race-dezert.com brings you highlights of the 2012 BITD Parker 425.

This video has been updated to show the Official top 10 results at the end of the video.

Parker, AZ (February 7, 2012) – With the 2012 Off-Road racing season kicking off with a successful Dakar Rally for Robby Gordon and the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires Team, Gordon didn’t let up as he headed to Parker, Arizona for the Best in the Desert Parker 425.  It would be new challenge for him as he drove a new truggy (a hybrid between a trophy truck and a Class 1 buggy).   Built by the Geiser Brothers and owned by SPEED Energy/RPM Off-Road Racing teammate Clyde Stacey, it would be the first time Gordon would enter in the 1500 class instead of the BITD’s Trick Truck class.

With qualifying on Thursday, Robby Gordon attempted to out run a field of 88 vehicles complied of class 1550s and trick trucks.  “The truggy drives a lot different than my trophy truck, but it handles the bumps pretty well.  I think we’ll be pretty close to win the SPEED Energy Pole Award,” said Gordon after his practice run right before his qualifying attempt.  Gordon would come close, qualifying third for the 2012 Parker 425 and first in the Class 1500 category.  “I honestly don’t know how we could have gone any faster.  I was on the rev limiter the whole time it felt like,” said Gordon after his qualifying run.

The race started early on Saturday morning, and Robby was focused on victory.  Pacing himself off the line, Gordon would remain strong and hold onto third place as he finished the first of 3 laps of the 141-mile loop in the Arizona desert.  By the time he reached the main pit on the second lap, BJ Baldwin who was running second was directly in front of him.  Notably two of the best off-road racers were now fighting side-by-side as they exited the pit area.  Gordon let Baldwin know he was behind him with a few bumps on the back of his truck.  After Baldwin gave way to Gordon, he was ready to chase down leader Rob MacCachren.  Half way through the second lap, MacCachren had a motor issue and Gordon cruised by him to take the lead.

On the third lap, the team received reports that fellow SPEED Energy/RPM Off-Road teammate Juan Carlos Lopez in the No. 18 trophy truck was closing in on time to catch Gordon in his truggy.  Gordon would then picked up the pace and finish an impressive 14 minutes faster than last year’s, Jesse Jones.  Gordon would beat the next competitor by nearly 5 minutes.  A trouble free day and open-road lead boosted Gordon to another victory for the 2012 Off-Road season.

“I can’t thank RPM Off-Road and Clyde Stacey enough for the opportunity to race his truck.  The Geiser Brothers built a good truck that all we really had to do was put some Toyo Tires on it and go racing.  I’m happy to give Toyo Tires another victory after the Dakar Rally, and I look forward to carrying the momentum into the rest of the year,”  Gordon said after winning the overall in the Parker 425, his first in the event since 2006.

Robby Gordon’s next challenge is set for February 10th in Johnson Valley, California where he looks to tackle the world of rock crawling in the 2012 King of the Hammers race.  Be sure to check for updates on the KoH on SPEED Energy’s facebook and twitter pages which can be found on speedenergy.com.

Robby Gordon took the overall win today at the 2012 BITD Parker 425, winning over Troy Herbst and Ryan Arciero by 4 minutes. Gordon’s overall time was 14 minutes faster then Jesse Jones time last year, which was attributed to a fast first lap on a smooth course. As time went on the course got more chewed up and vehicles starting falling to what Parker does best, cause DNF’s. TSCO Racing and the Weyrich brothers put up a good showing with Mark finishing 3rd overall and 2nd in Trick Truck, while brother Gary battled from starting 70th to finish 15th overall. Coming in second place in Class 1500 was Ray Griffith, after qualifying 4th on Thursday he kept a fast pace to put him in the same spot overall.

Of the top 20 overall vehicles, only 6 of them qualified in the top 20. While qualifying towards the top is typically an advantage, in a race like Parker where attrition takes it toll, just finishing the race is a battle.

Unofficial Overall Leaders
Place Name # Time Starting Position
1 ROBBY GORDON 1537 7:18.50 3
2 TROY HERBST 49 7:23.01 18
3 MARK WEYHRICH 9 7:26.12 16
4 RAY GRIFFITH 1553 7:34.12 4
5 JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ f18 7:36.35 19
6 MIKE CHILDRESS 1565 7:37.51 12
7 JIMMY NUCKLES 48 7:45.21 11
8 ADAM HOUSEHOLDER 24 7:46.28 22
9 OLLIGES/SWIFT 28 7:49.08 29
10 BJ BALDWIN 1 7:50.13 2
11 JUSTIN DAVIS 1513 7:50.53 41
12 RICHARD BOYLE 1563 7:50.59 36
13 JON WALKER 1589 7:58.49 50
14 SHELBY REID 1568 8:01.35 31
15 GARY WEYHRICH 98 8:03.14 70
16 TRAVIS CHASE 1595 8:04.08 28
17 RICKY BRABEC 1582 8:07.53 59
18 BRAD ETTER 1560 8:12.38 51
19 TODD JERGENSEN 1551 8:14.28 32
20 GARRICK FREITAS 1572 8:16.19 27

