2019 Robby Gordon Headquarters
How good would Robby Gordon be if he gave up off-road racing?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tim_tuttle/01/07/robb...
Robby Gordon celebrated his 40th birthday last Friday in Argentina, where he was overseeing final preparations for Team Dakar USA in the Dakar Rally. An owner-driver just as he is in Sprint Cup, Gordon has put together an impressive effort to win the marathon of endurance races, transplanted this year to South America from Africa because of security concerns.
Gordon has entered three vehicles for the 6,000-mile rally, which began Saturday in Buenos Aires and will run through the Andes to Chile and back to Buenos Aires. Gordon and teammate Eric Vigoroux are in Hummer H3s, running for the overall title in the car class. Tom Gevis is driving in the truck class, which runs behind the cars and has been entered to provide mechanical support for the Hummers. The ASO, the sanctioning body, requires any repairs on course to be made by an official entry. If the Hummers have problems, Gevis will arrive to get them going again.
There are also the support vehicles for Team USA Dakar: A Mercedes Benz 6 by 6 and two Hummer H1s. They'll be waiting to refresh and replenish the race vehicles at the end of each day's special stages, as the racing stretches are known, by Gordon's crew of 18.
Gordon has funded this massive effort through sponsorships, primarily from Hummer, Monster and Vanguard. He's left no stone unturned trying to reach the finish line on Jan. 17.
You can understand Gordon's desire to win the famous Dakar event. Rallying is the international form of off-road racing and off-road is Gordon's first love. He won the Baja 1,000 driving solo in a non-factory Ford truck from Ensenada to La Paz at age 18 in 1987. It brought offers from Ford, Toyota and Dodge. Gordon negotiated a deal with Ford that included an opportunity to go pavement racing and it led to victories with Roush Racing in IMSA's GTO class. By 1992, with Ford's support, Gordon was racing in CART's IndyCar Series and he had a solid career in CART that included two victories in 1995.
Gordon made the switch to NASCAR in 1997, driving for Felix Sabates in 20 races, and bounced back and forth between Sprint Cup and CART for the next several seasons. In 2001, he decided to stay full-time in Cup, signed with Richard Childress Racing and won the season-finale at New Hampshire. Gordon won twice more with Childress in 2003, remained with RCR through 2004 and started his own team in 2005.
Throughout all the team and series changes, Gordon has continued to race off-road, focusing on the Baja 1,000 and, for the past four years, Dakar. You have to admire his energy and enthusiasm for off-road, but has it been at the cost of a more successful Cup career? Probably, particularly considering his role as an owner-driver.
Gordon has tons of talent, evidenced by his victories in CART and Cup. How many other drivers have both on their resume? Tony Stewart is the only comparison; he has wins in IRL IndyCar and Cup. Stewart has raced Midgets and Sprint cars during his Cup career, and has teams in both, but, until this year, hasn't taken on the role of owner, too. Gordon has been driver and owner of his off-road teams on top of Cup ownership the past four years. The multi-tasking has been too much of a distraction for Gordon to reach his potential.
Gordon is coming off a difficult Cup season. He was 33rd in points, without a top-five for the first time since 2000. Gordon started 2008 with Ford and switched to Dodge in a deal for technical, manufacturing and marketing support from Gillett Evernham prior to the Daytona 500. The deal was supposed to include GEM buying Gordon's team and hiring him for the next four seasons, but it fell apart at midseason and Gordon had to switch to Penske engines.
Gordon changed to Toyota in December, his third manufacturer in a year. He has a 13-race deal for primary sponsorship from Jim Beam and backing from Menards for 2009 and says he's got enough money for the entire Cup season. But he undoubtedly could use more money to become more competitive. Shouldn't he be looking for it rather than racing in the Dakar?
There is also the technical transition to be considered. NASCAR has banned testing, but building new cars and putting them on the 7-post shaker rig would have been beneficial before hitting the track in Daytona.
Gordon is off to a solid start in the Dakar. He was ninth after Monday's third stage, with 11 stages remaining. It would be a great accomplishment for Gordon to win. Then, maybe, he can put it and off-road behind him and concentrate on his day job in Cup. At 40, he's still capable of strong and consistent performances if he puts his full energy toward it.
Robby Gordon celebrated his 40th birthday last Friday in Argentina, where he was overseeing final preparations for Team Dakar USA in the Dakar Rally. An owner-driver just as he is in Sprint Cup, Gordon has put together an impressive effort to win the marathon of endurance races, transplanted this year to South America from Africa because of security concerns.
Gordon has entered three vehicles for the 6,000-mile rally, which began Saturday in Buenos Aires and will run through the Andes to Chile and back to Buenos Aires. Gordon and teammate Eric Vigoroux are in Hummer H3s, running for the overall title in the car class. Tom Gevis is driving in the truck class, which runs behind the cars and has been entered to provide mechanical support for the Hummers. The ASO, the sanctioning body, requires any repairs on course to be made by an official entry. If the Hummers have problems, Gevis will arrive to get them going again.
There are also the support vehicles for Team USA Dakar: A Mercedes Benz 6 by 6 and two Hummer H1s. They'll be waiting to refresh and replenish the race vehicles at the end of each day's special stages, as the racing stretches are known, by Gordon's crew of 18.
Gordon has funded this massive effort through sponsorships, primarily from Hummer, Monster and Vanguard. He's left no stone unturned trying to reach the finish line on Jan. 17.
