Dirt Sports (DS): first of all, congratulations for putting on a great effort at Dakar, Robby. From your perspective, was it a moral victory despite the setbacks?
Robby Gordon (RG): No, we finished fifth. I have finished higher before. You have to remember, just one hose clamp on the rear hub kept us from not winning the Dakar. PR wise, it was very good. I've said it before, but there is nothing
Monster about a diesel-powered Mini. I promise you many more pictures it. Do I think they have a thing against Americans? No. But it's very ironic that both winners were French ... it's starting to sound like monster truck racing to me. The other thing is that we are the only American team with the technology and funding to really run for an overall win.

DS: Where you surprised at the outright speed that Nasser displayed in your Hummer?
RG: No, because I never drive my cars that hard. Does that make sense? We always had that speed in our back pocket too, but him showing his, or should I say our, cards that early wasn't good for us. I asked Nasser not to show his hand, but he did, and once he did I had to as well. l had 15 minutes in the bank every day if I needed it. The way the rules are right now, they punish or adjust to keep cars very equal. In that regard, I don't think the Minis were as fast as last year's Volkswagens, but we were prepared speed wise to race as fast as they used to be. This is how far we have developed our cars. When VW came to the Baja 500 they got beat by an hour by the Trophy-Trucks. This year at the 500 we drew a horrible number and still came in fourth, even though I got disqualified for doing donuts, which I still don't understand. This is an independent suspension car with 19 inches of travel that's been highly refined, it's not a converted Class 1 car by any means at this point, it's our little rally car.

DS: What was the real story behind Nasser's belt issue and subsequent retirement? Was it self-inflicted?
RG: Yes, it was due to using the engine as a brake too hard, which spins the belts off. I had the same system in my car. Nasser quit because he had to go qualify for the Olympics, which is something he didn't tell us before he left. Nasser's
mentality was that if he didn't have a shot at winning then he wasn't going to race. The whole time when he was negotiating the deal with me it was all about team, and about future and about what we could do together. We basically drug
him around the desert to help him. The day he knocked the spare tires loose was the day he bicycled the car on its side, which should have broke the wheels, too. He bent the spare tire rack and that hit a water line. I have raced this car with
the tires in the exact location for five years and never had an issue. I don't know how hard you have to "g-out" a car to do that, but it bent the back of the car and must have hurt him (physically).

DS: Is there an anti-American bias from Dakar organizers? In other words, can an American effort ever win Dakar?
RG: The deal now is that the event organizers, which is not the technical party, are now in agreement with me about the fact my inflation system was approved before the rally began, and in years past. I don't really care about that situation, because they shouldn't have set me up for failure. The reality is they got us off our pattern. Up until that point, we had a smooth and consistent pattern for the rally, but they disrupted my race team until 3:00 a.m.in the morning. And then they told us we could still run under protest, which didn't make any sense at all. It's all kind of a game. It's like Formula One, this is how they manipulate the situation if you have stuff that's an advantage or you manipulate the rules in any way, but they wouldn't have known about the air inflation system if I hadn't explained it to them. We gave them the diagram of it. Do I think they have a thing against Americans? No. But it's very ironic that both winners were French ... it's starting to sound like monster truck racing to me. The other thing is that we are the only American team with the technology and funding to really run for an overall win.

DS: We know it's early, but what is the plan for Dakar on 2013? Are you going back? With the same Hummers?
RG: At this point we are not sure. You know, the Minis just aren't that cool. The producer of the international television show wrote me a personal letter thanking me because it would have been boring without us. So, I think that the rally needs us, but I am not sure yet.

DS: Take a moment and explain the relationship you developed with Johnny Campbell, your Dakar navigator.
RG: Johnny, you know I dig that guy. Why? For one, he is a really good guy. Two, he has a great attitude and a perfect demeanor, he is a good guy to have on any race team. There is a reason that he has won as many Bajas as he has. He understands the operational side of things because he has to run Team Honda. I was just really impressed with his professional approach, and how quickly he adapted. Johnny did a great job.

DS: Out of all the things you said and did at Dakar, is there something you regret?
RG: Why would I regret it? Because I told someone to kiss my ass? (laughs) You have to understand that European television isn't what you see in America. The fact is that after the races are over the show comes out that night. Both Roma and Peterhansel called me a cheater on television, and said they had no kind words to say about Robby Gordon or his racing team. And that's where all my comments about the Minis and the "kiss my ass" comment came from. We then disconnected the system all together and flat beat them by 15 minutes. Do I regret anything? No. The only thing I want to clarify is that the technical inspectors, and especially Peterhansel, can kiss my ass, not the ASO. I still like those guys, but they have to get this under control because they can't set up teams for failure.

DS: What's the secret to manipulating the media while winning over new fans like you did in Dakar? You seem to be a master at it.
RG: Well, the fans and media I get is because I relate to a lot of people. I'm corporate, but I'm also a hard worker. I am fortunate enough to be able to drive the wheels off of anything I get into. I promise you that if I had the budget that Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon have, we'd run like they run on the Cup side with our team as well. It's pretty easy to run fast with money. The fact I build my equipment is why the fans and media like me. My little race shop can dream up racecars to play against a factory like BMW and Mini. It's crazy to think about, but that is what people relate to.

DS: We know you are prepping for your debut at King of the Hammers. Have you done any real rock crawling?
RG: NO ... none (laughs). I hadn't raced a four-wheel drive before I went to Dakar with Volkswagen the first time and won Stage 1 and 3. So, why not King of the Hammers? We got our hands on last year's Torchmate TIS car, which I have to admit was built beautifully and I would have been proud to put my name on. I think I have some ideas to make it work even better, so it should be fun.