Photos by Jason Zindroski of HighRev Photography

[Show as slideshow]

Capitalizing on a 10-year relationship with Lincoln Electric, Robby Gordon Motorsports has embraced the new addition to the Lincoln family and welcomed Torchmate CNC Cutting Systems onto Planet Robby. Gordon, who has acquired the Torchmate Racing built TTB car for the upcoming Griffin King of the Hammers event, will begin testing the rebadged Speed Energy #77 car this week and he has tasked rock crawling champion and former Pirate4x4.com owner, Lance Clifford, to navigate.  “Although I have not yet met Lance, he has come highly recommended and is a welcome addition to our team. We put a lot of value in having the right people to help us succeed,” said Gordon.  Clifford, who has worked during KOH the last 4 years providing live web based coverage, is looking forward to racing. “I was just planning on enjoying the event with my family, but when the best off-road driver in the world calls you up and asks you to navigate you don’t think twice about accepting.”

The new relationship will put Torchmate CNC cutting systems to work in both Robby Gordon Motorsports North Carolina and Southern California facilities, and will see Torchmate as an associate sponsor of Gordon’s new venture into Ultra4 racing as well as his current SCORE Trophy Truck and Dakar off-road programs. “We’re excited to work with Robby Gordon and it’s a perfect fit with Torchmate philosophy on racing and business,” said Bill Kunz, general manager of Torchmate. “The same Torchmate machines the general public can purchase will be put to good use at the hands of Robby Gordon Motorsports,” Kunz added.

The demands of the King of the Hammers race test the merit of both driver and machine due to the brutal terrain. In its 6th running, this year’s course (which remains a closely guarded secret until race week) will be the longest and most difficult to date.  The delicate balance of rock crawling’s technical skill set, coupled with wide open assaults in the open desert, require a vehicle that is comfortable at two completely different ends of the off-road spectrum.  Gordon had this to say about his first impression of the vehicle, “The craftsmanship in the construction of this TTB car is a testament to the quality of products Torchmate builds. We build racecars of the highest standard in our fabrication shops, and this vehicle looks like something we built. I am excited to have a chance to race it in KOH and know we can do well. This relationship is not just a one-race deal; we are looking forward to building the Torchmate brand alongside our existing partners and introducing Torchmate to a new market.” A number of crossover drivers have attempted the King of the Hammers in the last 5 years, but few return, and even less make the leap to car owner.

The buzz created by Ultra4 racing fans suggests that Robby Gordon’s presence this year will no doubt be one of the highlights of the event. “It’s always great to see new drivers make an investment in our sport, but when it’s a driver as popular as Robby Gordon, that creates the potential to introduce a wide selection of fans and have a positive result for all of our teams,” responded Dave Cole of Hammerking Productions when asked about his newest racer. “It’s a lot like the Baja 1000,” Gordon closed with, “It’s a huge event people plan the whole year around.  I can’t wait to give it a shot!”

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

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:

Stage 14: Pisco to Lima

Time to Celebrate

During the short special stage which will establish defi nitively the competitors’ final rankings, the tracks and the small dunes should be enjoyed but not overlooked. The time issues are now insignificant and the pleasure of finishing the race will gain the upper hand. The heroes of the 2012 edition will be able to count on a celebration in the heart of the capital that is on a par with their emotions. Those who have successfully survived the adventure will realize all of the difficult moments that they have endured along the way. The challenge has come to end, but the sights, sensations and the souvenir of an exceptional life experience will remain.

Summary video of stage 13 of the 2012 Dakar rally.

Stage 13: Nasca to Pisco

Pacific Atmosphere

The dunes are majestic in this part of the country. They will ensure suspense to the very end about who will be the winners and how they will be placed on podium. At the same time, the drivers who are less in a hurry must take nothing for granted even if they are beginning to think about the relief of reaching the finish. They will also have to negotiate a significant number of strings of dunes, avoid confusing valleys which appear to be similar but are in fact different, and fight off the inevitable fatigue after the thousands of kilometres covered. Here every one of the competitors will remember what extreme endurance means here.

GORDON & CAMPBELL RESPOND TO PETERHANSEL AND ROMA BY GIVING THEM A SWIFT ASS-KICKING TODAY IN STAGE 12; GAINING 26 MINUTES ON THE GREEN MINI

THE HUMMER IS PUTTING SOME FROWNS ON THE FACES OF MANY- NOT THE AMERICANS TODAY

If there’s one good lesson you can use in life and especially racing, it is that you never want to underestimate your opponent on unfamiliar terrain. It may seem cliché like some quote form “The Art of War” but at the end of stage12 of the DAKAR Rally, the MINI’s were all beaten so badly by both the course and their fiercest rival, it all points to the fact the MINI’s suffered a grand blunder.  And they all got screwed for it.

