Robby Gordon WINS DAKAR 09’ Stage 3 Open Division RALLYING the MONSTER Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER H3 from Puerto MADRYN to Jacobacci

Jacobacci, Argentina - January 5, 2008 - Robby Gordon, driving the #309 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER H3, was victorious in Stage 3 of the 2009 Dakar Rally. Gordon racing in the Open Category drove his HUMMER H3 over a total of 694.56 kilometers in this the second longest special of this year’s DAKAR race.

Thousands of fans lined the race course outside Puerto Madryn and they showed their spirit as they pushed and pulled the competition through some of the deepest silt sections.

 

Gordon faced deep silt in this third stage, not much different than Stage 2 where many racers fell victim to the difficult conditions. The high-speed race course created incredible amounts of dust that left many stopped or moving very slowly until the waning dust settled. The country of Argentina is in the midst of their summer season and temperatures reached over 100 degrees with some race fans reporting temperatures between 105 and 110 degree Fahrenheit.

Gordon and his Dakar veteran navigator, Andy Grider, finished the long special in 4 hours 43 minutes and 2 seconds, which put them 13 minutes and 35 seconds out of the overall Stage 3 victory on Tuesday.

Winning this stage in the Open Category is not the top priority for TEAM DAKAR USA, as the ultimate all around racer, Robby Gordon, aims to win the overall car category each time he takes to the dirt. In 2007, ASO relegated Robby Gordon’s Hummer H3 to the Open Category and that is something that he’s never been happy about. Nonetheless, Gordon puts his bigger and less nimble HUMMER H3 against the world’s top car manufacturers including VW, Mitsubishi, BMW and others.

Claiming a top ten overall stage placement in Tuesday’s Stage 3 relegates Robby Gordon/Andy Grider team to a 9th position in the overall standings for the entire field of cars.

It was a different result for Gordon’s racing teammate, Eric Vigouroux, who pilots the #324 Vanguard HUMMER H3 for Robby Gordon. Vigouroux was only 2 kilometers off the finish line when he suffered a broken power steering rack bracket that put him over 6 hours behind as of this report and he had yet to reach the checkpoint at kilometer 260 with 174 kilometers to go in the special racing stage.

Vigouroux was assisted by the San Diego desert racer, Tom, Turbo Tom, Geviss who is driving the MAN assistance race vehicle for Robby Gordon Motorsports. Turbo Tom’s work was cut out for him today as he already knew that he needed to begin wrenching on the #324 HUMMER H3 before he left the starting line, which rendered Geviss even farther to the back of the pack in the race among the trucks.

The next stage for Robby Gordon and crew faces will be long runs through the sandy wide open foothills before entering rocky passageways, which then will give way to many river crossings covering a total of 459 kilometers of the special. Combined with the two connections races will face 488 kilometers / 292.8 miles as the 09’ DAKAR route heads away from the coast and into interior Argentina.

Team Dakar USA Stage 3 Update: Puerto Madryn to Jacobacci

Jacobacci, Argentina (January 5, 2009) – Today marked the third day of the Dakar Rally and one of the most difficult specials of the 14-stage race. It included two 70 kilometer liaisons and a 551 kilometer special. There was a significant change in terrain throughout the day, making piloting abilities very important.

Unlike previous Dakar Rallies, the competitors are not allowed to stop during the liaison sections to add fuel to the race vehicles. With that said, the Team Dakar USA members were very apprehensive about their fuel mileage for today’s special.

“With today being one of the longest specials of the Rally, we were definitely concerned about our fuel mileage. Luckily, we finished the stage with 15 gallons of fuel remaining, so we were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. We should be in good shape for the rest of the race when it comes to fuel mileage,” commented Robby Gordon, driver of the No. 309 Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer.

Despite good news relating to the team’s fuel mileage, today’s special did not produce the results that the Team Dakar USA members had hoped for. Gordon’s Hummer suffered from two left rear broken wheels during the course of the 551 km stage, thought to be a consequence of the high speed sections of the stage where the Hummer traveled at speeds in excess of 120 mph. Unfortunately, the No. 324 Vanguard Hummer driven by Eric Vigouroux had issues early in the day when the power steering pump bracket broke.

The Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer was still able to finish the special in tenth place, only 13:35 minutes behind. The tenth place finish was good enough to move the No. 309 Hummer to ninth place overall, 34:32 minutes behind leader Carlos Sainz. The Vanguard Hummer has been repaired and is making its way to the finish line.

“It was very important to finish in the top-10 today. The first ten cars get to start the next day’s special in two-minute increments, which is very good for our team. Today’s terrain reminded me a lot of the landscape between Las Vegas and Reno. We started on hard-packed gravel roads before hitting the silt, which is best described as a terrain that looks like baby powder. We had to race about 60 miles through the silt. Being the tenth car was hard enough; I can’t imagine what it is like for the competitors farther back. We need to continue finishing in the top-10 to preserve this starting position,” Gordon commented on his finish today.

“I feel very good about being ninth overall in the Dakar Rally. We still have a long way to go, and I know that our team can make up some ground on the leaders. There is still a long way to go yet, and we are sure that other teams will encounter problems before the end of the race. I have been conservative on the first couple of stages, and we will show the world what Team Dakar USA is all about when the time is right,” stated Gordon.