Jan 11th Dakar Rally Stage 8 Race Chat

Join us for the Dakar Rally on Jan 11, 2009 , right here and chat about the action during the 8th stage.Robby Gordon is 5th overall, only 1 hour back.

Stage 8 - Sunday, January 11

Valparaiso > La Serena

Connection: 245 km | Special: 294 km | Connection: 113 km | Total: 652 km
After a day of rest on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, an easier restart has been programmed. On mid-range mountain roads, driving hotshots should be able to really strut their stuff. The experts in car positioning, trajectory and sudden braking will show how it’s done. But for the rally leaders, there is certainly more to be lost than won during this stage.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by zoomsss on January 11, 2009 at 1:01pm

33 pages!! :) who says men don't yack ;) Have some reading to catch up on.

Permalink Reply by Clance' McClannahan on January 11, 2009 at 2:03pm

See? It isn't just women!

Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on January 11, 2009 at 2:08pm

Well unless Robby wins a stage or two and doesn't give up more than 5-10 minutes the rest of the rally his chances for a win are nil. He is still well within in the window for the Podium tho.

Permalink Reply by 7gason7 on January 11, 2009 at 2:35pm

Damn Datsun B210 beat him today... From what I have heard the Hummers Engine developes 700HP unrestricted, but only 400 with the restrictor (RG: "like running a marathon (breathing) through a straw") This costs the Hummer 15 MPH of top end from the unrestriceted 2007 H3. Perhaps a smaller displacement higher reving engine without the restrictor with a supercharger like the new Corvette ZR1 motor? A small Gen III or something...

Permalink Reply by Capt. Allen"Pez Loco" on January 11, 2009 at 2:45pm

I was thinking running the 35's instead of the 37inch tires. Regain some power.

Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on January 11, 2009 at 3:14pm

Smaller engine especally a non pushrod engine Still restricted even worse..

Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on January 11, 2009 at 8:11pm

Team Dakar USA Stage 8 Update: Valaparaiso to La Serena

La Serena, Chile (January 11, 2009) – After yesterday’s rest day, the Dakar Rally competition resumed today in a 294-km race from Valaparaiso to La Serena. Before today’s stage, there were a total of 337 teams still battling for the 31st annual Dakar Rally title and included 156 bikes and quads, 116 cars and 65 trucks.

The Dakar Rally is known as one of the toughest races in the world. The terrain and race conditions are extremely rough on the race vehicles, assistance vehicles, and crew members. With that said, Team Dakar USA spent the rest day mentally preparing for the remainder of the race while also prepping both Hummers for the final days of the Rally. This maintenance went a step farther than the normal nightly preparation done by the crew and included major service on both race vehicles.

The No. 309 Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer was third to start today’s stage. Early in the race, Robby Gordon got stuck against a rock when crossing a dried river bed. Even though he was able to get going after a few minutes, he still lost valuable time to the leaders. The day continued to get worse for Gordon and navigator Andy Grider when they broke a set of headers, causing two spark plug wires to burn. Fortunately, the pair finished the day in the eighth position, 23:40 minutes behind stage winner and class leader, Carlos Sainz. The No. 309 Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer is still fifth in the overall standings, trailing by 1 hour, 32 minutes.

The No. 324 Vanguard Hummer started seventh. Like Gordon, Eric Vigouroux also experienced problems early in the stage when he lost a transmission. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only problem that the No. 324 faced. Shortly after losing the transmission, the Vanguard Hummer rolled, resulting in significant cosmetic damage.

“Well, I am upset with today’s occurrences. After a thorough service on both race vehicles yesterday, I really thought that Team Dakar USA would have had a better day. But, the terrain was not very good today for the Hummers. It was very similar to a WRC course with many turns and gravel roads, which was not ideal for the Hummers. The time that we lost today was very costly for our team, but we will go to work tonight replacing the headers on the Monster Energy Hummer and repairing the damage on the Vanguard Hummer. I expect Team Dakar USA to rebound from today and have a good showing the next couple days. If we can do that and the leaders experience problems, we still have a shot to win the Dakar Rally. I also think that the No. 324 can finish inside the top-20,” commented Robby Gordon on today’s special.

Tomorrow’s route is a 449-km drive from La Serena to Capiapo. Tune into the Versus (VS) network and robbygordon.com for daily Dakar Rally highlights.