TODAY’S STAGE 12 VIDEO SUMMARY-

Rally leader Stephane Peterhansel was quoted yesterday about the HUMMER’s horrible stage 11, “As for Gordon, whatever happens now, he will just be carrying on to Lima for the enjoyment.”

IF GORDON AND CAMPBELL HAVE THEIR WAY, STEPHANE PETERHANSEL WILL NOT WIN EITHER OF THE TWO REMAINING STAGES OF THIS DAKAR RALLY

That actually turned out to be true because, from the sound of things this afternoon in Nasca, Peru, Gordon thoroughly “enjoyed” smashing the MINI’s aspirations for another stage win. Despite the absolute spanking that Gordon and Campbell dished out to the field today, they are still an hour and 44 minutes out of the lead with only one more day of full stage remaining.

"THE INSPECTORS CAN KISS MY ASS"

Clearly though, still, they have a respectable shot at an overall podium finish, if not better and American;s are rallying together behind Gordon and Campbell like we have not seen in recent memory.

SPECIAL LIVE VIDEO- GORDON LITERALLY TELLS ASO INSPECTORS TO KISS HIS ASS

Prior to today’s action, RDC had studied the maps and probable routes to determine that the most serious challenge of stage 12 would be the final 40 kilometers, which crossed over the Cerro Blanco, the tallest known sand dune on the planet. In this final section of special stage, all four MINI’s and the TOYOTA of Giniel De Villiers got stuck for at least some amount of time, wrecking all their hopes for stage victories.

ROBBY GORDON:

RDC will remind readers that in the DAKAR, most vehicles are 4WD and the rules state that these cars cannot use auto-air-inflation/deflation systems. But, because 2WD cars are seen as being “disadvantaged, they are afforded the luxury of using on board air systems that allow the pilots to inflate and deflate tires on the fly, without stopping or getting out of the vehicles. Gordon has used this same system for each of his prior 4 DAKAR entries, without issue. Not only do the MINI’s have to stop to deflate and/or inflate, but these drivers today were forced to dig themselves out after getting stuck on the ascending side of the Cerro Blanco. Imagine multi-time DAKAR winner Stephane Peterhansel scrambling to free his MINI from a sand-trap. It happened today at least once.

It is Gordon’s HUMMER and it’s on board inflation system that are at the heart of the suspicious disqualification of 303 by the DAKAR organizers. It does not matter what nationality or race the organizers are comprised of in this case. It is clearly suspicious because the DQ came about only after Gordon and Campbell proved they could lead and win stages.

America has been grossly un-represented in the DAKAR rally and have never won the event, so with the growing popularity of new media technology, more American are catching onto DAKAR fever as we watch our new heroes fight an uphill battle, not only on the race course, but now also in the stewards’ tents and likely, in coming weeks, a court of law.

YES, HE LIKES TO SHOW OFF ALL THE TIME, ALTHOUGH TODAY WAS NOW SHOW; IT WAS SIMPLY A ROYAL ASS-WOOPING

Our team at RDC will be working all night long to try and predict when and where tomorrow’s stage 13 will possibly take the competitors and what fans can expect form this analysis. The MINI’s made a big mistake today by underestimating the HUMMER and it’s crew’s experience in the sand. If they learned anything from that, they will be smarter in tomorrows stage. Until then, “Au revoir et à demain”

STAGE 12 RESULTS: CARS

OVERALL GENERAL STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 12- CARS:

Robby Gordon and Team SPEED are shocked and disappointed by the interim decision by the race organizers of the 2012 Dakar Rally, and that decision has now been appealed to the governing body. The appeal will be decided several weeks from now, so Robby Gordon and the Team will continue to participate in the 2012 Dakar Rally pending final determination of the appeal.

The issue centers on the tire inflation system used on the Hummers. That system was specifically inspected, tested, and approved by the organizers for both the 2011 Dakar Rally and the 2012 Dakar Rally. Further, it is the same system that Robby Gordon and the Team have used on the Hummers for each of the past 5 years that they have participated in the Dakar Rally.

It is particularly unfortunate that an issue like this would be raised after the system was specifically approved while Robby and the Team were gaining on the leader through virtually every stage of the rally. It is equally troublesome that this decision has been made at the same time that French national and race leader Stephane Peterhansel has been effectively excused from any responsibility for failing to comply with the rule obligating all competitors to give way when the sentinel is pressed by a competitor who is about to pass. However, Robby Gordon and Team SPEED choose to believe that the outcome of the 2012 Dakar Rally will ultimately be decided on the race course by competitors using equipment that was expressly approved by the race organizers, and not as a result of a political battle between competing teams or national interests.

Robby Gordon, Johnny Campbell, and Team SPEED intend to complete the 2012 Dakar Rally and do their best to achieve a podium finish. The Team will put this alleged infraction behind them and hopes to celebrate as one of the top teams of the 2012 Dakar Rally.

