• After battling an array of issues, Skilton’s team literally pushed him onto the podium to claim his second-place finish.
• Skilton’s second-place finish in OP1 in limbo while the world waits for a ruling on a technical infraction by the first-place finisher.

Fort Mill, SC – January 24, 2012. The historic Dakar Rally is not for the faint of heart and veteran driver Darren Skilton, along with navigator Skyler Gambrell, pushed the limits in what some are calling the most difficult course since the race moved to South America in 2009.  The General Tire-sponsored team endured more than 5,590 miles of silt beds, mile high dunes, treacherous mountains, inclement weather and mental exhaustion on their way to a second-place finish.  Just one of 72 teams to finish the race that 171 teams started.  This marks the second year running that Skilton finished the grueling pan-American adventure.

“Congratulations to Darren and the entire Baja Automotive team on their second-place finish,” said Travis Roffler, director of marketing, General Tire.  “Darren and the team had every reason to quit given the demands and stresses placed upon them throughout the race but they never gave up.  Their toughness and resolve to finish the race is exactly what the General Tire brand is about and we’re pleased that our tires helped get them across the finish line for the second year running.”

During the first half of the Dakar Rally Skilton’s buggy was plagued by fuel issues, limiting the potential of the Revolution VI buggy.  Master mechanic Barrie Thompson finally resolved the issue during the rest day in Copiapo, Chile and Skilton was able to post a 24^th-place finish in Stage 7 from Copiapo to Antofagasta and was trudging his way forward in the overall rankings.  The duo of Skilton and Gambrell faced their share of adversity across the harsh Atacama Desert but the only thing stronger than the team’s General Grabber tires was their will to finish the race.

Skilton made up time in Stage 13 but a gearbox issue took it’s tole on the Revolution VI buggy in the final stage.  While the buggy quit, the man-power behind the wheel did not.  Fellow competitor Geoffrey Olhom assisted Skilton to the finish line and the Baja Automotive team physically pushed the car up the podium for an emotional celebration that drew deafening applause from the crowd gathered in Lima, Peru at the finish.

Skilton drove to a well-deserved second-place finish in the Open Production 1 (OP1) class.  However, his final position is in limbo at this time while the first-place finisher is currently under review for a technical infraction.  Overall, an extraordinary effort by Skilton and the Baja Automotive team to finish the world’s most punishing race.

About General Tire

For more than 90 years General Tire has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. General Tire is a proud supporter of Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing, Chili Bowl, Pro-Pulling, Late- Model Dirt Series, Drag Boat Series, Boost Mobile FreestyleMx.com Tour, Spec Tire of Trophylite and Pro Truck. Team GT supports off-road and short course teams including BJ Baldwin, Carl Renezeder, Rick D. Johnson, Jerry Zaiden/Jason Campbell, Jason/Rich Voss, Scott Steinberger, Ed “Clyde” Stout, Marc Burnett, Kent Kroeker, Mikey Childress, Jim Riley, Carey Hart, Josh Merrell, Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Jason Ellis, Robby Woods, Casey Currie, Ryan Hagy and

Jeff “Ox” Kargola.

General Tire is part of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC. (www.generaltire.com). CTA, based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a company of Germany-based Continental AG. With sales of approximately €20 billion in 2009 Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has close to 160,000 employees in 45 countries.

Off road legend Johnny Campbell was chosen by Robby Gordon to be the co-driver/navigator for Gordon’s Team SPEED/HUMMER in the 2012 DAKAR RALLY in South America. Ironically, Campbell had never raced in a 4 wheel vehicle nor navigated in this fashion before the very first stage. What we learn is that Campbell lived the adventure of a lifetime while simultaneously beating very seasoned navigators at their own game on three separate stages, including Campbell’s personal first, which came on stage 9

Johnny Campbell has turned out to be an exceptional co-driver. Anyone else of equal talent and pedigree who sought the public spotlight, not so much. Johnny’s manner does not foster a lot of showboating and hoopla. Instead he’s low key and ends up being mysterious and reserved. When the news first broke that Robby Gordon tapped JC to do the big one (DAKAR 2012), some of us wondered if it was April fools. It seemed so unlikely and outa left field; and that’s some of the most genius ideas seem at first, not so obvious. If you are a high-profile and rambunctious driver with a history of antics and shenanigans, you don’t want a clone of yourself sitting to your right, at least not in the DAKAR

Let’s imagine Campbell in the cockpit for a minute since the in-car footage can’t do this any justice: he’s had only a few hours the night before to study the road book, a basic reporters notebook filled with dozens of goofy symbols bred and more data than you can really use. On his very kilometers of stage 1, he was thrown into the global arena, with virtually no experience and competing against the most seasoned and successful navigators on the planet. As is turned out, this choice be Gordon paid off and Campbell earned his own first 3 stage wins on this Dakar Rally.

Campbell first explains the difference between a co-driver (off-road) and a navigator (rally). Most fans think they know the difference, but you’d have to see first hand to really know the difference a navigator spends hours on end the night before the each stage, having only been given the road book at the end of each day. His life is so in his hands, way more than a BAJA co-driver. There is no rehearsal, no pre-run, no GPS. Instead, the course has its own GPS that is challenging the navigator to find waypoints and drive through them. The notes in the road book have kilometer   and his driver is blind, a total “cold run” in a very foreign place.

After a successful 2012 DAKAR, Campbell will leave his options open to any chance of returning to the DAKAR Rally to give it another attempt to make history and be the very first American to win the overall championship. Our hats go off to Campbell for this amazing effort.

Johnny's Stage 9 Road Book: One look at one page of this can make your head spin. Imagine having Gordon to your left wanting you to describe what you see here at over 100 MPH

January 15, 2012

DAKAR 2012

A tenth consecutive Dakar win for BFGoodrich!

The American tyre brand BFGoodrich secured its 12th Dakar triumph – its 10th in a row – in Lima, Peru, today. Victory on the world’s most gruelling cross-country rally went to Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (ALL 4 Racing MINI) who took his personal score on the event to 10 wins.

BFGoodrich’s maiden Dakar success dates back to 1999,and the American tyre brand, which belongs to the Michelin group, hasn’t been beaten on the world’s most exacting off-road rally since 2002.

The 2012 event proved particularly challenging thanks to a menu of more than 4,000 kilometresof against-the-clock action between the New Year’s Day start in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and the finish in Lima, Peru. The route featured a punishing cocktail of rough and rocky trails, plus Chile’s sandy Atacama desert and the awesome dunes of southern Peru which competitors discovered for the first time this year.

