2019 Robby Gordon Headquarters
How good would Robby Gordon be if he gave up off-road racing?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tim_tuttle/01/07/robb...
Robby Gordon celebrated his 40th birthday last Friday in Argentina, where he was overseeing final preparations for Team Dakar USA in the Dakar Rally. An owner-driver just as he is in Sprint Cup, Gordon has put together an impressive effort to win the marathon of endurance races, transplanted this year to South America from Africa because of security concerns.
Gordon has entered three vehicles for the 6,000-mile rally, which began Saturday in Buenos Aires and will run through the Andes to Chile and back to Buenos Aires. Gordon and teammate Eric Vigoroux are in Hummer H3s, running for the overall title in the car class. Tom Gevis is driving in the truck class, which runs behind the cars and has been entered to provide mechanical support for the Hummers. The ASO, the sanctioning body, requires any repairs on course to be made by an official entry. If the Hummers have problems, Gevis will arrive to get them going again.
There are also the support vehicles for Team USA Dakar: A Mercedes Benz 6 by 6 and two Hummer H1s. They'll be waiting to refresh and replenish the race vehicles at the end of each day's special stages, as the racing stretches are known, by Gordon's crew of 18.
Gordon has funded this massive effort through sponsorships, primarily from Hummer, Monster and Vanguard. He's left no stone unturned trying to reach the finish line on Jan. 17.
You can understand Gordon's desire to win the famous Dakar event. Rallying is the international form of off-road racing and off-road is Gordon's first love. He won the Baja 1,000 driving solo in a non-factory Ford truck from Ensenada to La Paz at age 18 in 1987. It brought offers from Ford, Toyota and Dodge. Gordon negotiated a deal with Ford that included an opportunity to go pavement racing and it led to victories with Roush Racing in IMSA's GTO class. By 1992, with Ford's support, Gordon was racing in CART's IndyCar Series and he had a solid career in CART that included two victories in 1995.
Gordon made the switch to NASCAR in 1997, driving for Felix Sabates in 20 races, and bounced back and forth between Sprint Cup and CART for the next several seasons. In 2001, he decided to stay full-time in Cup, signed with Richard Childress Racing and won the season-finale at New Hampshire. Gordon won twice more with Childress in 2003, remained with RCR through 2004 and started his own team in 2005.
Throughout all the team and series changes, Gordon has continued to race off-road, focusing on the Baja 1,000 and, for the past four years, Dakar. You have to admire his energy and enthusiasm for off-road, but has it been at the cost of a more successful Cup career? Probably, particularly considering his role as an owner-driver.
Gordon has tons of talent, evidenced by his victories in CART and Cup. How many other drivers have both on their resume? Tony Stewart is the only comparison; he has wins in IRL IndyCar and Cup. Stewart has raced Midgets and Sprint cars during his Cup career, and has teams in both, but, until this year, hasn't taken on the role of owner, too. Gordon has been driver and owner of his off-road teams on top of Cup ownership the past four years. The multi-tasking has been too much of a distraction for Gordon to reach his potential.
Gordon is coming off a difficult Cup season. He was 33rd in points, without a top-five for the first time since 2000. Gordon started 2008 with Ford and switched to Dodge in a deal for technical, manufacturing and marketing support from Gillett Evernham prior to the Daytona 500. The deal was supposed to include GEM buying Gordon's team and hiring him for the next four seasons, but it fell apart at midseason and Gordon had to switch to Penske engines.
Gordon changed to Toyota in December, his third manufacturer in a year. He has a 13-race deal for primary sponsorship from Jim Beam and backing from Menards for 2009 and says he's got enough money for the entire Cup season. But he undoubtedly could use more money to become more competitive. Shouldn't he be looking for it rather than racing in the Dakar?
There is also the technical transition to be considered. NASCAR has banned testing, but building new cars and putting them on the 7-post shaker rig would have been beneficial before hitting the track in Daytona.
Gordon is off to a solid start in the Dakar. He was ninth after Monday's third stage, with 11 stages remaining. It would be a great accomplishment for Gordon to win. Then, maybe, he can put it and off-road behind him and concentrate on his day job in Cup. At 40, he's still capable of strong and consistent performances if he puts his full energy toward it.
Robby Gordon celebrated his 40th birthday last Friday in Argentina, where he was overseeing final preparations for Team Dakar USA in the Dakar Rally. An owner-driver just as he is in Sprint Cup, Gordon has put together an impressive effort to win the marathon of endurance races, transplanted this year to South America from Africa because of security concerns.
Gordon has entered three vehicles for the 6,000-mile rally, which began Saturday in Buenos Aires and will run through the Andes to Chile and back to Buenos Aires. Gordon and teammate Eric Vigoroux are in Hummer H3s, running for the overall title in the car class. Tom Gevis is driving in the truck class, which runs behind the cars and has been entered to provide mechanical support for the Hummers. The ASO, the sanctioning body, requires any repairs on course to be made by an official entry. If the Hummers have problems, Gevis will arrive to get them going again.
There are also the support vehicles for Team USA Dakar: A Mercedes Benz 6 by 6 and two Hummer H1s. They'll be waiting to refresh and replenish the race vehicles at the end of each day's special stages, as the racing stretches are known, by Gordon's crew of 18.
Gordon has funded this massive effort through sponsorships, primarily from Hummer, Monster and Vanguard. He's left no stone unturned trying to reach the finish line on Jan. 17.