Stage 12: Arequipa to Nasca

The Dragon of Nazca

Only a flight over the region can allow the Nazca Lines, mysterious motifs created in the ground more than 2,000 years ago, to be admired ! The route of the special stage creates another line on the map of Peru which looks like a sand dragon. Although the areas of dunes are evenly spread out, the competitors will definitely remember one of them, which made a deep impression on the reconnaissance team. The dunes follow one after another continuously for almost twenty kilometres, transporting the drivers to a new dimension. As the sand will remain firm in this string of dunes, it will help the drivers to cross them without too much difficulty. But the most skilled dune-crossers will nevertheless be able to create a surprise, in particular three days before the final finish. Those who remember how to perform the “Mauritanian swerve” can save some precious minutes.

 AMERICA RALLIES BEHIND THE TWO MEN WHO HAVE KEPT US IN THE RALLY THUS FAR

THE HUMMER OF GORDON AND CAMPBELL WILL CONTINUE THE RALLY TOWARD LIMA, PERU

DAKAR Fever has swept North America with Robby Gordon and Johnny Campbell displaying a tremendous effort at the 2012 version of the world’s most grueling motorsports event and for good reason. No American has ever won this event. Alas, Gordon and Campbell have been putting on an incredible show and, compared to the DAKAR establishment of European team, it’s been quite the David and Goliath story. The 2WD rear engine HUMMER has been so much faster than the 4WD MINI’s but reliability is half of the game.

They are down but not out

Today, Americans watched in dismay as Gordon and Campbell ominously missed the proper start time of zone 2 on the timed special stage, leading the blogshpere to conclude that these two were out of contention, if not the rally all together. The duo has been marred with issues from the very first stage when the Orange HUMMER had to stop to tow former teammate Nasser AL Attiyah’s HUMMER to the finish of that day’s special stage. This continued at least two more times on successive stages, costing Gordon and Campbell valuable time.

The orange HUMMER has been turning lots of head and it is not time to throw in the towel

ROBBY GORDON: “We lost a CV joint boot and when we finished the first special we tried to change it. It took us too long to change and we missed the transfer section. At the end it was very bad and the silt is all inside the clutch, so we’ve lost the clutch and a wheel fell off… We’ve just had a bad day – we had a horrible day. The only way we’ll win is if the other guys have problems, but I’m pretty sure De Villiers got past us too. But, you know, that’s the Dakar. You fight, fight, fight and hopefully it doesn’t get you, but today it just got us, for no reason. A 1 dollar part, a hose clamp broke. That put is in a position to miss everything else, so it was a bad day for us, but we’ll just keep fighting until the end. We won’t give up. You never know what will happen, so we’ll ride to Lima.”

Later on, after the Gordon won stage 9, DAKAR organizers began “scrutinizing” the HUMMER’s “auto-inflation” system for its tires and outright disqualified Gordon. He immediately appealed and was allowed to continue the rally on a “conditional” basis. This happened on the same stage that Al-Attiyah “tapped-out” of the rally. Then, Frenchmen Stephane Peterhansel outraged the entire motorcycle community when he and his MINI were filmed clipping Italian motor biker Filippo Ciotto (#59) –see RDC homepage for this story

TODAY’S STAGE 11 VIDEO SUMMARY

Gordon and Campbell, a duo of opposites, are credited with inspiring American fans to “rally” behind Team SPEED and the HUMMER crew. They represent America’s only hope for a 2012 DAKAR Rally championship. Despite a host of issues ranging from mechanical to navigational, the HUMMER has posted some extremely impressive stages including back to back 2^nd place finishes before their stage 9 stage win.

Robby collects himself after yesterday's difficult stage 10

Today’s disappointing stage for the HUMMER caused hearts to drop as it was believed that the duo’s hope were totally dashed. But we offer the following case for optimism: The next 2 day’s stages are unprecedented as the DAKAR has never raced in PERU until this morning. Tomorrow will bring many unknown challenges to all the competitors include mystic and massive sand dune mountains, treacherous canyons and likely wetspot as PERU has experienced severe rains in recent days and week. Do not give up hope on the HUMMER and the SPEED ENERGY crew. They have a lot invested.

Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel is a wanted man. Race fans and friends of the dirtbike community are outraged as they call foul on the French organizers of the DAKAR rally for turning a blind-eye to Peterhansels blatant disregard for his fellow competitor’s safety. 

Two days ago, Stephane Peterhansel was driving for the race of his life, trying to fend off an attack by Robby Gordon and co-pilot Johhny Campbell as the orange HUMMER “rallied” to a stage 9 victory. Did Peterhansel put Italian biker Filippo Ciotto’s safety (and/or life) in jeopardy when he crossed the river that day? Did French organizers do the right thing?

We present to the court of public opinion the following exhibits:

Photo and video documentation of Stephane Peterhansel’s and his MINI hitting Italian motorbike racer Filippo Ciotti (59).