The Dakar regulations dictate the use of a single type of tyre for the entire route. BFGoodrich’s principal partners in the T1class (MINI, Toyota, Mitsubishi, etc.) chose the All-Terrain+ tyre which is reputed for its durability, versatility and performance.

The American brand faced stiff competition this year, notably in the form of the Hummers driven by last year’s winner Al-Attiyah and the USA’s Gordon. These powerful machines were entered in the so-called ‘Open’ class which permits the use of wider and bigger-diameter tyres (+13cm), as well as a system that permits tyres to be inflated and deflated from the cockpit. This solution is especially useful when crossing terrain which alternates between stones and sand dunes.

That, however, didn’t prevent the ALL4 Racing MINIs and their BFGoodrich All-Terrain+ tyres from claiming a one-two finish thanks to Stéphane Peterhansel and Spaniard Nani Roma, while South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers and his new Toyota Hilux made it an all-BFGoodrich podium.

Today’s result sees Stéphane Peterhansel establish a new record for the highest number of Dakar wins, and the Frenchman only suffered from loss in tyre pressure four times during the entire two-week competition which was run at an extremely quick pace from start to finish. “Most of these punctures were due to bad luck, including one where a sharp branch pierced a hole in the sidewall, while another was caused when the rear tyre was hit by a big rock that was dug up by a front wheel. I was very happy with my BFGoodrich tyres. The team’s engineers worked hard on the chassis, suspensions and tyres this year to make sure that the three functioned in perfect harmony. I would like to thank my co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret, everyone in the X-raid team and all my partners. They all deserved this win!”

Robby Gordon’s Hummer was notably faster than the competition through certain sections of this year’s Dakar Rally.  On the surface this was attributed to the decreased restrictor size for diesel engines to even the playing field with gasoline engines.  In the first week of the rally Gordon only lost stages to his main competition from the X-Raid Mini team when mechanical issues occurred or he stopped to assist teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah.  At Stage 9 Gordon finally won his first stage in 2012, clocking speeds over 120 mph on the 35% descent into Iquique.

The Speed Energy team did not have much time to celebrate before FIA and ASO officials were in Gordon’s camp to inspect his car.  While ASO is the event organizer, FIA oversees all of the technical and safety aspects, much like USAC did for TORC (before they purchased the series).  RDC was there when three FIA marshalls paid Robby a visit at the end of Stage 9 and captured these photos.  When the FIA marshal was checking the size of the restrictor on Robby’s LS7 engine, he felt air movement around his hand even though the engine was not running.

Further inspection revealed that the air was coming from the tire inflation system, located near the air intake.  Gordon maintains that the air source was just bleeding off from the tire inflation and not associated with the engine, but the officials had a different opinion on the matter and disqualified Gordon.  “This is the same system that I have run for the past two years and went through scrutineering with,” Gordon commented.

The scene was reminiscent of 2009 when Robby won his first stage and Volkswagen protested his restrictor.  Was the big budget Mini juggernaut behind the current visit to Gordon’s camp?  Monster Energy Central and Eastern European Marketing Director Joe Parsons stated that the Monster Mini X-Raid team had nothing to do with the controversy.  “The officials are in our camp every night looking over the cars,” Parsons commented.  Some speculated whether disgruntled Gordon teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah made a call to the ASO after hastily leaving the Dakar Rally on Tuesday.

The next night he demonstrated to RDC on Al-Attiyah’s Hummer how the tire deflation system does not provide enough air to keep the engine running.  First Robby covered the restrictor with the engine running and the system in place and the engine promptly died.  Next he deflated all four tires and when he covered the restrictor the engine still died, demonstrating that it did not provide enough air to keep the engine running.  With the hose disconnected the idle dropped, but the engine would still run with the restrictor covered.  On Stage 10 to Arica Gordon removed the hose in question…but had a navigation error in that stage and settled for 4th place.  His chances were looking good for victory until he stopped to change a CV joint on Stage 11 and it cost him over an hour. The next day, on sage 12 to Nasca, Gordon ripped the field to shreds and score a convincing win over Peterhansel by more than 23 minutes.

When RDC asked Robby if this controversy would keep him from coming back to Dakar he replied “Absolutely not.  I am not going to give up that easy.”  While the race is over, Gordon’s fifth place overall finish is still in question.  An official protest has been filed by Gordon’s team with the ASO in France, but don’t expect a resolution any time soon.  Just keep an eye out in 2013 for the placement of Robby Gordon’s tire deflation system in the intake tract.

Gordon and Campbell’s 2012 DAKAR Rally Results for each stage

2012 Dakar – Final Stage Summary Video:

Best of the car category:

Best of the bike category:

The landscape:

Summary video of stage 13 of the 2012 Dakar rally.

January 10, 2012

Robby Gordon and Toyo Tires^® Win Stage 9 of the Dakar™

CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – Excitement is building in anticipation of crowning the overall winner for the 2012 Dakar™ this coming Monday.  Robby Gordon is focused on capturing that glory, winning today’s Stage 9 by 1-minute 38-seconds over race-leader, Stephane Peterhansel.  Gordon’s charge has reduced Peterhansel’s lead to less than six minutes with four days left of competition.

Today’s 556km stage ran from the coastal cities of Antofagasta to Iquique, northward along the Pacific Ocean coast of Chile.  Competitors were faced with a variety of terrain including canyons, hills and perilous silt-beds known as “fesh fesh.”  Throughout the rally, Gordon has relied on Toyo^® Open Country M/T^®-R tires to help keep his two-wheel drive #303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER on a searing pace.  As of today’s Stage 9 of the 2012 Dakar, Toyo Tires^® has recorded eight podium finishes with Team SPEED, three of those being stage wins.

Gordon’s teammate, Nasser Al-Attiyah was chasing Gordon in second place after Checkpoint 2 in today’s stage.  Misfortune then struck the hard-charging Al-Attiyah’s #300 Qatar HUMMER as he was sidelined with a mechanical problem.  Al-Attiyah won Stages 2 and 7, while also finishing third in Stage 3 in this year’s race.

“We congratulate Robby Gordon on today’s Stage 9 win of the 2012 Dakar rally,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.  “Toyo Tires is proud to be a part of this winning team, and we look forward to an exciting finish in Lima, Peru.  I encourage fans to join the team and follow the action on our Dakar Rally blog at toyotires.com.”

