season 2 champion with X44 and Sébastien Loeb[2][3].
• 2023: Fourth in T3, 31st in car category at Dakar Rally, with a stage victory[2].
• 2024: Overall champion of Dakar Rally in Challenger category (formerly T3), with co-driver Pablo Moreno Huete, driving a Taurus T3 with Red Bull Off Road Junior Team USA by BF Goodrich—becoming the first Spanish woman and second woman globally to claim overall victory in a Dakar category[1][2][3][4].

INSPIRATIONS

The research offers no documented insights into who inspired Gutiérrez or what drove her toward racing. What’s clear is that the fire was there early and never dimmed. Sometimes the inspiration is the thing itself—the challenge, the speed, the desert stretching out endlessly ahead.

REPUTATION

Cristina Gutiérrez has earned her place among the elite of international rally raids[4]. She’s not a novelty act or a feel-good story tucked into the margins of motorsport coverage—she’s a serious competitor with a track record that speaks for itself. Media coverage consistently highlights her history-making achievements[1][2][3][4][7], and for good reason: first Spanish woman to finish Dakar, first woman to win the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, second woman ever to win a Dakar category. Those aren’t footnotes. They’re headlines.

Her mental strength gets particular attention. Conquering the Dakar Rally isn’t just about driving skill—it’s about psychological endurance, the ability to keep pushing when every muscle aches and every instinct says to stop[7]. Gutiérrez has that. Her partnership with co-driver Pablo Moreno Huete, an experienced mechanic she’s worked with for years, underscores her professional approach and strong industry relationships[4]. This is a driver who understands that rally-raid is a team sport, even when the spotlight shines on one person.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

After her 2024 Dakar Challenger victory, Gutiérrez moved up to the premier category, joining the Dacia Sandriders for 2025[3][4]. “I still can’t believe this is my 10th Dakar in the premier category,” she said, reflecting on the milestone[4]. Her goal for her second Dakar in the elite division? A top-10 finish[4].

It’s an ambitious target, but ambition has never been Gutiérrez’s problem. Reflecting on her first year in the premier category, she said, “My first Dakar in the premier category was an incredible experience. It was a huge challenge, but also a dream I had been waiting for a long time. The best thing, without a doubt, was feeling that I was competing head-to-head with the best in the world. The worst thing was dealing with the role we had to play from the beginning because a race move decided it that way”[4]. Translation: she’s not here to participate. She’s here to compete.

She’s also continuing with the Dacia Sandriders in the World Rally Raid Championship[3], balancing her schedule between the clinic and the cockpit with the kind of efficiency that makes the rest of us feel deeply inadequate. Her philosophy, summed up after her 2024 Dakar win, remains simple: “You have to fight until the end”[8]. It’s worked so far.

References:

Cristina Gutiérrez Official Bio
McLaren Racing – Cristina Gutiérrez Profile
World Rally Raid Championship – Cristina Gutiérrez Profile
Dakar.com – Cristina Gutiérrez Profile
Red Bull – Cristina Gutiérrez Athlete Profile
Today’s Magazine – Cristina Gutiérrez Feature
Red Bull – Dakar 2026 Preparation Feature
Racers Behind the Helmet – Post-Race Interview