Team HUMMER 2010 Dakar Rally Preview



Charlotte, December 28, 2009: Just days until the start of the highly anticipated 2010 Dakar Rally, Robby Gordon and Team HUMMER are preparing to head south to Argentina. The HUMMERS are flying like always, except they are soaring above the clouds at 40,000 feet. The No. 302 of Robby Gordon and No. 326 of Carlo de Gavardo left the team’s race shop in California on Saturday, December 19th to be transported to Argentina via airfreight while the team’s support vehicles left the shop in late November to be shipped to Argentina by sea freight. With the support vehicles and the Vanguard HUMMER shipping in early November, it allowed the team to focus on the final details of the Monster / Toyo Tires HUMMER and the build of the Chile HUMMER for arguably the most grueling event in motorsports.

Following Gordon’s first-in-class finish and third-place overall result in 2009, Gordon is more determined than ever to compete for the overall victory in his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER H3 in the 2010 edition of the Dakar Rally. 2010 will mark Gordon’s sixth appearance in the rally endurance race, and just the fifth appearance for Team HUMMER.

“In my mind, there is no tougher race out there than the Dakar Rally,” said Robby Gordon. “As an avid racer and car builder, a win at the Dakar Rally would be a major accomplishment for my team. To be the first American to ever win a stage of the event was great, but to be the first American team to win the Dakar Rally would mean so much more – not just to me but to the people that are as passionate about this program as I am – from our sponsors to our dedicated employees. 2009 has been an amazing year for Robby Gordon Off-Road; we took 3rd place in the Dakar Rally and went on to win the SCORE Championship. I hope that we can continue to build on that momentum and that the Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER H3 team will continually be recognized as a valid threat to become the 2010 Dakar Rally Champions.”

In 2005, Gordon entered his first Dakar Rally where he became the first American to ever win a stage of the demanding race. Immediately after the finish, Gordon began planning his own effort for the 2006 Dakar Rally where he hoped to become the first American to win overall. Team HUMMER fielded two HUMMER H3s in the 2009 event, where both the Monster Energy / Toyo Tire HUMMER H3 and the Vanguard HUMMER H3 finished in the top fifteen and proving that Team Dakar is a serious threat to win the 2010 event. 2010 will mark the team’s first effort with three entries. Carlo de Gavardo will be joining the elite team, piloting the Chile HUMMER H3.

Traditionally run throughout Europe and Africa, the 2010 Dakar Rally will take place in South America for just the second time in the rally’s 32-year history. Competitors will race on a 5,592-mile (9,000 kilometer) course while navigating across some of the world’s highest sand dunes and mountains. The event kicks off on January 2 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Competitors race over the Andes Mountains, across the Pampas plains and through the merciless Atacama Desert. After 14 strenuous stages, the competitors will return to Buenos Aires as they race to the finish. At the completion of the event, the heroes of the competition will celebrate in the village of San Carlos de Bolivar before returning to Buenos Aires for an even bigger celebration on January 17.

Race Coverage – For fans tracking the Dakar Rally at home, please visit robbygordon.com, planetrobby.com, and Twitter for daily updates on the team’s performance including a daily recap, photos and videos. Versus will provide coverage throughout the United States. A 30-minute daily program featuring highlights from that day’s racing will be aired on Versus daily at 3:30 p.m. with a replay airing later in the day. The show is set to air daily from January 3rd through January 18th, check your local listing for exact show times. A 60-minute recap show featuring all fourteen stages will air on Versus on Sunday, January 24th at 3:00 p.m.