Fiambala, Argentina (January 4, 2010) – Unfortunate circumstances plagued Team
HUMMER this afternoon in the dune sections of Stage 3. The team had first
thought that the these set of dunes would be a good stage for the HUMMERs but
due to a smaller restrictor cutting the horsepower down, the HUMMERs couldn’t
carry the momentum needed to get through the heavy sand that was featured during
Stage 3. Robby Gordon said his HUMMER won’t run the dunes in 2nd gear and for
that reason he got stuck and lost valuable time to the leaders.

Robby Gordon talked about his performance during Stage 3, “I feel we are at a major
disadvantage when it comes to restrictors. My top speed is about 165mph and the
Volkswagens’ are going 190mph. Plus my Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER needs
to carry extra weight because of the fuel mileage we get. The sand dunes in
this stage needed the car to have forward momentum to get through them. I would
run up and try to come down and get stuck. For tomorrow we’ll move on and drive
again.”

Robby Gordon would end up in 12th place in his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires
HUMMER for the stage and now 1 hour and 4 minutes down to the overall leader in
9th place. That’s not the only disappointment of the day. Around kilometer 57
the Vanguard HUMMER had a transmission failure and was forced to be towed in
along with Carlo De Gavardo having clutch problems 10 kilometers before the
Vanguard HUMMER had its issues. They were both able to make it to the bivouac
after getting a tow from one of Team HUMMERs’ support trucks.

All in all it’s a day that the team would like to soon forget. They will
regroup tonight in Fiambala and try to make the best of tomorrow’s Stage 4.
Stage 4 is set from Fiambala to Copiapo, a liaison for 394 kilometers and a
special that will be 203 kilometers. Another 32 kilometer liaison back to the
bivouac in total distance of 629 kilometers. The first car is set to leave the
bivouac at 6:05 am with the special starting at 12:05 pm local time.

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Ehh...Robby doesn't sound too confident. Just keep on trucking!
The speed differential between the VWs and the Hummer is going to make winning impossible. I hope the organizers give this some thought for next year before Monster gets sick of it and pulls the plug.
I'm assuming the organizers cannot tweek the rules mid-way thru the race...
Plus whats the deal with the "same tire crap". Is toyo a sponsor to a vehichle that can't even wear its boots? I knew the clouds were darkening for us all when I started to hear "restrictiors and uniform tires. To me it's a race of inovation and survival. I'm pretty bummed out........Period
I don't think it means everyone has the samer tire, rather you have to use whichever style/pattern tire you choose for every stage.
you choose one pattern for the WHOLE rally
same tire means same "team tire" make and model for Entire race ..ie you can't use street/at tires stage 2 and switch to paddles for stage 3. Same tire type must be used for whole race...only air pressure changes can be made.
Or Robby could ditch the hummer
What a Bummer of a Hummer
Seems like this lack of HP through excessive restriction may be a bit of a problem in the dunes. Huge bummer.
When did this race turn into a NASCrap event?
so is 528 still able to compets or can 528 run rest of race without being scored as support
I think so.

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