Highlights of the Dakar are broadcast in the U.S. each night on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) at 1:30am EST (10:30pm PST.)  Please check your local listings on where to find the NBC Sports Network.

Be sure to follow the daily action on the Dakar Rally Blog located at www.toyotires.com/dakar-rally-blog.  To learn more about Robby Gordon and the Open Country line of light truck tires, log onto www.toyotires.com.  Toyo Tires manufactures and distributes a complete line of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks.  Connect with the community at www.facebook.com/toyotires and www.twitter.com/toyotires.

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Stephane Peterhansel maintains his lead over Robby Gordon @ 2012 Dakar Rally in South America; Monster Energy Husqvarna Speedbrain bikes held off podium

Antofagasta, Chile (Jan. 9, 2012) – The 2012 Dakar Rally’s stage eight featured one of the longest special stages of the entire 14-day contest, technical during the early going – which bode well for the Monster Energy X-raid MINI ALL4 vehicles – then opening up to highway-like conditions that favored the larger and flat out faster Hummer.

In the end the Monster Energy MINIs won out with Nani Roma claiming the top spot in stage eight, with Krzysztof Holowczyc also making the podium in 3^rd. Just a click off the podium pace was Stephane Peterhansel, who held onto his overall class lead ahead of Robby Gordon with a solid 4^th place finish.

In the bike class at Dakar Monster Energy’s Joan Barreda placed 4^th – the top Husqvarna Speedbrain placer, though teammate Paulo Goncalves – currently 5^th overall – was the most talked-about racer of the stage. Check out what happened on Saturday in stage seven when the Monster Energy-backed Goncalves stopped to help out a fallen Red Bull racer – and the rascal took off without returning the favor to Goncalves!

Highlights & Quotes

• A lot of discussion at Dakar regarding the relationship between American off-road specifications vs. European FIA specifications – namely the Hummer vs. the MINIs. The Hummer is basically the only American vehicle that has a chance to win Dakar, and has been given numerous breaks for suspension travel and air intake. This allows the Hummer to be competitive, but in certain situations puts the MINIs at a decided disadvantage.
• Great quote from Peterhansel: “Winning the Dakar still represents my No. 1 goal. But defending my small lead will be anything but easy.”
• Fortunately for Goncalves the Red Bull racer who took off on him, Cyril Despres, will forever be known for his selfish stunt. In addition, the hero Goncalves was awarded all of the time back that he lost helping free Despres from the mud.
• Things didn’t go quite as well for Monster Energy Husqvarna’s Ze Helio who also got stuck in the treacherous mud hole and ended up losing an hour. Barreda avoided the mud hole altogether, but lost time riding in the dust of Stefan Svitko and Juan Pedrero.

Upcoming: The ninth stage is considered by many to be the marquee stage of the 2012 Dakar Rally. Running from Antofagasta to Iquique, the drivers and riders basically fall off the side of the world – down a massive dune to the Pacific Ocean. Opening in the Canyons, fast tracks and Fech-Fech sand (a very fine powder caused by the erosion of clay- limestone terrain) await and provide an extreme test for the navigation skills of the individual riders as well as the teams.

Monster Energy/Dakar Rally Results – After stage eight

Cars

1. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 25m 44s
2. R. Gordon (USA) / J. Campell (USA) Hummer – 4h 25m 49s
3. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 27m 48s
4. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 31m 22s
8. L. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 44m 29s
9. R.L. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 46m 42s

Overall standings

1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 20h 04m 15s
2. R. Gordon (USA) / J. Campell (USA) Hummer – 20h 11m 51s
3. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 20h 12m 03s
4. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 20h 16m 42s
7. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 21h 11m 48s
13. B. Garafulic (CHI) / G. Picard (FRA) BMW X3 CC – 23h 11m 18s
15. R.D. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 23h 48m 10s

Bikes

1. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM, 5:03:52 hrs
2. Ruben Faria (POR) KTM, 7:00 min behind

3. Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha, 7:10

4. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 8:44

5. Stefan Svitko (SVK) KTM, 9:09

16. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 24:26

23. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 34:34

37. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 56:49

Overall standings

1. Coma, 23:24:18 hrs
2. Cyril Despres (FRA) KTM, 1:26 behind
3. Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha, 49:01
4. David Casteu (FRA) Yamaha, 1:09:52
5. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 1:12:11

23. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 3:26:04

24. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 3:27:51

25. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 3:53:19

Monster Energy supports the scene. Be it Dakar Rally, FMX, motocross, road racing, skate, surf, mountain, on the road with Warped Tour, the DUB Show, Ozzfest … or just kickin’ it local with the bros … wherever the action’s going off you’re sure to find the M-claw logo. Monster Import, Import Light and DUB join all the types – Original Monster Energy, Lo-Carb Monster, Monster Assault, Monster’s fruit juice hybrids dubbed Monster Khaos, Monster M-80 and Monster MIXXD, the ground-breaking Java Monster and X-Presso Monster premium coffee & cream drink line supercharged with Monster Energy’s blend, 3 oz. Monster Hitman Energy and the new Monster Energy “Rehab,” combining ice tea and lemonade with Monster Energy OG. Our teams at the Dakar Rally are diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com

Race-Dezert.com sat down with Robby Gordon in Copiapo after his Robby Gordon Motorsports Hummers finished first and second on Stage 7 of the 2012 Dakar Rally.  Here is what he had to say.

Race-Dezert.com (RDC)- What made the difference in the Hummers doing so well today?  Was it the sand?  The extra support truck arriving?

Robby Gordon (RG)- Well the terrain definitely favors the Hummer, we have traditionally done really well in Chile.  If it was not for some bad luck in the first week we would already have two more stage wins for the team.  Today we had good luck instead of back luck.  I flew off a dune today at about 100 mph that was easily twice as big as I have ever gone at Competition Hill (in Glamis).  Unfortunately there was no helicopter overhead to film it!  It was smooth at the bottom and I was on the brakes hard so Johnny and I just laughed it off.

RDC- So that was the only mistake today?

RG- No, I still had a flat tire- but that was my fault and not Toyo’s.  I hit a huge rock at race speed, it was the first time I have ever bent one of my rims.  The stage was just long enough today (417 km) that I had time to make up for the tire change.

RDC- And you still made time on the Minis in the overall standings.  How is Johnny Campbell doing at navigating?

RG- Johnny is doing great, better every day.

RDC- And did the arrival of the second support truck make a difference?

