2019 Dakar Stage 2 Race Report

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.

2019 Dakar Stage 1 Report

Team SPEED 2019 Dakar Race Report

January 7, 2019

Stage 1 Lima to Pisco

Liaison: 331 km / 206 miles

Special: 84 km/ 52 miles

No. 316 SPEED Energy/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition XXR- Robby Gordon

Start Position: 16

WP1: -00:02:08

WP2: -00:04:10

Total Time: 01:10:09

Finish behind leader: -00:08:28

Stage Result: 21

Overall Position: 21

Notes:

– The 2019 Dakar Rally will mark Robby Gordon of Orange, California’s 13th start in the prestigious Off-Road Rally race.
– Gordon and veteran navigator Kellon Walch started 16th off the line for Stage 1 of the 2019 Dakar Rally.
– Thru way point 1 Gordon in the Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XX was on pace with the lead cars. However, would miss the waypoint and need to turn around to clear it loosing a few valuable minutes in the process.
– Running a lower air pressure than normal to gain traction in the sand, Gordon would need to pace himself through the fast and rocky portions of the three wash sections to be careful to not puncture one of his 33” Toyo Tires Open Country M/T Tires.
– Similar to the first way point, remaining focused on passing the cars in front of him Gordon would miss the way point, and veteran navigator Walch would instruct him to turn around to clear. Resulting in finishing 8 minutes and 28 second behind leader Nasser Al-Attiyah with a total time of 1 hour 10 minutes and 9 seconds.

Quote:

“All three cars finish today, and really did not have any problems, a few small things that were self induced. I tried cutting the course a couple times, and Kellon made me loop back around to get the waypoints. I most likely lost around 3 minutes by missing way points, and having to turn around and go back to clear it. When you start so back in the field like sixteenth where we did, as a driver your not focused on the way points, your focused on the cars, and try to get to the car in front of you.”

“We are running a OEM production tire on the SPEED Edition Textron XXR this year, a 33” Toyo Tires Open Country M/T. With the Sand I felt the way the M/T is with the sidewall, I had to drop my tire pressures down to ten pounds, but I didn’t realize we were going to have three wash sections about 15 miles of rocky washes but I had to be very careful and slow down the pace to not get a rock thru the tire with low pressure. My strategy was great in the sand, but was defiantly a disadvantage with the high speed in the rocks.”

“Myself and Team SPEED made a lot of changes to these cars after the Baja 1000. Back in that race we lost a head gasket, so really focused on the cooling and oil cooling leading up to the Dakar. The water temp I never saw over 200 degrees, the oil temp the highest I saw was 220 degrees. It looks like we have our cooling temperatures stabilized. The most important thing was to survive this special. We did a 160 miles transfer liaison on the way here that was perfect for breaking the engines in, and getting everything bedded in properly. Having all three cars finish on day one is a good sign. We did enter a UTV against the Cars, we would of won the UTV class pretty easy but that wasn’t the name of the game here. We came to race the cars and to be honest when I saw the eight minutes down I saw a bit of sticker shock, but when I went back and evaluated all of the things we did wrong or we could of done better. I found that we could most likely find five of the eight minutes back. That would put us pretty much on pace with everyone. Biggest thing in Stage 2 I cannot over drive the car and be smart consistently having good runs. Stage 2 will give us dune, gravel roads and rocks at the end of the day we will see where we stack up against the competition.

No. 346 ICP/ Security State Bank/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition XXR- Cole Potts

WP1: -5:26

WP2: -00:11:09

Total Time: 01:22:03

Finish behind leader: -00:20:22

Stage Result: 43

Overall Position: 43

Notes:

-Cole Potts of Scottsdale, Arizona made his first Dakar Rally start today in Stage 1 from Lima, Peru to Pisco, Peru.
-The short 84 km special offered Potts and navigator Max Eddy an opportunity to become familiar with the SPEED Edition Textron XXR racecar.
-Not pushing the Innovative Computer Professional/ Security State Bank/ Lakes Region Casino car too hard Potts cleared checkpoint one 5 minutes and 26 seconds behind the leader Nasser Al-Attiyah. The second half of the Stage was a little more difficult, and Potts lost time on the leader trying to navigate the dunes.
-Finishing the stage with a total time of 1 hour and 22 minutes and 3 seconds, Potts received a good learning experience of what to expect the rest of the rally.

Quote:

“Good Stage today for my first experience at a Rally. My main objective was to get a feel for the car, and its limitations with out pushing it too hard and breaking anything. The Dunes are similar to what I have been training on in the US. On behalf of Blade and Robby. I think we are all very comfortable out here in the sand, and the other terrain that’s going to get thrown at us so that’s a real bonus. Today was just a day to really figure out the car, and get it up to our liking for the remaining stages. We will make a few adjustments, and be back to give it a go tomorrow for Stage 2.”