Exhibit A: Meet Italian biker Filippo Ciotti. Never mind the fancy haircut; he got a major “clipping” from Stephane Peterhansel

Exhibit A: Italian biker Filippo Ciotti #59

EXHIBIT B: VIDEO DOCUMENTATION:

EXHIBIT C: ARIEL PHOTOGRAPH

EXHIBIT C: ARIAL PHOTO

What you see is a collision between car and rider. Filippo Ciotto gets struck and his bike gets submerged in the river. Ciotto cringes in pain from the negligence of little pussy Peterhansel, who he himself is a former motorcycle champion, does not stop neither to check on the victim nor to help him with his bike.

EXHIBIT D:

Clearly, Peterhansel made a bad call and was hasty in crossing the river.

The DAKAR organizers (That’s what they call themselves at ASO) have said nothing about the matter, nor disciplined the Frenchman for his mishap. Famed Eurosport announcer Carlton Kirby made the call on the same day broadcast pointing out Peterhansel’s crime and stating, “That is a penalty to me”.

EXHIBIT E:

We see the biker and another man as Peterhansel "clips" Ciotti

No such penalty has been leveled but moto enthusiasts throughout the blogsphere have been going bananas over the incident and outraged that the “organizers” have done nothing about it. Some theorists have pitched the idea that, because Peterhansel is a Frenchman and the “organizers” are also strickened with the same curse, that they are somehow colluding to protect their own. While this cannot be proven, it is not that far fetched a concept.

EXHIBIT F:

Ciotti's bike gets swamped. "Merci Boku"

Rather than making this a game of “smear the queer” on the French, let’s just call it what it is: A total disregard for the safety of a fellow competitor on Peterhansel’s part and the organizers have turned a blind eye to their fellow countryman’s mis-stepping. American’s fans are outraged and want Peterhansel head on a skewer.

EXHIBIT G:

Rightfully, Ciotti gives the MINI a little fend off as his bike takes a dip

EXHIBIT H:

This is the internationally known gesture for WTF!

There is a code among former motorbike racers who later race in 4 wheel vehicles: you don’t mess with the bikes. It’s bad karma and not kosher. While RDC has no confirmation of this, it has been rumored that this is what drove Andy Grider to withdrawal from the rally last week: that his driver was purposefully scaring the hell out of bikers on the course. We shall see if that is the case.

EXHIBIT I: Etienne Lavigne- Le Boss:  The one man who could do something about this; he seems to have turned a blind eye to this entire incident.

Etienne Lavigne- "What are you looking at? You canNOT be in this zone!!!"

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Stage 11: Arica – Arequipa

The Motorcyclists Club Approach
For the Dakar’s first day in their country, the Peruvians will be entitled to two special stages and additional kilometres for the motorcyclists. After a day spent switching between off -piste sections and areas interspersed with rivers, they will benefit from a moment of camaraderie : a specific bivouac will be set up for them before they continue exploring Peru. The concept, which had not been tried out again since the camp of Foum Zguid in Morocco during the 2007 Dakar, will also create a major obstacle which will aff ect the management of the race. The assistance vehicles will not be authorized in the maintenance area, where only the motorcyclists and quad riders will be able to help each other.

Truck

Car

Bike

.

Imagine going to Baja and sitting down next to Robby Gordon for breakfast, or Mark McMillin stopping and asking you directions to the bathroom. Both of these (and much more) have occurred to me in the past week on the Dakar Rally. Instead of Robby staying off at Estero Beach and Mark staying at the Hotel Coral, everyone at the Dakar Rally eats, sleeps, and even showers together in the bivouac. This is a high-security camp that is assembled each day ahead of the rally and acts as home base until the last competitor moves on, then the whole place is torn down and moved by aircraft and truck to the next location.

Like racing in Baja, there is plenty of bootleg merchandise for sale outside of the bivouac, and getting inside is not an easy task. You need a badge or wrist band to get through the front gate, and all vehicles associated with the rally have a chip installed on the windshield to monitor their ingress and egress. When the rally was held in Africa, only people directly associated with the rally (competitors, support teams, event organizers, media, and such) were allowed into the bivouac. Since moving to South America there is a lot more interest in the race from local fans, who can buy a day pass to get into the bivouac and see the teams up close and personal.

What they find is a system of roads with teams of all shapes and sizes carving out there little kingdoms in the sand. Space in the bivouac is first come, first serve and quite limited at some locations, such as San Rafael this year. At the far end of the camp the dining hall, bathrooms, medical tent, and organization tents are set up each day. Being at this end of the camp means that you don’t have to walk as far to the showers, but the tradeoff is waiting in traffic to get in or out of the bivouac and the potentially for a smelly wake up call if you camp too close to the port-o-johns.