RG- Not really.  We had enough spare parts in one truck to support one Hummer for the entire race.  Or in this case, two Hummers for half a race.  My father (Baja legend Bob Gordon) brought down a bunch of parts too when he flew in to Chile, just in case the second truck did not make it.  Now we are stocked up.

RDC- What changes do you make to the cars on the rest day?

RG- Brakes and CV boots get changed out every other day, and on the rest day we change out basically everything but the engine and shocks.  You’ve seen what we have in the Freightliners.  Steering servos, a-arms, basically every moving part.

RDC- Do you have separate crews for each car?

RG- Yeah with over twenty people we have learned that you really have to be organized to compete against the huge teams.  We have dedicated crews for my car and for Nasser’s car, but we are still one team.

RDC- And how are things going with Nasser?

RG- Good.  We have given him a really capable car and he is a talented driver.  I am not surprised to see him winning stages.

RDC- Could we see Nasser racing with you down in Baja in the future?

RG- Anything is possible.  I think that he could really surprise some people in the desert racing community.

RDC- Who built the Hummer bodies?

RG- We built them in house in North Carolina.

RDC- I thought that Prototype Concepts built them in Reno.  I remember seeing them there a couple of years ago.

RG- Yeah they built the old Hummer body and still do my rockers, but they don’t vacuum bag and there is too much resin.  The weight isn’t a big deal down low and the rockers are basically disposable, but weight up high is a killer.  I don’t have a single aluminum panel in my Hummer… or my Trophy Truck either for that matter.

RDC- And will we see different bodies on the cars next year?

RG- We are working on some different things but nothing has been finalized yet.

RDC- You had “Fuel” on the side of your Hummer in Argentina, but now you have Speed Energy on the car again.  Why was that?

RG- There were some licensing issues with a competing brand, but when they made a fuss all it did was create more awareness of our brand.  Speed Energy is coming to South America under the “Fuel” banner to avoid any confusion with other brands.

RDC- This is making me thirsty.   Can I have a Speed Energy before I go?

RG- Sure.

[Show as slideshow]

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After days of battling fuel deliver issues that would send most competitors packing, Darren Skilton is finally finding his stride at the 2012 Dakar Rally.  The Stage 7 loop starting and ending in Copiapo covered 417 kilometers with the most sand dunes to date.  Competitors have been dropping out at a rapid rate and Dakar veteran Skilton new that he must merely survive Special Stage 7 in order to ensure the chance of a strong finish at the rally.  This is a scenario that is not foreign to the 17-year racing resident, who is taking part in his ninth Dakar Rally.  Last year the Long Beach resident won the Open Production 2 class in a General Tire-shod Ford Raptor.

Skilton finished Special Stage 7 in 44^th place, reaching the finish line as the sun was setting and avoiding the dangers of navigating through the dunes at night.  “We lost a tire today and I had to replace it with a new General Grabber on a non-beadlocked Method Race Wheel,” navigator Skyler Gambrell explained.  “I was concerned about losing the bead since we were running only six pounds of air in the dunes, but it wasn’t a problem.”  Darren and Skyler now sit in third in the Open Production 1 class after their second best stage finish of the rally.

Skilton’s Baja Automotive team now enjoys a much-needed rest day as they prep the Revolution VI for the second half of the 2012 Dakar Rally.  After burning up two fuel pumps on Saturday the team plans to redesign the fuel system with a high-volume, low-pressure pump feeding a sump tank for the new high-pressure fuel pumps.  On Monday the team heads north through the hostile Atacama Desert on the way towards their final goal in Lima, Peru.

Darren Skilton would like to thank the following sponsors for their support:

General Tire • King Off-Road Racing Shocks • Method Race Wheels

Baja Designs Lighting Solutions • Neo Synthetic Oil • Redline Performance

PCI Race Radios • Signpros Custom Lettering

Images by Maindru Photo

www.maindruphoto.com

Follow the latest action from the Dakar Rally at Baja Automotive’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baja-Automotive-Adventures/298123813554060.

For content from this press release, including high resolution images, simply send an email to bajatodakar@gmail.com.

About General Tire:

General Tire is “unleashing the fury” for a fifth season of off-road action with the Grabber competition tire.  Designed with a tough, three-ply Duragen-reinforced body construction to stand up to the rigors of off-road conditions, the Grabber also features a specially-engineered, competition-specific tread compound. In addition, the Grabber name and General Tire logo are prominently featured on the sidewall in red and white letters. The Grabber competition tires are designed in size 37×12.50R17 for Class 8 and Trophy Truck/Trick Truck and 35×12.50R17 for Class 1, 6, 7, 7 S, Stock Mini and Protruck.

General Tire also has a complete line of Grabber tires for the passenger and light truck market, including the new Grabber DOT-approved off-road tire; the Grabber HTS, which delivers the perfect synergy of comfort, durability and performance; the Grabber UHP, which sets a whole new standard in performance and ride quality for SUVs, light trucks and crossover vehicles; and Grabber AT2, designed for aggressive all-terrain traction in all weather conditions.  To stay up to date with Team GT and General Tire’s full line of products check out www.generaltire.com.

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Copiapo, Chile (January 7, 2012)- Another history making day for Team SPEED and the Robby Gordon Motorsports HUMMERs as Nasser Al-Attiyah wins Stage 7, his 2nd in the 2012 Rally, and teammate Robby Gordon coming in 2nd place, 7 minutes and 30 seconds behind. It’s the first time RGM built cars finish 1st and 2nd on the podium during a Dakar Rally.

Robby Gordon struggled early in the stage with a flat tire that cost him 5 minutes off the start.  “Driver error got us off course a little and we hit a rock.”  Gordon commented about his slow start.  “We had a really strong run after the change and pushed to the end.  It’s a really good feeling having Nasser win again in our car; it shows that we have cars that can compete.  I never had a doubt in my mind about our team, it’s just a matter of good luck vs. bad luck.”   With Gordon coming in 2nd he feels he needs to push a little more heading into the second half of the Rally after rest day.  “Being 13 minutes behind the overall leader is a bit more than where we want to be at this point in the rally.  My guys will go to work on rest day and rebuild the car giving it a new transmission, cv’s, hubs and rotors; basically full service from front to rear.  We’re ready to gain even more time and with Nasser catching up each day it’s going to be a good race.” Gordon now sits in 3rd place – 13 minutes and 9 seconds behind the leader Peterhansel.

Al-Attiyah’s day got better as he went further into the 477km stage in the dunes of Copiapo. As usual he came on strong and pushed really hard at the end to gain a huge time advantage on the field. “It is my job as a driver to do the best I can and Lucas and I will do our very best from here to the end to finish strong.” says the Qatari driver who still sits in 6th place over all, nearly 43 minutes behind.