No. 367 King Shocks/Toyo Tires SPEED Edition XXR- Blade Hildebrand

WP1: -00:03:32

WP2: -00:06:56

Stage Total Time: 01:16:11

Finish behind leader: -00:14:30

Stage Result: 34

Overall: 34

Notes:

-Blade Hildebrand of Yucca Valley, California made his first Dakar Rally start today in Stage 1 from Lima, Peru to Pisco, Peru.

-The short distance of the special would give Hildebrand and navigator Bill Conger an opportunity to become acquainted with the King Shocks/Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XXR during race conditions.

-Hildebrand made it thru check point one with a time 3:32 behind the leader Nasser. The second half of the stage was consistent for the King Shocks/Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XXR but was more challenging.

-Hildebrand and Conger would finish 6 minutes and 56 seconds behind the leader with a total time of 1 hour 16 minutes and 11 seconds.

Quote:

“Today was Stage 1 of the Dakar Rally, and I was able to move the King Shocks/ Toyo Tires SPEED Edition Textron XXR pass some cars through the stage, but I really tried to take it easy feeling out the car and working with Bill (Conger) to make each waypoint consistently without getting lost. The car had no problems as it ran flawlessly the entire stage. We are going to do a little bit of shock tuning over night to prepare for Stage 2. As they were a little soft today for the dunes, other than that the car ran great, and I am looking forward to Stage 2.

2019 Dakar Robby Gordon Racer Magazine article

Robby Gordon is finally set to make his return to the Dakar Rally in the opening stage, after a frustrating delay in getting his car through scrutineering due to a late delivery of his newly built Team Speed Textron UTV and support equipment from the U.S.

“I didn’t get my car until yesterday in the morning, and then we didn’t get the truck until late last night. Problems with shipping because we don’t come on the ASO (organizer) boat,” Gordon told the official Dakar website. “The boat sat in the port for eight days and didn’t come to dock. That was a bummer.

“It’s good to be back in the Dakar. I’ve been busy building the manufacturer car, and that’s taken a lot of our time, and we didn’t really have the time to be able to do it. But now the car is out. we’ve released it to the general public, and we’re able to come here and bring a car and compete against the car category with our new car that is sold to the general public, which is very cool.

The American off-road, NASCAR and IndyCar veteran, back in the Dakar this year after a three-year absence, feels ready to take the fight to the favored Mini and Toyota runners despite the small build of his Textron.

“The crazy thing, if you look at [the car], it’s no smaller than the Mini,” Gordon noted. “It’s actually quite bigger than the Mini. It’s the future of motorsports, with the off-road industry… being able to purchase cars and go race them.

“We think we’re OK, but to be honest I won’t know until tomorrow. [Tomorrow] is only 50 miles, 88k, but it’ll at least give us an idea of how we stack up against the competition. Everything could be possible — we could be in really good shape.”

From Racer Magazine

Robby Gordon and Team SPEED Return to 2019 Dakar Rally

Charlotte, NC (December 11, 2018) – Robby Gordon and Team SPEED will return to the 2019 Dakar Rally with three SPEED Edition Textron Off-Road XX’s and competing in the car category. The vehicles will have sponsorship from Toyo Tires, King Off-Road Racing Shocks & SPEED Energy Drink.

Gordon will drive his familiar bright orange and black SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires/ SPEED Edition Textron XX entry. Joining Team SPEED for their first Dakar Rally attempt, young Stadium SUPER Truck racers Blade Hildebrand and Cole Potts will field their own separate SPEED Edition Textron XX race vehicles.

Xavier Gavory, Director of the Dakar Rally, commented the following after learning of Gordon and Team SPEED’s return in 2019.

“The Dakar Rally is excited to welcome back Robby Gordon the most famous American competitor in it’s history. An absolute legend of the Dakar for his aggressive driving style and showmanship, Gordon and Team SPEED will be one of the teams to keep an eye on in the 2019 edition, 100% Peru, 100% Dakar.”

All three race vehicles will race on Toyo Open Country M/T tires, which will deliver the maximum Off-Road performance and durability needed to tackle the 10-Stage challenge; 3,107-miles (5,000 KM) through the extreme sands of Peru.

Gordon, a Dakar fan favorite, is no stranger to the event and will make his 13th start in the historic rally. Since his first Dakar Rally in 2005, Gordon’s vehicles have captured 17 stage wins & five top 15 overall finishes. Gordon became the first American in the history of the Dakar to capture a stage win and overall podium finish, even as a manufacture.

