TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, Argentina (January 4, 2016) – After a cancellation of the first stage on Sunday due to inclement weather, Americans Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed would roll their identically prepared SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HST Gordini supercars to the starting line and take the green flag of Stage 2 on Monday morning.

However, like the previous day it was known right away that weather would play a huge factor in the outcome of the stage as Rally officials would shorten the special from 521 km (323.7 mi) to 387 km (240.5 mi) as the risk of low lying clouds and darkness would threaten to ground safety aircraft during the later moments of the year’s longest special.

Dealing with a hilly rain soaked course with over flowing streams and rivers, Team SPEED knew they would have their work cut out for them in the first challenge of the 38th Annual Dakar Rally.

Starting in the 29th position Robby Gordon broke out to a blistering pace working his way up to the 15th position by km 120 just 3 minutes and 51 seconds behind leader Sebastian Loeb. But like any form of racing qualifying in the front has drastic advantages, especially in off-road racing, and today was no different as competitors who started further back dealt with a chewed up race course.

Shortly after the km 170 mark Gordon would find an obstacle that was too just much for the SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires / TRAXXAS HST Gordini to bare as it came to rest stuck in a thick bog of deep mud. While Gordon and Navigator Kellon Welch accessed and worked themselves out of the situation, 15 minutes were lost to the leader once back on course and moving.

Gordon would go on to finish Stage 2 in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 22 seconds, 17 minutes and 17 seconds behind the time set by stage winner and overall leader Sebastian Loeb of France who finished in a time of 3 hours, 45 minutes and 46 seconds.

“Things were going really good today, and we just got stuck, it’s very unfortunate to give up all that time to the leaders,” stated Gordon after Stage 2.

With 11 stages remaining Gordon has plenty of time to make up as much of the 17 minute and 17 second deficit as possible, and try to add to his impressive ten career stage victories throughout his 11-year Dakar career.

Team SPEED teammate and 2015 SST Champion Sheldon Creed re-wrote the Dakar history books today by becoming the youngest competitor in the history of the Dakar Rally at the bright age of 18 to start a stage. Creed would race a respectable and smart race finishing his first Dakar stage in a time of 4 hours, 20 minutes, and 54 seconds, just 35 minutes and 8 seconds behind the leader Loeb.

Tuesday’s third stage (663 kilometers/412 miles) will take drivers from Termas De Rio Hondo to San Salvador De Jujuy through one of the most beautiful regions in Argentina. The stage was designed for those hunting down the leaders opportunities to make advances. Gordon has no other choice, but to drive hard and finish among the top fifteen in hopes of an improved starting position for future stages.

Follow the quest for an American podium finish in the 2016 Dakar Rally for Team SPEED through live timing and scoring as well as live updates with chat at http://www.planetrobby.com and https://stadiumsupertrucks.com

VILLAS CARLOS PAZ, Argentina (January 3, 2016) – American teammates Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed will need to wait until Monday morning to begin their attempt at the 38th Annual Dakar Rally, as rally organizers cancelled the first special Sunday morning from Rosario to Villa Carlos Paz due to treacherous heavy rains and low lying clouds throughout the area.

Due to the extreme weather conditions all aircraft would remain grounded along the racecourse, making it impossible for ASO officials to guarantee the proper safety of competitors.

Once the stage was officially cancelled for the day Gordon and Creed were sent on there way down the rained soaked racecourse and highway under transit section rules to safely insure their No. 312 and No. 337 SPEED Energy/ Toyo Tires/ TRAXXAS HST Gordini Supercar’s would make it to the evenings bivouac in Villa Carlos Paz.

Gordon, who was scheduled to start 25th in Sunday’s cancelled first stage, will roll off the line in the same position for Monday’s marathon stage to Termas De Rio Hondo, while first time Dakar competitor Sheldon Creed will start in the 38th position.