The local visitors witness this aspect, but they still don’t have access to all of the perks though, like the food served each day and the medical facilities. The dining hall serves cafeteria-style food and has picnic tables where you might break bread with Nasser Al-Attiyah or a Dutch mechanic. The dining hall is set up in a U shape with the tables on each side and the food at the far end. The food consists mainly of local fare and is better than most cafeteria food, but not quite as good as the French cuisine that was served when the rally was in Africa. Navigators who have picked up their roadbooks for the next day are often seen studying their roadbooks at the dining hall and highlighting particularly important features.

Flat screen televisions are set up at the entrance to the dining area with highlights from the day’s race and a fire pit in the middle. ASO (the sanctioning body for the Dakar Rally) has a full production trailer that travels with the rally and dozens of cameras to produce a half hour show each night. Don’t expect much love for Jonah Street or Robby Gordon though, the coverage is very Euro-centric and American airtime is generally limited.

Big teams like the Kamaz trucks and Monster Energy X-Raid Minis take up a lot of real estate, with their huge support trucks around the perimeters and tarps and lights in the center to work on the race vehicles late into the night. Typically at one end all of the tents will be set up in a row for the team, but on clear nights it is not uncommon to see cots set up in the shadows of MAN trucks. Smaller teams might just have one support truck and an EZ-Up to work on their motorcycle or car. Ear plugs are mandatory in the bivouac if you plan to get any sleep, with generators and motorcycles creating a symphony of noise throughout the night. It may sound unpleasant at first, but it is a small price to pay to witness the Dakar Rally firsthand.

Stage 10: Iquique – Arica

Surfing Sessions

The drivers will be overcome with even more intense sensations early in the morning. It is precisely at the beginning of the special stage that they will be deeply moved by a spectacular view, combining sand and waves, which continues for several kilometres. The theme will remain constant, since the most experienced experts will be able to surf on the dunes which stretch out for around a hundred kilometres. On the other hand, the difficult fesh-fesh area that will have to be tackled at the end of the special stage will bring everyone back to the tough reality of the long-distance 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.

BIG DAY FOR TEAM SPEED HUMMER AS JOHNNY CAMPBELL EARNS HIS FIRST DAKAR STAGE WIN

GORDON AND CAMPBELL LED THE ENTIRE DAY BUT NEVER PULLED ANY TIME UNTIL THE LAST 80K

It’s Johnny Campbell’s day in Iquique, CHILE- Robby Gordon’s solid driving and the performance of the SPEED HUMMER were enough to give co-driver and 11-time BAJA 1000 champion Johnny Campbell his first ever DAKAR Rally Stage win at the shores of Iquique, CHILE this afternoon. Campbell, who is a rookie rally co-pilot, was a last minute pick by Gordon to be his navigator in the 2012 DAKAR Rally. The duo seem to be making up a good pair; the results have been very consistent thus far which is showing fans that Campbell is making use of all of his talents as a desert racer, including heaps of intuitive perception.

CAMPBELL: “Today went good. Careful in the rocks for no flats, went fast in rough, Hummers advantage. Navigation went good and the decent to Iquique was the scariest thing I’ve ever done – RG was matted at 205kph! OMG I was freaking out!!!”

Gordon’s choice came as quite a surprise to off-road fans and journalists alike since Campbell has not been strapped inside a cage in the competitive area until now.  We can only image the immeasurable amount of pressure on Campbell to perform well and do his job. In the US, co-drivers means a totally different thing than it does at  the DAKAR. There is virtually little comparison between the two and Campbell has spent the past 10 days learning to navigate Gordon’s HUMMER through the harsh terrain of the DAKAR. With the car seeming to be reliable to this point and Gordon’s driving skills are well harnessed, most of the pressure is lying on Johnny’s shoulders and he is no stranger to running up in front for long distances.

GORDON:

“It was a very good special for us again. Now it’s just a waiting game to see how soon Peterhansel comes behind me. On the transfer stage, I think we had him beat by about a minute and a half. But we need more than a minute and a half, so I pushed very hard on the last section, as hard as I could go the whole time and it will be interesting to see how much time we put on him because we pushed, like qualifying hard, not really knowing where you’re going. We had a couple of big scary moments. For us, we’ve got to make time. We’re in a different position to him. He has to conserve his time and I’ve got to make it. We’ve got four days left, four real days of racing left and the Hummer’s strong. 19 seconds? He made a lot of time up on me, then. I can’t believe he could catch us there, because we were going crazy. So he’s a madman; if he beats us, he’s a madman. Madder than me!”

VIDEO SUMMARY:

NASSERS HAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE DAKAR:

Nasser on stage 9 only moments before his final km on the DAKAR

This is seen as generally bad for most on many levels. Nasser’s appeal among the fans is unheralded and his draw as the defending champion means more eyeballs on DAKAR. He is beloved throughout the DAKAR countries for making nice with all the fans so his departure will felt throughout the DAKAR. Questions remain whether he would drive a HUMMER again, but judging from his better stages it’d be hard to imagine him trading the 2WD beast in for a sports coupe. Nasser we love you and hate to see you go.