You can understand Gordon's desire to win the famous Dakar event. Rallying is the international form of off-road racing and off-road is Gordon's first love. He won the Baja 1,000 driving solo in a non-factory Ford truck from Ensenada to La Paz at age 18 in 1987. It brought offers from Ford, Toyota and Dodge. Gordon negotiated a deal with Ford that included an opportunity to go pavement racing and it led to victories with Roush Racing in IMSA's GTO class. By 1992, with Ford's support, Gordon was racing in CART's IndyCar Series and he had a solid career in CART that included two victories in 1995.
Gordon made the switch to NASCAR in 1997, driving for Felix Sabates in 20 races, and bounced back and forth between Sprint Cup and CART for the next several seasons. In 2001, he decided to stay full-time in Cup, signed with Richard Childress Racing and won the season-finale at New Hampshire. Gordon won twice more with Childress in 2003, remained with RCR through 2004 and started his own team in 2005.
Throughout all the team and series changes, Gordon has continued to race off-road, focusing on the Baja 1,000 and, for the past four years, Dakar. You have to admire his energy and enthusiasm for off-road, but has it been at the cost of a more successful Cup career? Probably, particularly considering his role as an owner-driver.
Gordon has tons of talent, evidenced by his victories in CART and Cup. How many other drivers have both on their resume? Tony Stewart is the only comparison; he has wins in IRL IndyCar and Cup. Stewart has raced Midgets and Sprint cars during his Cup career, and has teams in both, but, until this year, hasn't taken on the role of owner, too. Gordon has been driver and owner of his off-road teams on top of Cup ownership the past four years. The multi-tasking has been too much of a distraction for Gordon to reach his potential.
Gordon is coming off a difficult Cup season. He was 33rd in points, without a top-five for the first time since 2000. Gordon started 2008 with Ford and switched to Dodge in a deal for technical, manufacturing and marketing support from Gillett Evernham prior to the Daytona 500. The deal was supposed to include GEM buying Gordon's team and hiring him for the next four seasons, but it fell apart at midseason and Gordon had to switch to Penske engines.
Gordon changed to Toyota in December, his third manufacturer in a year. He has a 13-race deal for primary sponsorship from Jim Beam and backing from Menards for 2009 and says he's got enough money for the entire Cup season. But he undoubtedly could use more money to become more competitive. Shouldn't he be looking for it rather than racing in the Dakar?
There is also the technical transition to be considered. NASCAR has banned testing, but building new cars and putting them on the 7-post shaker rig would have been beneficial before hitting the track in Daytona.
Gordon is off to a solid start in the Dakar. He was ninth after Monday's third stage, with 11 stages remaining. It would be a great accomplishment for Gordon to win. Then, maybe, he can put it and off-road behind him and concentrate on his day job in Cup. At 40, he's still capable of strong and consistent performances if he puts his full energy toward it.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rob Harris on
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If Robby gave up off-road racing all he would be is a slightly less than average cup driver {looking purely and his stats}
His off-road program is the biggest differentiators that he has between him and say Joe Nemecheck...it is the reason he continues to stay afloat.
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Permalink Reply by Capt. Allen"Pez Loco" on
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/rob,RG's off-road program is a family tradition that goes back 30years that I known of. Plus, he builds sand cars, shocks,rims, and other off-road packages in Anaheim. He so called stays afloat because he can drive the hell out of whatever in gets in. And joe is a great driver ,but wrong comparisons.
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Permalink Reply by FD REBEL on
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Its Simple, Robby is a true racer. NASCAR is a show (and only a show) that is put on buy money grubbin multi millionaires Off Road racing is true racing that tests man, machine and chase crews to the max. It also makes for great spectator events for us few that get out to the courses, drop the tailgate and be entertained buy the best.
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Permalink Reply by Joan Forsythe on
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Robby loves road racing - he even has a different attitude when it's a road course in NASCAR. It was so good to see the gleam in Robby's eyes even after a stage he didn't win, he was really happy driving the Dakar. Then he wins Laughlin in the Trophy Truck - I didn't see any photos of that but he was probably smiling ear to ear. He does not seem that happy at the NASCAR events, that's more like a business. I love to see Robby happy, and if off-road makes him happy, let him do it as long as he is able. Joan
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Permalink Reply by Jim on
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I think RG's involvement in Off -Road racing has helped make him a better all around racer. He honed his car control skills in the desert long before he ever set foot in a GTO or Cup car. Robby also brings fans and sponsors to Nascar from his off road racing efforts, I followed Robby to Nascar as a fan and fellow off road racer, and I'm pretty sure there are thousands of other fans out there just like me. I don't think his desert program negatively impacts the Nascar effort one bit. That being said, I think what he needs to do to improve his Nascar effort is in data and information aquisition. A single car team gathers info. so much slower than the 3 or 4 car teams that it will be difficult for RG to ever be a consistent top 5 competitor until he ads more cars to his team. How much the new rules on testing are going to help RG's effort this year are yet to be seen. I know Robby has as much talent on the racetrack as anyone in Nascar, with a few changes to his teams size and funding ( no small task ) I think there is little doubt that Robby has the ability to be in that top 12 at the end of the year.
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Permalink Reply by Coltranefan on
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Why give up something your good at and enjoy just to maybe have a bit more success at one of the things your good at and enjoy. Robby's a true multitasker and not one to take the easy road simply cause it would be easier. Sure less moving parts in life might bring more success in one thing but would only probably result in less moving parts, and easier less stressful life, less international travel, less adventure and the opportunity to be just another NASCAR driver. Personally if all he did was race in a circle id be quite disapointed and far less a fan then I have been all these years. The guy has never shook his roots nor should he. Its a big world out there and NASCR is just a small very colorful part of it. Given a choice between the deserts of the southwest and Mexico, or Argentina or Martinsville for an all expenses paid trip where would most of us go?
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