It’s been an eventful Rally thus far for the Team SPEED HUMMERs.  Robby Gordon has been quite consistent, finishing in the top 5 – 5 out of the 6 stages that have been completed. Consistency is what wins the Dakar Rally.   As the team prepares the cars for the journey into the Atacama Desert of Chile, then on to the new territory of Peru, they will rest their heads with one thing on their mind – an overall win on January 15th.

About SPEED Energy– SPEED Energy is available in four flavors: Unleaded, Fuel, Ethanol and Octane, which provides the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent energy blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED is packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans that have a stylish black top and sexy body and are available in singles, four-packs, and cases.  SPEED Energy is available in the United States in major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For more information, please visit speedenergy.com.
Race Coverage– Follow Team SPEED during the 2012 Dakar Rally on www.speedenergy.com as well as twitter and facebook at www.twitter.com/speed_energy and www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink.  Daily highlights from each stage can be viewed on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) January 1st – the 15th at 1:30AM Eastern Standard time.  Please check your local listings on where to find the NBC Sports Network.

The SPEED Energy APP - featuring exclusive updates of Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER during the 2012 Dakar Rally.  Follow Robby as he competes in the world’s toughest race through Argentina, Chile and Peru.  Be the first to hear updates from the driver himself and get exclusive videos and photos during the team’s quest to win the coveted Dakar Rally.  You’ll be able to keep up with Robby during the rally from your iPhone or iPad!

Mark McMillin is a second generation desert racer who has won the Baja 1000 five times.  Last season he finished fourth overall in the 1000 and his nephew Andy and brother Scott won the race, so it is safe to say that racing is in the McMillin blood.  Like so many new to Baja racing, Mark’s Dakar effort came to an end much earlier than he would have hoped.  RDC was right there at the end of the first special stage on New Year’s Day when Mark was towed to the finish line with an overheated engine.  While his chase crew hooked the tow bar up from the McMillin chase truck to the Jeep Grand Cherokee our press truck rushed to the town of Tres Arroyos to try and find an engine.

Have you ever tried to find a Hemi engine on New Year’s Day in a rural South American town?  It is not a trivial task.  At the local gas station our team of journalists befriended the local police force, who were nice enough to call around and find us a mechanic.  RDC took the mechanic all around town to track down an engine, and in desperation we were willing to purchase an entire vehicle for the motor.  In the meantime, McMillin Chase passed the gas station with the Jeep in tow.  The police stopped the chase truck and detained them until we returned since communications were non-existent.  The looks on the faces of the McMillin team when we returned and gave high fives and hugs to the police were priceless!  Lacking parts the team made efforts to patch up the existing engine and fix the cooling problems, but they resurface again on Stage 2 and Mark’s race was over.  Mark and his entire team are continuing for the duration of the rally to support Darren Skilton, so we took the opportunity to talk to him about rally raid, South America, and more.

Race-Dezert.com (RDC)- When did you become interested in Dakar?

Mark McMillin (MM)- About a year ago I began to think about it seriously, before that it was just a dream.  It started with a call from Rod Hall, who introduced me to Emily Miller.  Emily races in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles and she put Eric Vigouroux in touch with me about driving one of his cars.  That didn’t work out but the seed had definitely been planted, so when I saw  Darren Skilton at the NORRA Mexican  1000 I asked him about coming down to observe his operation.  That blossomed into racing the Jeepspeed Grand Cherokee.

RDC- But that didn’t turn out so well.  Do you have any regrets?

MM- I am not certain that we picked the right tool for the job, but it is what it is.  My father Corky taught me not to dwell too much on the past and I am still happy to be here.  No regrets.  In hindsight do I wish I would have gone the whole way?  Of course.

RDC- What are you doing now?

MM- I am having a great time and learning so much about the rally.  Honestly this is back to the original plan.  And now I have had both the opportunity to see both the race side and the support side of this event.  Logistics is one of reasons our program is so successful down in Baja, and it is even more important down here where you race for two weeks straight.

RDC- What other observations have you made?

MM- I wouldn’t come back without a motorhome, I’ll let you that.  The MAN trucks are cool, but this isn’t Africa.  You can have a 2WD assistance vehicle now and it only needs to leave the pavement to enter the bivouac.  My guys are learning a lot too, they are wrenching on Darren Skilton’s car now.

RDC- How would you compare Dakar to Baja?

MM- It is 14 Baja 500s back to back.  People say the terrain is not as rough, but from what I saw it is.  These were the worst silt beds I have ever seen.  I thought At the start the beach reminded me of the stretch to Santo Tomas.  These dunes were short and choppy, not like Glamis.  At the end of the stage I felt like I was in Valle de Trinidad; fences on both sides, dusty roads.  The second day a lot of the terrain was like Vegas to Reno into Beatty.  There were mountains and old mining claims.  that there were a lot of similarities actually.  Then there is the mental fatigue from all of those miles on the liaison.  You are still in the race car and trying to get it back to your crew as soon as possible so you can get some rest and get the car back together.

RDC- Tell me about the people.

MM- It reminds me of Baja ten years ago.  The people of Argentina are so friendly and supportive, like the police trying to help us find a new engine.  They are so proud too; I don’t think I have ever seen so many flags before in my life!

RDC- What about the bivouac?

MM- I think that having all of the competitors from the different countries speaking different languages is so fascinating, because we all share this common bond in racing.  Everyone is willing to lend a hand, we had a fast support truck pull us all the way to the finish on the second stage and they didn’t know us from Adam.

RDC- How would you compare ASO (Amaury Sports Organization- the Dakar Rally promoter) to SCORE International?

MM- I am a huge fan of Sal Fish so my answer may be a bit biased.  ASO does a great job for the most part, but some things, like having all of the port-o-johns in one place, don’t make a lot of sense to me. I don’t think that anyone else could pull of what Sal Fish does in Mexico.  I think that it is amazing that he is able to put on a Baja 1000 in today’s world.  Dakar is a completely different game.  They have to pick up and move every day!  The logistics with the medical tent, the food, the competitors’ tent, it is an unbelievable operation.

RDC- So will we see you competing the Dakar Rally again?

MM- Yes. Absolutely yes.  I have no idea what the details of that mean right now.  We have “what iffed” this thing to death. I would love to bring a Class 1 car down here and knock the bottom out of this thing.