RIVERGATE:

Peterhansel is getting tarred and feathered by American bloggers for nerfing this stranded bike racer. Hey Peter: WTF?

There was outrage in the cyber sphere the moment images and videos hit youtube showing the Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel’s MINI striking a stranded motorbike racer while they both crossed a small river. The images clearly show Perthansel hitting the poor chap and knocking down and into the river. The public forum and the motor dirt bike racing community instantly called for a penalty on Peterhansel, but none was given as of press time.

Darren Skilton is still in the rally and staying tough

PETERHANSEL HAS HIS HANDS FULL AND HOPING ROBBY BREAKS DOWN

Before the New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal jump on the DAKAR bandwagon, all of you off-road fans should credit yourselves with carrying the team so far. The DAKAR is grossly under-recognized and totally un-represented by the lame-stream US media. SO folks like RDC are the hard-core media who bring you these updates, reports and recaps better than any other US outlet. Trust us that the big media kooks will be salivating over Robby Gordon and Johnny Campbell in their weekend reports coming up if , indeed, the duo can keep it up.

Stephane Peterhansel rallies back from a tire puncture and Krzysztof Holowczyc survives a scary rollover; Monster/Husky rider Barreda’s 3^rd on the bikes

Iquique, Chile (Jan. 10, 2012) – The 2012 Dakar Rally through South America’s really starting to heat up as American off-road ace Robby Gordon has cut into French great Stephane Peterhansel’s (Monster Energy X-raid MINI ALL4) overall lead in the Dakar by winning today’s stage eight and pulling to within six seconds of 1^st place with five stages remaining.

On the bikes Monster Energy Husqvarna Speedbrain’s Joan Barreda has made up a ton of ground, leading Dakar’s motorcycle class points leader Cyril Despres ­- the guy who will forever be known for leaving Monster Energy’s Paulo Goncalves stuck in the mud after Goncalves helped Despres get his bike out of the mud. Barreda led Despres for a portion of the race before settling on 3^rd in the stage.

Back in the cars Gordon caught a break today when Peterhansel suffered yet another tire puncture. “We were power sliding and I saw the stone before we hit it,” he said. “I hoped we would be able to avoid it but fractions of a second later there was a BANG!”

Also making Tuesday’s stage nine podium was Monster Energy’s Nani Roma. The Spanish great, who won yesterday’s stage eight, battled Gordon early in the race – then got caught up in the American’s dust trail. “We were driving right into the wind and the dust cloud was enormous,” said Roma. “The situation cost us several minutes.”

By far the scariest occurrence on Tuesday occurred when Monster Energy X-raid MINI ALL4’s Krzysztof Holowczyc (Poland) and co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin rolled onto their roof after missing a turn on a crossing. Fortunately they got the car back on all four tires and continued the race, only breaking one of the mirrors and cracking the windshield.

Highlights & Quotes

• Dakar race organizers were scrambling on Wednesday to circumnavigate a couple problems caused by heavy rains and construction. Splitting the stages, the last of which was somewhat rocky, was fine with Peterhansel. “Driving today was nicer,” he said. “The first part of the second section was particularly technical – it definitely was big fun.”
• Joan Barreda was in 32^nd place after stage five on the bikes. With two podium finishes he’s back on the cusp of the top 15 (16^th) with five stages remaining.
• Monster Energy Husqvarna Speedbrain’s Paulo Goncalves has also moved up in the standings, from 5^th to 4^th, about 26 seconds off the overall motorcycle class podium.

Upcoming: Wednesday’s stage ten of the 2012 Dakar runs from Iquique to Arica, Chile. The stage will feature a great deal of sand and dunes near the beginning of the special stage.

Monster Energy/Dakar Rally Results – After stage nine

Cars

1. R. Gordon (USA) / J. Campell (USA) Hummer – 4h 35m 21s
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 36m 59s
3. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 43m 58s
4. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 46m 00s
5. R.L. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 50m 44s
9. L. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 4h 58m 46s

Overall standings

1. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / J.-P. Cottret (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 24h 41m 14s
2. R. Gordon (USA) / J. Campell (USA) Hummer – 24h 47m 12s
2. K. Holowczyc (POL) / J.-M. Fortin (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 24h 58m 03s
4. N. Roma (ESP) / M. Périn (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 25h 00m 40s
6. Novitskiy (RUS) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 26h 10m 34s
12. R.D. Dos Santos (POR) / P. Fiuza (POR) MINI ALL4 Racing – 28h 38m 54s

Bikes

1. Cyril Despres (FRA) KTM, 5:04:33 hrs
2. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM, 3:54 min behind
3. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 8:28

4. Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha, 11:44

5. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,

15:12 20. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 40:07

23. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 42:49

Overall standings

1. Despres, 28:30:17 hrs
2. Coma, 2:28 min behind
3. Rodrigues, 59:19
4. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 1:25:57

16. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 3:33:06

21. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 4:09:14

23. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA), Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 4:32:00

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

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Stage 9: Antofagasta – Iquique

Watch Out, Thrills Guaranteed! 