You can understand Gordon's desire to win the famous Dakar event. Rallying is the international form of off-road racing and off-road is Gordon's first love. He won the Baja 1,000 driving solo in a non-factory Ford truck from Ensenada to La Paz at age 18 in 1987. It brought offers from Ford, Toyota and Dodge. Gordon negotiated a deal with Ford that included an opportunity to go pavement racing and it led to victories with Roush Racing in IMSA's GTO class. By 1992, with Ford's support, Gordon was racing in CART's IndyCar Series and he had a solid career in CART that included two victories in 1995.
Gordon made the switch to NASCAR in 1997, driving for Felix Sabates in 20 races, and bounced back and forth between Sprint Cup and CART for the next several seasons. In 2001, he decided to stay full-time in Cup, signed with Richard Childress Racing and won the season-finale at New Hampshire. Gordon won twice more with Childress in 2003, remained with RCR through 2004 and started his own team in 2005.
Throughout all the team and series changes, Gordon has continued to race off-road, focusing on the Baja 1,000 and, for the past four years, Dakar. You have to admire his energy and enthusiasm for off-road, but has it been at the cost of a more successful Cup career? Probably, particularly considering his role as an owner-driver.
Gordon has tons of talent, evidenced by his victories in CART and Cup. How many other drivers have both on their resume? Tony Stewart is the only comparison; he has wins in IRL IndyCar and Cup. Stewart has raced Midgets and Sprint cars during his Cup career, and has teams in both, but, until this year, hasn't taken on the role of owner, too. Gordon has been driver and owner of his off-road teams on top of Cup ownership the past four years. The multi-tasking has been too much of a distraction for Gordon to reach his potential.
Gordon is coming off a difficult Cup season. He was 33rd in points, without a top-five for the first time since 2000. Gordon started 2008 with Ford and switched to Dodge in a deal for technical, manufacturing and marketing support from Gillett Evernham prior to the Daytona 500. The deal was supposed to include GEM buying Gordon's team and hiring him for the next four seasons, but it fell apart at midseason and Gordon had to switch to Penske engines.
Gordon changed to Toyota in December, his third manufacturer in a year. He has a 13-race deal for primary sponsorship from Jim Beam and backing from Menards for 2009 and says he's got enough money for the entire Cup season. But he undoubtedly could use more money to become more competitive. Shouldn't he be looking for it rather than racing in the Dakar?
There is also the technical transition to be considered. NASCAR has banned testing, but building new cars and putting them on the 7-post shaker rig would have been beneficial before hitting the track in Daytona.
Gordon is off to a solid start in the Dakar. He was ninth after Monday's third stage, with 11 stages remaining. It would be a great accomplishment for Gordon to win. Then, maybe, he can put it and off-road behind him and concentrate on his day job in Cup. At 40, he's still capable of strong and consistent performances if he puts his full energy toward it.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on
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Ding Ding we have a winner!
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Permalink Reply by GrayAntiMatter on
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He'd be like most other talented race car drivers that don't participate in either Formula 1 or NASCAR Cup.
Which is to say he would be largely unknown and unnoticed.
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I can tell you this... Nobody in Europe knows who Dale Jr is.... But millions know who Robby Gordon is...
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I don't think there is any question that RGs involvement in events such as the Indy 500 (back when it meant something) and Dakar has raised his profile on the International scene.
I also think that saying no one in Europes knows Dale Jr, seems like just a bit of hyperbole...I wouldn't think knowledge of NASCAR drivers would extend beyond the top few, but still.
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Ask a Euro yourself... NASCAR is a dead as hell there.
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Permalink Reply by Terie (aka vassinvegas) on
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Jeff, I brought this idea up some time back. You woulda thought I'd said Dale Jr was the worlds greatest driver or something. ouch! Glad to see people are taking your comment more kindly this time.
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Permalink Reply by Capt. Allen"Pez Loco" on
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People are afriad of what they can't control. RCR ,WALKER & WALKER RACING, ROUSH, HELL,I think his parent would probably agree. He races desert one weekend, competes w/pre-madonnas on sundays , and eats Eru's in his spare time. And almost handed it to Tony Stewart on his own track, Tony at list had the balls to admitt it, How great would he be, GIVE ME A BREAK , HE IS DYNAMIC AS ONLY AS MAYBE ROGER MEARS. The problem is we have noone else coming up the ladder with this much talent.
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Permalink Reply by Bryan Bruner on
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The only reason I watch Nascar is because Robby Gordon decides to earn his living there. I'm pretty sure that if racing the Baja 1000 could earn Robby the same paycheck as a full season in Nascar, the only Gordon the world would know about would be dressed in rainbows slapping Jimmie Johnson on the ass. Unfortunately, off-road racing doesn't. So Robby will continue going to work on the weekends in super speedways and intermediate tracks to pay for his love of off-road racing. Oh yeah, and be one of only two americans to represent his country, competitively, in a world class rally car event. So Tim Tuttle, I saw your picture in Sports Illustrated Online and you don't exactly look like a spring chicken yourself. Maybe now is the time to focus your writing on more important sports issues. Like why is the NFL so packed full of crooks and criminals? Try it sometime, and maybe you won't find your story on the internet. You'll find it printed in the real Sports Illustrated.
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Permalink Reply by Jake Blaze on
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Hey writer , what makes you think Robby isn't looking for more sponsorship while he and the crew are at Dakar? I know Robby and he's always looking for somebody to sponsor him. The Dakar gives him world wide exposure....da! Go back to your other NASCAR writers and eat shit! Robby wil never give up off-road. Bottomline - Robby is one of only a few pro-racers that will tell you he LOVES racing no matter what it is.
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Permalink Reply by Nena Patrick on
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It doesn't matter if he runs Dakar or not. Give him the budget the 48 car has and see if that makes a difference.
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