[Show as slideshow]

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Fiambala, Argentina (January 5, 2012) – Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER did exactly what needed to be done in the 5th stage of the Dakar Rally to gain time and position in the overall standings. The same can’t be said for his teammate,  Qatarian driver, Nasser Al-Attiyah,  as a costly mistake could diminish his hopes for another Dakar Rally overall victory.

Gordon started off the line in 14th place quickly setting a pace as one of the fastest cars in the dunes today.  This stage, taking the competitors from Chilecito to Fiambala, had to be shortened due to large amounts of rain in the area.

Nasser Al-Attiyah jumped out to an early lead with Robby Gordon right on his tail. Gordon talked about his solid run, “we ran together for a good part of the stage. He ran his car pretty hard so I figured if that’s what he wants to do then that’s okay. I just didn’t want him to get too far out front from me. For us it was good, just what we wanted. If it wasn’t for stopping to aid Nasser when he had problems, I’m sure we could have won yet another stage. Today showed what our cars are capable of in the sand and I look forward to progressing further into the rally on the days to come.”

After leading nearly the entire special, Al-Attiyah would encounter problems towards the end and found himself losing even more minutes to the overall leader.  Pushing his HUMMER to the limit would cause him to bottom out and bend the frame near the rear of the race vehicle that surrounds the motor; therefore resulting in spare wheel rubbing against the water lines causing slight damage but not enough to hurt the motor since Nasser stopped just in time and fixed the problem.

“Even though he may be down in time again, the positive side of it is that he is capable of winning stages. He must keep his head up and keep digging. Racers don’t run the Dakar to come here and quit.” Gordon said about Al-Attiyah being nearly an hour down now to the leader”

With Gordon gaining 3 minutes and now sitting in 4th place overall, he knows consistency is a must for him and his SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires team. Tomorrow is a long stage for everyone as the teams cross the Andes into Chile. Gordon looks to post another top 5 finish, which would be his 5th out of 6 stages. Al-Attiyah will look for redemption as he will try for his second stage victory in the 2012 Dakar Rally.

*Editors note: STAGE 6 CANCELED Due to the bad weather continuing over the Andes Cordillera (rain and snow), the Chilean authorities were forced to close, for the night, the border at Paso de San Francisco, situated at 4700m.

For the 7th time, the Dakar is about to cross over the Andes, and because of very unfavourable conditions, added to the fact that the course has been hit by rain and snow, in order to guarantee the security of the competitors and those following the rally, the organisers have decided to organise a convoy for all vehicles tomorrow. The itinerary has been changed after the border (follow the main road on the right which goes to Diego de Almagro).

About SPEED Energy– SPEED Energy is available in four flavors: Unleaded, Fuel, Ethanol and Octane, which provides the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent energy blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED is packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans that have a stylish black top and sexy body and are available in singles, four-packs, and cases.  SPEED Energy is available in the United States in major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For more information, please visit speedenergy.com.
Race Coverage– Follow Team SPEED during the 2012 Dakar Rally on www.speedenergy.com as well as twitter and facebook at www.twitter.com/speed_energy and www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink.  Daily highlights from each stage can be viewed on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) January 1st – the 15th at 1:30AM Eastern Standard time.  Please check your local listings on where to find the NBC Sports Network.

The SPEED Energy APP - featuring exclusive updates of Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER during the 2012 Dakar Rally.  Follow Robby as he competes in the world’s toughest race through Argentina, Chile and Peru.  Be the first to hear updates from the driver himself and get exclusive videos and photos during the team’s quest to win the coveted Dakar Rally.  You’ll be able to keep up with Robby during the rally from your iPhone or iPad!

Chilecito, Argentina (January 4, 2012) - Today was not what Team SPEED had expected; both Robby Gordon and Nasser Al-Attiyah would find trouble in different sections of the long 326km special stage. Gordon finished in 14th place, 18 minutes and 10 seconds behind with Al-Attiyah shortly behind him in 16th, over 26 minutes behind.

Today’s stage took the drivers from San Juan to Chilecito across dried-up rivers and the canyons of Province of Rioja. By the first waypoint, Robby Gordon in his No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER would find himself 5 minutes behind. A slight navigational error on top of a puncture as well as replacing an alternator would cost him another 8 minutes before getting back on the road. As he pushed his vehicle to gain ground he was confiedent that they still could have won the special.

Nasser Al-Attiyah started strong in his No. 300 Qatar HUMMER, so strong that he had opened up a 2 minute lead over the eventual stage winner, Stephane Peterhansel. He would lead the stage till the last 40km when he got stuck deep into the muddy terrain.

By the time that Al-Attiyah got stuck in the mud, Gordon was already back on his way. When he stopped to offer assistance to the Qatar HUMMER, Gordon lost another 8 minutes by pulling him out. Both drivers hustled hard for the final km and only finishing minutes apart from one another.

“We are perfectly fine right now. We are a little behind where we want to be, but the HUMMERs are driving great. It’s really going to be a great race down to the end. I believe without our small issues today  - navigation and a flat - we could have beat these guys and picked a substantial amount of time. Nasser was doing great, but I wasn’t going to leave him hanging in the mud, so we helped him get back on his way,” Gordon commented headed into the Chilecito bivouac.

Navigator Johnny Campbell talked about No. 303′s stage 4 results, “It was an eventful day for sure. We had our small issues in the beginning; we got into some big washes where water was everywhere, and I was having trouble finding our way. After all that, Robby pushed really really hard to not lose anymore time and I thought we were in areas that could possibly compromise our tires, but they worked just fine. Once we saw Nasser stuck, we jumped out and helped him which unfortunately made us lose even more time. I’m definitely a little sore from driving in the rocks, but I’ll be ready to go after again tomorrow.”