Joining Gordon in the cockpit of the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires / SPEED Edition Textron XX will be his previous 4-time Dakar navigator and Dakar special winner, Kellon Walch.

“Kellon has been my navigator for three out of my last four Dakar’s. I fully intend to come to Peru to compete for the overall, and there is no better person to have in the right seat than Kellon. The in-car communication and mechanical skills between the both of us over the years allows me to have the trust to concentrate on driving,” stated Gordon.

For the first time since 2010, Team SPEED will enter two additional racecars in the Rally with Stadium SUPER Trucks racers Blade Hildebrand and Cole Potts driving their own SPEED Edition Textron XX’s.

Hildebrand, whom spent 2018 in his first season behind the wheel of his Empire Destructive Stadium SUPER Truck, claimed eight top 5 finishes, while reaching the podium twice.

“DAKAR, Yeah it’s that real! This is a race I’ve followed all my life, and to represent Team SPEED and the USA at the international level, competing against the worlds best off-road racers in the most grueling race known to man. What an absolute honor! To partner with King Shocks, Toyo Tires, and my mentor Robby Gordon, I have the right people on my side, and I am ready for the ultimate challenge.” Commented Hildebrand on the Dakar experience.

Jonah Street, a motorcycle veteran whom has competed in six prior editions of the Dakar (2006-2012), will navigate for his second Dakar, sitting along side of Hildebrand.

“I think Blade is super talented, so getting to work with him in his first trip to Dakar is going to be awesome. Having navigated for Sheldon (Creed) back in 2016 gives me the prior experience to help get him up to SPEED quickly!” Street commented in regards to competing with Blade.

Cole Potts, who also competes in the Stadium SUPER Trucks Series, is a talented young racer who claimed victory in just his second SST race of the season, driving the HallmarkTrust.com SST entry.

An excited Potts commented on the Dakar Rally.

“Having this unique opportunity to participate in the 2019 Dakar Rally, with Team SPEED and Robby Gordon in a SPEED Edition Textron XX is an absolute honor. Having raced North America’s toughest off road races already, I’m very interested to see how Dakar compares to them. With the opportunity to compete in the Dakar in the country of Peru is an exciting opportunity. As we are going to be able to tackle some of the world’s toughest sand dunes and witness some beautiful terrain.”

Max Eddy, a veteran motorcycle racer, has claimed victory in the Baja 1000 and Vegas to Reno, will navigate for Potts, providing the driver with extensive course detail and direction.

“Cole has proved to be an excellent competitor this year in the Stadium SUPER Trucks series as well as in the desert with the Trophy Truck. I am confident Cole will be able to adjust to the XX, and course conditions easily to get a respectable finish in each Stage.” Stated Eddy.

Beginning on January 6th in Lima, Peru, competitors will gather in front of more than a hundred thousand fans on the worlds stage for the traditional Dakar opening ceremonies. Each team in the rally is recognized prior to the start. Stage 1 will feature a short 84 km special with a 247 km liaison bringing the competitors from Lima to the Southeast along the Pacific coast to the port city of Pisco.

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 http://www.SpeedEnergy.com, https://stadiumsupertrucks.com, and http://www.planetrobby.com.

Updates will also be available throughout the entire rally on https://www.facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks, and https://www.facebook.com/SPEEDSXS, https://www.facebook.com/PlanetRobby.

Instagram pages of RobbyGordon, SSuperTrucks, and SpeedSXS will also be updated daily with content.

NBC Sports Network will produce daily television highlights, and interviews throughout the rally, starting January 7 at 7:00 PM ET 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 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.

11th Place Finish For Robby Gordon In Stage 11

SAN JUAN, Argentina (January 14, 2016) – Robby Gordon and Kellon Walch survived another very difficult special on Thursday, during Stage 11 of the 38th Annual Dakar Rally. Navigating the specially built HST Gordini Supercar through complex portions of heavy sand, high-speed gravel roads, and dust the duo safely reached the stage finish in the eleventh position.

Starting the challenging stage in the fifteenth position, Gordon raced out to a blistering pace tearing through the bumps and dust to advance comfortably into the ninth position by km 100.

“The course started rough, almost like whoops, and it really favored the Gordini with the big Toyo Tires on it,” explained navigator Kellon Walch. “Then we started to get into the bottom of river beds and the route was faster and smoother.”

Flirting with the top ten throughout the special Gordon kept a consistent pace of the leaders, not taking any risks of damaging the Toyo Tires/TRAXXAS Gordini. As any experienced Dakar racer knows taking the checkered flag in Rosario on Saturday to finish the 13-stage race is just as important and claiming a stage victory.

