Team SPEED 2019 Dakar Race Report
January 8, 2019
Stage 2 Pisco to San Juan de Marcona
Liaison: 553 km / 344 miles
Special: 324 km/ 201 miles
No. 316 SPEED Energy/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XXR- Robby Gordon
Start Time: 06:18:00 AM/ET
WP1: +00:04:28
WP2: +00:05:46
WP3: +00:08:06
WP4: +00:12:21
WP5: +00:15:08
WP6: +00:18:07
WP7: +00:19:47
WP8: +00:26:57
Total Time: 04:09:30
Variation: +00:42:37
Stage Result: 25
Overall Position: 24
Overall Time: 05:19:39
Overall Variation: +00:46:54
Notes:
– Dakar Veteran Robby Gordon of Orange, California would start out Stage 2 at a
constant pace keeping the SPEED Energy/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron
XXR within reach of the lead cars, but as the special would move onto the gravel
roads and along the coast with long stretches of beach. Gordon and navigator Kellon
Walch would be restricted to a 130 km/h (80 mph) speed limitation based on the
rules their race vehicle falls under. With yesterday’s short special strictly taking
place in the dunes this rule was not much of an issue.
– Besides watching car after car drive by them, today’s stage went smoothly for
Gordon and Walch whom only ran into trouble when the race vehicle become
stuck, and would need to loop around to clear the waypoint.
– Gordon would finish Stage 2 with a time of 4 hours 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Just
42 minutes and 37 seconds behind stage winner Sebastien Loeb.
– After Stage 2, Gordon now sits in 24th position overall 46 minutes and 54 seconds
behind leader Giniel De Villiers of South Africa.
Quote:
“What the ASO told us in the drivers briefing last night was that today’s stage would be a dune race and today would be majority dunes. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case we just cut across dunes and got back into valleys, along the beach for miles and miles for what could have been wide-open throttle for us. With the rules limitation they have on our car we had to remain at half throttle and play the speed control game. It’s very disappointing they have this rule on us. It wasn’t so bad yesterday as it only hurt us a little bit, but I wasn’t prepared for this today. We got passed by some pretty slow cars doing 50 mph faster than we were, and there’s nothing we could do about it. Other than the speed limit, today’s stage was a pretty uneventful besides getting stuck once, and having to loop back around. The car ran really good the whole time. We were running at 130 km/h what is 80 mph and just sitting there the whole time obeying the speed limit and the other competitors were just cruising by us like we were sitting still.”
No. 346 ICP/ Security State Bank/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XXR- Cole Potts
Start Time: 06:42:00 AM/ET
WP1: +00:07:03
WP2: +00:11:32
WP3: +00:22:49
WP4: +00:30:51
WP5: +00:42:00
WP6: +00:49:18
WP7: +00:52:45
WP8: +01:02:20
Total Time: 09:15:38
Variation: +05:48:45
Stage Result: 87
Overall Position: 81
Overall Time: 10:37:41
Overall Variation: +06:04:56
Notes:
– After getting off to a good start in Stage 2 of the 2019 Dakar Rally, things became a difficult one for Scottsdale, Arizona driver Cole Potts and navigator Max Eddy as they encountered a broken axle midway thru the stage limiting the power and speed of the vehicle. With no one else from Team SPEED or other support behind them Potts and Eddy limped the car thru the dunes and gravel roads for over 5 hours to the finish in San Juan de Marcona.
-Potts would finish Stage 2 with a total time of 9 hours 15 minutes and 38 seconds.
– After the completion of Stage 2, Potts now sits in 81st position overall 6 hours 4 minutes and 56 seconds behind leader Giniel De Villiers of South Africa.
– Team SPEED will be able to repair the broken part over night, and the ICP/Security State Bank/ Lakes Region Casino SPEED Edition Textron XXR will continue on in Stage 3.
Quote:
“Lots of effort from Max (Eddy) and myself to get here to the finish today, unfortunately had some issues that were pretty terminal. Damn lucky to make it back in one piece. Congrats to Blade and Robby they had a pretty good pace going there. Our strategy was just to back off quite a bit. That was our insurance policy to have a legitimate shot at a top ten. The cars are really good, I think we just had a fluke issue out there that cost us a lot of time in today’s stage. Such a bummer for everyone who has worked so hard on this car to get it here.”
No. 367 King Shocks/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XXR- Blade Hildebrand
Start Time: 06:33:30 AM/ET
WP1: +00:04:02
WP2: +00:06:57
WP3: +00:10:09
WP4: +00:16:18
WP5: +00:30:36
WP6: +00:34:37
WP7: +00:36:35
WP8: +00:42:04
Total Time: 04:31:41
Variation: +01:04:48
Stage Result: 33
Overall: 34
Overall Time: 05:47:52
Overall Variation: +01:15:07
Notes:
– Blade Hildebrand of Yucca Valley, California driving the King Shocks/ Toyo Tires
Speed Edition Textron XXR jumped out to a great start in Stage 2 of the Dakar
Rally setting a consistent pace for each waypoint.
– Similar to Team SPEED teammate Robby Gordon, Hildebrand would fall victim of
the 130 kmh (80 mph) rule for UTV’s. In sections where the car could run full
throttle Blade had to hold back. Ultimately, allowing cars he once passed to get back
by.
– The SPEED Edition Textron XXR would run the entire stage flawless until the very
end when the belt would overheat, and need to be replaced.
– Hildebrand would finish Stage 2 in a time of 4 hours 31 minutes and 41 seconds.
– At the completion of Stage 2, Hildebrand now sits in 34th position overall 1 hour 15 minutes and 7 seconds behind leader Giniel De Villiers of South Africa.
Quote:
“At the finish of Stage 2 the cars ran excellent. I have never been in a race before where we had to follow a speed limit, but that is what is killing us from not loosing time. I think we would be really have a good shot at the other cars in the class if we were not restricted with the speed limit these cars are absolutely insane in the dunes so light and so nimble. Other than that we had a clean run for the stage, only went thru one belt today. Was cautious thru the rocks took it nice and slow, didn’t want to get any flats. Was a consistent clean run similar to yesterday. Can’t be too upset.”
Continue to follow the quest for an American podium finish in the 2019 Dakar Rally for Team SPEED through live timing and scoring on Dakar.com, updates at SpeedEnergy.com, stadiumsupertrucks.com, and planetrobby.com.
Updates will also be available throughout the entire rally on Facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks, and Facebook.com/SPEEDSXS, Facebook.com/PlanetRobby.
Instagram pages of RobbyGordon, ColePotts60, BladeHildebrand, SSuperTrucks, and SpeedSXS will also be updated daily with content.
NBC Sports Network will produce daily television highlights, and interviews throughout the rally, shown at 7:00 PM ET each evening featuring Team SPEED drivers and navigators.
The 2019 Dakar Rally would not be possible without the support of the following great partners; Textron Off-Road, Toyo Tires, KING Off-Road Racing Shocks, SPEED Energy, KMC Wheels, SPEEDSXS.com, ARB, Cometic Gasket, Kobalt, Razorback, ARP, VP Racing Fuels, DeVilbiss, Hawk Performance, IMPACT, Mastercraft Safety, Ron Davis Racing Products, Lincoln Electric, Torchmate by Lincoln Electric, Techni Waterjet, Eibach Springs, Rugged Radios, Loctite, Race Case Design, and all the hard work from the staff at Team SPEED.
