RDC Gordini discussion

Thought you Planeteers might like to see what's been going on on RDC . A few of you already know as I've seen you there bleeding the orange and black like me but for those who haven't seen it yet here's a link

http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/threads/what-happened-to-the-gordi...


Robby himself even came on and set the record straight . Here's his post .


Wow

You guys are correct, 2014 has been a disaster for our race team it's amazing how when you don't win people forget so fast. I guess we just have to worker harder and smarter huh. I was thinking a 1/2 day 7 days a week was enough? just so you know we count a half day as 12 hrs.

Dakar
Vapor Lock blown engine due to running lean. = DNF
Maybe a team problem and due to testing in the Fall won't happen again I will take responsibility personally for this as last year was tough building 23 SST Trucks but we still won Parker and Baja 500 as well as building a series.

Parker 425 broke Trans DNF

Mint 400 DNF Converter

Baja 500
Qualified 1st by 5 seconds over 2nd 9 sec over Voss and 20 seconds to 5th
Drive Shaft Leading at Mikes

Vegas to Reno
Input Shaft

With all these DNF's one time has it been my guys prep jobs? And maybe all of them are mine trying to go too fast (just kidding) I feel our cars are as nice as anything in the Desert or short course, it was a year ago that we schooled everyone at Parker for 3 years straight 2 wins in RGM Truck oh wait 1 win and 1 DQ for heli and 1 win in a Gieser Trugly

BAJA 500 first Overall pole position last 2 BAJA 500 races

BAJA 1000 finally had a RGM mechanical with a broken Spindle, besides this the DNF's are outside parts of RGM and we will continue to push the Developement of OFF ROAD and set the stage for Speed

So for 2013 we have 66% win rate in the Desert 2 wins 3 races

So 2012 win rate 50% win rate 4 wins 8

I will take these odds anytime at Vegas

I have a great race team and Sponsors like Speed, Toyo, 4 Wheel Parts, Safty Clean, Techni, Torchmate, Hass CNC, Mac Tools, Menards, Freightliner many more and couldn't do it without the guys and girls on this team that helps us grow the sport we all love, everyone is right all that matters is winning and we are the only team that has wins in Score and BITD and Dakar Special wins in our own cars.......... Not Voss, BJ, Menzies, Jones or anyone else can say this.

See you guys at the Baja 1000 and we will be there guns blazing

Bummer some of you think I'm Arrogant but in reality it's just confidence and the fans I, we have we love and they are just as passionate as me.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Meyer on October 4, 2014 at 10:09am
I remember that. I also remember a figure being thrown around of the cost of 20 million per Touareg for preparation and development when they brought four cars. Not sure if there's any truth to that but where there's smoke there's fire.
Permalink Reply by Sandi Parker on October 4, 2014 at 4:28pm

F1 cars cost less than that ... someone is blowing smoke ... jeje

Permalink Reply by Dave Horwath on October 4, 2014 at 5:20pm

That's a great article. I learned a lot. RG is not running a team on a thousand dollars. This is big business and Robby is big business!

Permalink Reply by Hendricus on October 3, 2014 at 4:34pm

Sandi,
To answer your question, was not Monster a sponsor for several years? I recall a pic of a black Hummer with the green "M." I think it was for several years too.

Sandi, is your point that Robby spends just as much money on Dakar as Monster/BMW/Mini-x-Raid do?

I chat it up with The Planet mostly from instinct, general life experience, and by pulling stuff out of my butt. I have zero actual data on the industry, these racing enterprises, etc. I'm weird, I do not like to just watch race cars go by. I'd love to see the balance sheets for both Robby's business and life passion, versus the Monster Mini x-Raid program. This would include all testing and development for a number of years.

Sandi, what do you know about these these things? Share some numbers. I'd love to hear them if you've got them. Even if you have experience with other full time racing efforts, share what you know. Take a guess based on what you know.

Robby spends way more than a week-end local racer. This is obvious. But my speculation is that Monster/Mini spends 20x - 30x (They bring seven Mini's to Dakar!) what Robby spends in a given year(s). We can safely guess they spend 7x what Robby spends.

Do we agree on this? If not, share what you know. I'm here to learn. I'm not here to argue obscurely.

Permalink Reply by Hendricus on October 3, 2014 at 4:44pm

But to your point - sort of - HUGE money is spent on car1, versus car2 through car7. The development money goes into Car1. Robby is working these economies with SST. Car2 on, cost you "only" parts and labor to assemble. But then, to actually field a car in The Dakar, cost more than this. You need spares, mechanics, drivers, someone to send The Planet videos, etc. You need bank! Small potatoes gets you racing locally for a season, and even this is more than the average Joe can afford. (That btw, is the official definition of a small potato.)

Permalink Reply by Hendricus on October 2, 2014 at 11:58pm

Looks like x-raid will have Nani Roma again, and other names I don't quickly recognize. Not sure where Nasser will be. They've dominated the series they've ran through the summer.

For example, "Monster Energy X-raid Team wins Desafio Inca"

This a 3-day 1000 km race in Peru's dunes. The write-up talks about it being good prep for Dakar. Looks like the race was in September.

These guys will be well oiled, once again. But guess what? Robby will be faster! I CAN NOT wait!

Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on October 3, 2014 at 12:17am

IMO,It's important to remember X-Raid is not racing everyone who is someone in Rally Raid Racing during the summer.
It's really just expensive testing.And that is the only business X-Raid is in.
The HST should be faster,bigger restrictor (39mm vs 37.2mm) lighter and smaller frontal area=faster.
Just make sure you don't get shit fuel.

Permalink Reply by Hendricus on October 3, 2014 at 12:28am

No shit fuel, and keep the Albins alive, and we've got it!!

But then what am I talking about? The Albins was in the last year of the Hummer too, wasn't it, Mike? No trans problems that year, except for the abuse of the reverse gear, on day one or two.

No trans problems in the Gordini last year either. Also the same Albins, correct?

Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on October 3, 2014 at 1:20am

For whatever it's worth and just my opinion.The Albins in the HST is based on the same Albins ST6 that's in the TT.So,no it's not the same base unit as the Hummer/Bugly/Class 1/ect.Yes,the size of the reverse gear is different and full sized on the ST6 (better) As there are spec's that are not public or cataloged options I have no idea what the original main/input shaft spec was and what it has been changed to .I would also speculate the unit broke on decel. during the BAJA 500 under condition's that may not be present in South America.
The FUEL rule is worth reading and re-reading several times than officially ask the ASO and FIA to explain it.

Permalink Reply by Dave Horwath on October 4, 2014 at 5:26pm

Hey Mike, can you explain the shit fuel? Doesn't RGs team check and filter it?

Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on October 4, 2014 at 7:22pm

water, contaminated, stale, poorly refined, ect.
I don't believe teams are allowed to test and sample during the rally,The ASO has approved gas stations/sources and that is what you get to pump.
We are spoiled for the most part here in the states, generally when you go to the station,you get a fairly consistent product.

Permalink Reply by Hendricus on October 3, 2014 at 12:22am

Robby is basically taking on BMW. Just think about that for a minute. We really have no business doing any such thing!

Robby does it with a Chevy V8, and with car technology that has developed with little (if not zero) help from the behemoth world wide auto industry. Robby is taking on BMW with the technology developed in a 30 year passion to race off-road, by a bunch of Southern Californians. Today we would include Arizona and Nevada too. The overall group is relatively small. The teams are small too - especially compared to a BMW effort. This culture does it because they love to race! Corporate? Profit? What's that?

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