Deemed to be the longest and trickiest special of the 2016 Rally, an initial link section of 70 km (43.5 mi) long will take the competitors to the start of the second special. With nearly 510 km’s (317 mi) of racing on an ultra fast course both HST Gordini’s will unleash showing the 109 competitors in the car class their first initial threat, making up extensive ground to the frontrunners.

Follow the quest for an American podium finish in the 2016 Dakar Rally for Team SPEED through live timing and scoring as well as live updates with chat at http://www.planetrobby.com and https://stadiumsupertrucks.com

Team SPEED is supported by the following partners; SPEED Energy, Toyo Tires, TRAXXAS, KMC Wheels, Arctic Cat, 4 Wheel Parts, Grand Design Recreational Vehicles, Magnaflow Exhaust, Eibach Springs, King Shocks, Outlaw LED, Mastercraft Safety, Holley Performance, Embee Performance, MAC Tools, DeWALT, Freightliner Trucks, Replay XD, Valvoline, Impact by Mastercraft Safety, Lincoln Electric, Torchmate by Lincoln Electric, Ron Davis Racing Products, Techni Waterjet, Mechanix Wear, Saftey-Kleen, Weddle Industries, and Loctite.

Stage 2: Villa Carlos Paz – Termas De Rio Hondo

Cars-Trucks
Special Sections: 521 km (323.7 mi)
Total: 858 km (533.1 mi)

The statistics speak for themselves: with around 800 kilometers to cover depending on the category, the day will be very long. There is a significant distance to cover in both the special and the liaison sections: although the terrain presents no real difficulties, the relatively fast tracks may already benefit those who love hills and crossing rivers and who can keep up high speeds over the whole distance. Cars and trucks entitled to an extension on this day.

MINNEAPOLIS (August 25, 2015) – Arctic Cat Inc. (NASDAQ: ACAT) today announced it is launching the Stadium Side-by-Side (SXS) Powered by Arctic Cat Racing Series, which will be the undercard, or lead-in race, to the main event at Robby Gordon’s wildly popular Stadium Super Trucks (SST) events. The new Stadium SXS Series Powered by Arctic Cat will feature 10 Arctic Cat Wildcat™ side-by-sides driven by Action Sport Athletes, fans and dealers, who will use the same track as the Stadium Super Trucks.

Commented Arctic Cat Chief Marketing Officer Greg Williamson: “Our Stadium Wildcat Side-by-Side Series is a result of our partnership with Robby Gordon and our efforts to solidify Arctic Cat as a major sponsor of racing. Our brand stands for exceptional performance and this series reflects Arctic Cat’s commitment to delivering the ultimate off-road riding experience.”

The first Arctic Cat Stadium SXS Series race will be held September 18-20, 2015, at the Sands Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa, Calif. The series will also race at this year’s Las Vegas SST event, which is held in conjunction with the SEMA automotive specialty products convention, in early November.
Starting in the spring of 2016, consumers can register at Arctic Cat dealers to win a chance to drive a Wildcat in the undercard series in front of thousands of fans.

In addition, Arctic Cat will be the proud sponsor of the Team Wildcat Racing SST Truck for the remainder of this race season, as well as next year’s season. This sponsorship will put an exciting black and green Arctic Cat truck on the track to compete for the SST Series Championship.

Robby Gordon’s SST Series, officially now known as the Speed Energy Formula Off-Road presented by Traxxas, is in its third season. It concludes its 11-race 2015 season in November in Las Vegas.

The SST Series features identically prepared race trucks that produce 600 horsepower generating speeds upwards of 150 miles per hour. Trucks are raced in timed events in stadiums and controlled city street courses, featuring multiple jumps by competing vehicles and drivers. The man-made ramps are set up in strategic locations throughout each course, which allow the trucks to fly through the air nearly 20 feet off the ground and hundreds of feet down course. Races are featured at IndyCar venues, X Games and other large events that expose the increasingly popular sport of off-road racing to the masses.