Jan 17th, 2014 Dakar Rally Stage 12 Race Discussion

Join in and discuss stage 12 of the 2014 Dakar Rally. The rally may be over for Robby Gordon, but there are still 2 stages remaining. Stay tuned for stage 11 quotes from Robby Gordon, as well as the Stage 11 team recap video.

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Permalink Reply by pdxracefan on January 17, 2014 at 5:28pm

Yup. The truth about racing.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Nation on January 17, 2014 at 5:43pm

that fact that they spend so much is why it is even fun to pull for the underdogs.... without the people at the top you would not have the people on the bottom racing to catch them

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Permalink Reply by Frank on January 17, 2014 at 6:43pm

Thank you for saying this so well.

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Permalink Reply by geothermaljones on January 17, 2014 at 10:36pm

Well said.
Please note Toyota didn't give much to this rally until a couple years ago. I see them as one of the next big spenders.
Nissan tossed a rig in this year with some company cash. Haval is the Great Wall with cash project and we will see them again in more than single team numbers. RG will continue his efforts and opefully have a 2nd car to help the effort, but he will always be the 'lone gunman' against the high rollers. It'll be interesting to see the new teams next year. If nothing else, the DAKAR helps ease the pain of the first couple weeks of wicked cold January.
Salute to all.

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Permalink Reply by David on January 17, 2014 at 3:54pm

no donuts i take it well heres to a safe journey home

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Permalink Reply by TOG on January 17, 2014 at 4:09pm

El Salvador, Chile (January 17, 2014) – Robby Gordon’s 10th attempt at Dakar Rally glory has come to an end in the sand dunes of Chile.

Despite earlier issues in the Rally with fuel vapor locking on the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HST Gordini, the issue that put Gordon and his team out of the 35th Dakar Rally was a compromised air filtration system.

At the start of Thursday’s 11th stage, Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch raced only 18 kilometers into the stage when they realized the issue at the engine’s air intake and returned to Antofagasta, Chile to make repairs. Reports Thursday afternoon of issues with fuel contamination were denied by Gordon and he indicated the only problem was the air intake issue.

At that time more than 80 cars had withdrawn from the race and only 65 remained. Being more than 10 hours down to the leaders and facing more than 10 hours of repairs would make Gordon’s withdrawal from the Rally justifiable.

But in typical Gordon style, he and his team’s never-give-up attitude kicked in and they worked until 12 a.m. Friday with hopes of driving the HST Gordini and support trucks through total darkness in the desert in an attempt to make it to the start of the next stage within one hour after the last car left for Friday’s 12th stage. Despite their best efforts, and although repairs were made, time did not allow the team to make the 749-kilometer trek through the dunes to El Salvador in a timely fashion.

“We gave it our best and didn’t quit until the clock wouldn’t allow us to continue,” Gordon said.

“Without the vapor lock issues at the beginning of the Rally and a few other minor issues, the new HST Gordini ran really well and I was pleased with its performance. We will work on it for the next year and have a much better understanding of the car for next year’s Rally. I am very proud of the way everyone worked on Team Speed, and I appreciate the dedication and effort that everyone puts into everything we do.”

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Permalink Reply by Slanted66 on January 17, 2014 at 4:15pm

Thanks for the information TOG. I am already looking forward to next year!

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Permalink Reply by Speed Freak 7 on January 17, 2014 at 4:16pm

Thanks TOG, and thanks to everyone for all the hard work keeping us up to date and giving us a place to meet to cheer on our favorite driver.

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Permalink Reply by David Z on January 17, 2014 at 4:38pm

None the less, everything this team was up against and what they did accomplish was, even if it wasn’t the results we all wanted, almost as good as a win. Next year is gonna be BIG. Time for a hard working crew to take a well deserved rest.

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Permalink Reply by Frank on January 17, 2014 at 6:51pm

Thank you RG, Speed Energy, Toyo Tires and everyone who made this possible. Every year I look forward to this event with great anticipation, I have been a fan of the Dakar and it's competitors for countless years. Especially the private team entries. Well Done! But next year let's win this thing...