A two-part stage will keep the competitors busy who continue the climb to the north of the continent, between oceans and mountains. Two sections separated by a neutralization are on the agenda with varied features and landscapes. At the beginning of the day, the competitors will pass through canyons, drive on clean tracks and sink in the fesh fesh! The second special stage will call upon the drivers’ and co-drivers’ navigational talents, who will have to make a decision based on the very limited landmarks, while remaining focused on the WPM. To reward them for this intensive endeavour, they will drive down the steep descent to Iquique, already featured on the 2010 Dakar route, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

The HUMMERS of Robby Gordon and Nasser Al-Attiyah were the pride and joy of rest day in COPIAPO’ yesterday and had the honors of starting stage 8 in front of the rest of the field. Nasser, who won stage 7 nicely, left the start at 10:26 local time and Gordon/Campbell only 3 minutes later.

STAGE 8 SUMMARY

GORDON WAS FIRST TO CROSS THE FINISH AND NASSER SECOND; GORDON MISSED A TIME ADJUSTED STAGE WIN BY ONLY 5 SECONDS

But early on, Nasser and Lucas lost a belt and hed to stop and change. Then, they lost the alternator and had to stop for second time, costing him close to 19 minutes. But in typical Nasser “Yalla Yalla” style, he said, “Let’s Go!, Full Attack” and started snipping off time at every checkpoint. He trimmed his 18:36 minute deficit down to 16 and then again down to 14, then 13. At the finish he more than halved his original deficit down to 08:09 minutes to finish 5^th, where he stands on the general rankings, 45 minutes off the lead. Nasser’s effort is not over by any means but his team mates Robby and Johnny are very much in the hunt for the unprecedented first DAKAR OA by any American.

"They (the MINI'S) are nervous because I overtook all of them."

Nasser's co-pilot Lucas Cruz (ESP) is no stranger to the podium and seems to be working very well with the Qatari Nassassin

NASSER AL-ATTIYAH: “We had a problem with an engine belt. We repaired it… and shortly after it was the alternator’s turn to need a repair. But then we started attacking in earnest. There were six cars in front of us and we overtook all the Minis, as well as De Villiers’ Toyota. We did a good job. They are nervous because I overtook all of them, but that is not my problem. I know everything is going smoothly, and we will see how far we can go.”

Robby Gordon and Johnny Campbell go all out in stage 8- 2nd place for the day

Robby and Johnny had to pass a stranded Al-Attiyah as Robby had laid it down that the orange HUMMER could not stop again to aid the Qatari’s HUMMER. While Robby and Johnny did get off to a great start they started losing time to the MINI’S, but then RG put his foot down and started rallying toward Antofagosta and made up several minutes of deficit to finish the stage only 00:05 behind Nani Roma.

ROBBY GORDON:

“Nani may have beat me, but it must have been close. Beating Peterhansel by seven minutes makes this a great day. In all honesty, I did not attack too much, except towards the end of the stage. At any rate, I was not at my best in the first 300 kilometres, only in the last 150. I felt the others breathing down my neck, so I accelerated.”

We can start to imagine the pressure on rookie co-pilot Johnny “11-Time” Campbell as he sits in the cockpit of RG’s HUMMER calling off navigation signals as well as doing tire changes and generally helping RG with race strategy. Campbell has been making some calls that Gordon concurred with which paid off. There are 6 stages remaining on the DAKAR and Team SPEED is very much in contention to claim America’s first title in the world’s most important motorsports event. America is on the edge of our seats watching and cheering for Gordon and Campbell to stay up front, consistent and fast.

Frenchman Cyril Despres got stuck in a brutal mud hole, went over the bars and probably will had some soreness on Stage 9

Goncalves (PRT) stopped to help Despres get out of the mud but not before getting stuck and going over the bars as well

In the bikes category, the Mark (Coma) and Cyril (Despres) show continued today with Coma jumping out in front and missing a wicked mud hole that swallowed the Frenchman Despres whole. Despres had a comfortable lead over Coma in the general standings at the start of the stage but gave it all away after his mishap. After Cyril was completely stopped and stuck, the Portuguese Goncalves, stopped to aid Despres and got stuck himself. After Cyril was freed, he took off thinking Goncalves was all set. There is a code on the DAKAR stage and we think and Goncalves followed it right.

Stage 8: Copiapo – Antofagasta

The Race Sets Off Again

At this stage of the competition, the number of contenders for the title will be reduced to a small handful in each category. But despite the signifi cant number of kilometres to be covered, this fi rst stage after the rest day should not be relied on to create decisive gaps. The rally’s longest special stage will be used to allow the competitors to get back into the pace of the competition. On the stone-covered tracks which will lead to Antofagasta, the pace will be rather intense, but this will not prevent the drivers from catching sight of some magnifi cent views.

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.

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