• Frenchman regains the overall lead

• All the five MINI ALL4 Racing secure top-11 positions

Result 4th special stage:
1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 49m 33s
2. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Grider (USA) Toyota – 3h 54m 52s
3. G. De Villiers (RSA) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota – 3h 56m 15s
4. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 57m 08s
5. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 00m 24s
…
10. L. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 03m 46s
11. R.D. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 04m 10s
…
17. B. Garafulic (CHI) / G. Picard (FRA) BMW X3 CC – 4h 20m 03s
…
26. A.Mironenko (RUS) / S.Lebedev (RUS) BMW X3 CC – 4h 38m 41s
27. S. Schott (GER) / H.Schmidt (GER) BMW X3 CC – 4h 42m 32s

Overall standings after four special stages:
1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 9h 43m 20s
2. G. de Villiers (RSA) / D. von Zitzewitz (GER) Toyota – 9h 49m 01s
3. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 9h 50m 04s
4. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 9h 51m 30s
…
6. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 10h 09m 45s
…
15. B. Garafulic (CHI) / G. Picard (FRA) BMW X3 CC – 11h 10m 25s
…
30. R.D. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 12h 45m 56s
…
36. A. Mironenko (RUS) / S.Lebedev (RUS) BMW X3 CC – 13h 14m 56s
…
94. S.Schott (GER) / H.Schmidt (GER) BMW X3 CC – 19h 50m 12s

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San Juan (January 3, 2012) - The third stage of the Dakar Rally opened with the No. 300 car of Nasser Al-Attiyah first off the line and the No. 303 car of Robby Gordon shortly behind him in the 3rd starting position, giving Team SPEED an opportunity to keep momentum on their side.    This stage of the 2012 Dakar Rally went from San Rafael to the city of San Juan, located in a valley of mountains just southeast of the Andes. The stage featured a total of 499km that included a 208 km special stage section that ended at the bivouac in San Juan.

The stage featured terrain that was suitable for the HUMMERs once again and Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Lucas Cruz looked to capitalize on their top ranking performance nfrom the day before.

“Opening the stage for us was a bit tricky. Going through sections of the course that were very narrow and technical it was difficult to maneuver such a big car. We kept it at 70 percent to stay conservative until the last 20km. We then picked it up and were very fast. We looked to gain as much ground as we could from the time we lost at the first part of the stage.” commented navigator Lucas Cruz. Lucas and Nasser would end up gaining ground in the last section to finish in the 3rd position, also gaining in the overall standings advancing to 6th, 6 minutes and 34 seconds back from overall leader.

Robby Gordon, in his SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER, was once again consistent and finished in the lead pack in 5th place, 2 minutes and 8 seconds behind.

Stephane Peterhansel, overall leader going into today’s stage, had issues allowing Gordon to gain in the overall standings.  Gordon will start the 4th stage of the rally only 54 seconds behind new leader, Holowczyc.

“Today was a good run. Both HUMMERs are running great and we did what we needed to do. I am being ultra conservative and making sure I finished the stage. We are now in the position to be leading the overall rally which can only boost moral and momentum heading into the heat of the rally.” Gordon said having posted his 3rd top 5 finish in the first 3 stages of the 2012 Dakar Rally.

Team SPEED looks to keep the same game plan going into tomorrow as the 1st car leaves the line at 7:16am for Chilecito.

Race Coverage– Follow Team SPEED during the 2012 Dakar Rally on www.speedenergy.com as well as twitter and facebook at www.twitter.com/speed_energy and www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink.  Daily highlights from each stage can be viewed on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) January 1st – the 15th at 1:30AM Eastern Standard time.  Please check your local listings on where to find the NBC Sports Network.

The SPEED Energy APP - featuring exclusive updates of Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER during the 2012 Dakar Rally.  Follow Robby as he competes in the world’s toughest race through Argentina, Chile and Peru.  Be the first to hear updates from the driver himself and get exclusive videos and photos during the team’s quest to win the coveted Dakar Rally.  You’ll be able to keep up with Robby during the rally from your iPhone or iPad!

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San Rafael (January 2, 2012) - Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally was successful for Team SPEED; Nasser Al-Attiyah came from a 38th-starting position to win the stage on corrected time while teammate Robby Gordon finished third. Gordon now sits second overall in the rankings.  It is the first time that Team SPEED had two HUMMERs on the podium for a Special Stage finish, making it a historic day.

Competitors started early this morning, taking them from Santa Rosa de la Pampa to San Rafael, for the 487 km liasion and 290 km Special Stage. The terrain presented during the stage proved to be very suitable for the HUMMERs. The big, fast bends on firm gravel roads allowed Gordon and Al-Attiyah to quickly maneuver their way to the front.

Robby Gordon in his No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER started out strong being the fifth car off the start line and headed straight for the lead.  In a few kilometers, he set a good pace and passed Peterhansel  for the lead. After the first way point at KM110, he maintained a 9 second lead.

Nasser Al-Attiyah started out 38th, but quickly picked off the other competitors one by one.  By the first way point, he was already up to 12th position. By KM180 of 290, he was only 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind the leader, putting him in sixth place and in a position for a strong finish.

Unfortunately, Gordon slipped to fifth place due to a tire puncture. After a fast wheel change at way point 3, he was only 3 minutes and 34 seconds behind the leader, Peterhansel.  Once he passed the 231km way point, he had lost some even more time, falling back to the sixth position. Despite this, the ever-impressive Gordon used the last 50km to put him in a close race with the eventual runner-up, Peterhansel. The race was so close that it was thought that either Gordon or Peterhansel won the stage based on corrected time. In the end, Al-Attiyah would become the victor, which was very good given the troubles that he had during Stage 1 of the Dakar Rally. Gordon would finish third, putting him second in the overall rankings only 2 minutes and 28 seconds being overall leader, Peterhansel.

“The stage was very good for us, but it sure was not easy.  The last part of the stage was very difficult. We lost a lot of time in beginning trying to pass slower cars since we started 38th, but we able to regain it when there was no dust as well as the sand dunes.  We don’t want to show all of our cards just yet.  Tomorrow will be good stage for me as I will open the road, and I will help Robby have a good timed stage because it will be difficult for other cars to pass us once we start running one and two,” Nasser Al-Attiyah commented after his 14th stage victory in the Dakar, his 1st in a 2WD car.

“Day 2 was a big day for us; Nasser finished first after starting 38th, which was very impressive.  I’m being really conservative trying to make it to the end; rally racing is difficult and patience is key. Being second overall  now is sort of what I thought would happened.  We have a great team and great equipment, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be. My main concern right now is to stay in the front of the pack like we’ve been doing and make it to half way.  Once we get to half way, tighten the seat belts because it’s on,” Gordon said after posting a third place finish in Stage 2.

About SPEED Energy– SPEED Energy is available in four flavors: Unleaded, Fuel, Ethanol and Octane, which provides the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent energy blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED is packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans that have a stylish black top and sexy body and are available in singles, four-packs, and cases.  SPEED Energy is available in the United States in major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For more information, please visit speedenergy.com.

