Santa Rosa, Argentina (January 15, 2010) – Competitors in the 2010 Dakar Rally wrapped up Stage 13 on Friday and just one stage remains until the 2010 Dakar Rally champion is crowned. During Stage 13, drivers traveled from San Rafael to Santa Rosa on a 725 kilometer course, which was expected to take competitors nearly 9 hours to complete. The stage featuring a 368 kilometer timed special which started off with areas of fast, jumpy track. Despite being just a day away from the conclusion of the rally, drivers still faced several challenging areas to navigate throughout stage 13.

For nearly 40 kilometers, drivers ran the risk of getting stuck in the gray sand of the Nihuil dunes, which are some of the last few dunes they will encounter during the 14-stage ally. Once they made it past the sand dunes, drivers experienced much larger and faster paths that allowed them to push their vehicles to the fastest speeds possible.

Robby Gordon and his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER would finish the stage eighth, still sitting ninth overall for the 2010 Dakar Rally. It would be an overall good day for Team HUMMER as the Vanguard HUMMER finished ninth, right behind Gordon. As the team heads back towards Buenos Aires for the final stage, they reflected on the events that unfolded during this year’s Rally. Based on everything that they have learned, Gordon feels confident that they will be a force to reckon with for 2011.

“We went for it today and drove the Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER hard. I had Peterhasel in my sights, but Mark Miller had to change a tire and got stuck in front of us and held us up for at least 150 mile. When I tried to pass him in the rocks, we hit a big rock and had to change a tire. All in all, it was a good day for our Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER coming in eighth. I look forward for tomorrow’s final stage heading into Buenos Aires; we will try to get another stage win for 2010 before I head back to the US for the Laughlin Desert Challenge,” Robby Gordon commented about Stage 13.