Race Coverage– Follow Team SPEED during the 2012 Dakar Rally on www.speedenergy.com as well as twitter and facebook at www.twitter.com/speed_energy and www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink.  Daily highlights from each stage can be viewed on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) January 1st – the 15th at 1:30AM Eastern Standard time.  Please check your local listings on where to find the NBC Sports Network.

The SPEED Energy APP - featuring exclusive updates of Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER during the 2012 Dakar Rally.  Follow Robby as he competes in the world’s toughest race through Argentina, Chile and Peru.  Be the first to hear updates from the driver himself and get exclusive videos and photos during the team’s quest to win the coveted Dakar Rally.  You’ll be able to keep up with Robby during the rally from your iPhone or iPad!

TEAM HUMMER WINS THE STAGE TODAY WITH NASSER PULLING A STAGE VICTORY

Lucas Cruz (L) and Nasser Al Attiyah (R) Smoked the entire field today for a stage 2 victory, now 6th OA

IT IS LIKELY THAT THE QATARI PRINCE OPENED UP A BIG CAN OF “FULL YALA YALA” TODAY

"VERY Happy!"

Nasser Al Attiyah: “I said we had to show that we were still here!

We started in 38th position and we passed a lot of cars. We broke the window and it was very, difficult because we took a lot of time to pass many cars. But I said we just had to keep a good strategy and had to show that we are still here. I don’t know how much time we took, but I hope we have a good time tomorrow. We must be more clever.”

Robby Gordon and Johnny Campbell scored a critical 3RD place on today’s stage 2  at the DAKAR Rally, a first podium stage for rookie co-pilot Campbell. After waypoint #1, Gordon and Campbell’s HUMMER had a 00:34 second lead over Stephane Peterhansel’s Mini and the Americans finished the stage in 2^nd place, also 2^nd for the OA rally. This is huge for the Americans and shows they are off to a great start.

Johnny Campbell (L) said "RG is a great driver. Long way to go from here"

Robby Gordon: “It was a good run for our Hummer, the speed of the car ran good. The tyres were good but I clobbered one rock following De Villers and got a puncture. So without the puncture I think we could have won. But the most important thing is that we kept the car on the race track all the time and that we haven’t had any issues – we’ve been cruising very comfortably the whole time”

Johnny Campbell: “Nasser is awesome and I had a blast today. RG is an excellent driver and we did well today. It was great to feel like I contributed to a strong finish. Long way to go from here.”

In the other HUMMER, Al-Attiyah moves up to 6th position OA, 08:47 behind from Peterhansel

Quinn was running 3rd OA in the Rally this morning before a fuel issue set him back

The American bike racers were dealt a major setback with Jonah Street losing major time out on the special stage with and electrical problem overheating his YAMAHA YZ450’s ignition. He lost over 120 positions on the stage and has last the opportunity for his first OA DAKAR win.

Quinn Cody was running in the top 4 this morning and that put him in the top 3 for the rally, just 00:21 seconds in front of Frenchie Cyril Despres. But all of that went down the tubes with a reported wheel bearing problem for Cody. He finished the stage 2 special 24^th (20 min back) and remains at 20^th on the rally.

QUINN CODY:  “Today just wasn’t my day, I need to consider my self lucky that I’m still in the race. On the liaison this morning my tire blew off the bead, who ever mounted it broke the bead and kept mounting it. When it blew it also put a hole in the rear tank and jacked up the brake line,I was BUMMED and thought my rally was over, I didn’t have a support truck with in two hours of me and no cell service. I pulled the wheel off and stood by the road (lucky I was still on the service route) and ended up flagging down the big KTM service truck and they gave me a tire and moose and even mounted it for me, those guys saved my ass! I almost missed the start of the special but managed to get there.
The special started out wide open at high elevation for the first 140k I almost never took it off the stop. Then it dropped into some rocky sandwashes and into the desert, I was riding good then the bike started cutting out, I messed with it for a while then just rode with it cutting out finally it got so bad I stopped and took a pice of fuel line and bypassed the fuel pump and it corrected the problem but still lost a bunch of time”

Quinn was on fire this morning on stage 2 but had a fuel bypass issue that led to him losing 20 minutes.

Stage 2 Top 10Results Cars:

1	312	NOVITSKIY (RUS), SCHULZ (DEU)	MINI	12:35:00		00:00:00
2	304	HOLOWCZYC (POL), FORTIN (BEL)	MINI	12:38:00		00:00:00
3	302	PETERHANSEL (FRA), COTTRET (FRA)	MINI	12:41:00		00:00:00
4	301	DE VILLIERS (ZAF), VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU)	TOYOTA	12:44:00		00:00:00
5	303	GORDON (USA), CAMPBELL (USA)	HUMMER	12:47:00		00:00:00
6	307	SOUSA (PRT), GARCIN (FRA)	GREAT WALL	12:50:00		00:00:00
7	306	LAVIEILLE (FRA), POLATO (FRA)	DESSOUDE	12:53:00		00:00:00
8	314	TEN BRINKE (NLD), BAUMEL (FRA)	MITSUBISHI	12:56:00		00:00:00
9	309	LEAL DOS SANTOS (PRT), FIUZA (PRT)	MINI	12:59:00		00:00:00
10	310	SPINELLI (BRA), HADDAD (BRA)	MITSUBISHI	13:02:00		00:00:00

36	308	TERRANOVA (ARG), GRIDER (USA)	TOYOTA	004:11:37	01:24:19

Stage 2 Top 10Results Bikes:

1	001	COMA (ESP)	KTM	003:07:21		00:00:00
2	002	DESPRES (FRA)	KTM	003:08:39	00:01:18
3	023	BARREDA BORT (ESP)	HUSQVARNA	003:09:54	00:02:33
4	004	LOPEZ (CHL)	APRILIA	003:10:05	00:02:44
5	011	PRZYGONSKI (POL)	KTM	003:11:38	00:04:17
6	014	CASTEU (FRA)	YAMAHA	003:14:35	00:07:14
7	006	ULLEVALSETER (NOR)	KTM	003:16:32	00:09:11
8	027	PIZZOLITO (ARG)	HONDA	003:16:46	00:09:25
9	022	DUCLOS (FRA)	APRILIA	003:16:48	00:09:27
10	005	PEDRERO GARCIA (ESP)	KTM	003:16:56	00:09:35

24	009	CODY (USA)	HONDA	003:27:16	00:19:55
61	081	SUESSE (USA)	KTM	004:01:59	00:54:38
91	106	EMBRO (USA)	KTM	004:33:23	01:26:02

Stage 1 Recap Video

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