Gordon finished the stage in the eleventh position, with a time of 5 hours, 11 minutes, and 54 seconds. Only 22 minutes, and 38 seconds behind defending Dakar Rally Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, whom claimed his second stage win of 2016, finishing Stage 11 in a time of 4 hours, 49 minutes, 16 seconds.

Early overall leader Sebastien Loeb claimed the second spot with a time of 4 hours, 55 minutes, 08 seconds. While Mikko Hirvonen of Finland rounded out the podium with a time of 4 hours, 56 minutes, and 17 seconds. Frenchman Stephan Peterhansel was credited with fourth in a time of 4 hours, 57 minutes, 21 seconds, with Saudi Arabia driver Yazeed Alrajhi would claim his second top-five of the rally with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 13 seconds.

After eleven grueling stages of the 2016 Dakar Rally, Peterhansel holds the overall lead over second place Al-Attiyah by 51 minutes, and 55 seconds. While South African Ginel De Villers claim’s the third position 1 hour, 17 minutes, 24 seconds back, followed by Hirvonen in the fourth position 1 hour, 22 minutes, 47 seconds behind. LeeRoy Poulter rounds out the top five with a time of 1 hour, 33 minutes, 58 seconds.

Robby Gordon’s eleventh place finish today moves into the twenty-seventh position in the overall standings 10 hours, 38 minutes, and 55 seconds behind the winning pace of Peterhansel.

Friday the cars will race from San Juan to Villa Carlos Paz in Stage 12. The longest stage of rally (900 km) will start with an exceptionally long liaison, which despite the slower speeds, will still put additional stress on the already strained race engines and drivers. The first transfer section is followed by the 481-kilometer timed race through the semi-mountainous terrain, lined with vegetation on both sides of the course making it super tight in locations.

Follow the quest for an American 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

NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) will provide daily highlights after each stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally at 5:30 p.m. ET. Check your local listings for exact time and channel for availability.

15th Place Finish For Robby Gordon In Stage 10

LA RIOJA, Argentina (January 13, 2016) – Robby Gordon continued to improve positions at the 38th Dakar Rally Wednesday, bringing his Traxxas/Toyo Tires HST Gordini Supercar home in fifteenth-place of the weather shortened 244 Km special.

As the heat of the day increased, so did Gordon’s intensity, as the twenty-sixth starter wasted no time working his way past competitors into the ninetieth position thru Km 140 with no troubles. When many of the other drivers were finding themselves stuck, over heating or experiencing navigational issues, Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch pressed thru in the Toyo Tires/TRAXXAS Gordini all the way up to the seventieth position by Km 180.

Knowing the stage was being cut short 34 Km, Gordon would set a consistent pace the last 30 Km with no mistakes to finish the Stage in 4 hours, 51 minutes, 28 seconds.

Gordon’s recorded time would be logged as the fifteenth quickest of the day only 52 minutes, 56 second behind the leaders.

Despite Gordon’s trouble-free free run, the tenth stage was topped by two Frenchman. As Stephan Peterhansel picked up his third win of 2016, winning the shortened Stage in a time of 3 hours, 58 minutes, 22 seconds, he was followed in second by fellow countryman and teammate Cyril Despres with a time of 4 hours, 4 minutes, 12 seconds. Claiming his first podium of the 2016 Rally, Vladimir Vasilyev of Russia completed the stage in 4 hours, 11 minutes, and 28 seconds to finish third, while Spaniard Nani Roma was credited with fourth with a time of 4 hours, 13 minutes, 5 seconds. Three-time Stage winner Sebastien Loeb would re-group after his Stage eight crash to round out the top five with a time of 4 hours, 16 minutes, and 12 seconds.

After ten stages of the 2016 Dakar Rally, Peterhansel has moved back into the overall lead opening up a gap 1 hour ahead of second place Qatar driver Nasser Al-Attiyah. South African Ginel De Villers would claim the third position 1 hour, 12 minutes, 31 seconds back, followed by Mikko Hirvonen of Finland in the fourth position 1 hour, 23 minutes, 51 seconds back. LeeRoy Poulter slides back into the top five 1 hour, 33 minutes, 58 seconds behind.

Robby Gordon’s fifteenth place finish today would move him up into the twenty-eighth position in the overall standings 10 hours, 24 minutes, and 22 seconds behind the winning pace of Peterhansel.

The level of difficulty for Thursday’s Stage 11 will remain the same as the last few days, as Gordon and the HST Gordini will tackle different varieties of terrain throughout the special, including the famous fesh-fesh of Argentina. Fesh-Fesh, a heavy form of sand will test the patience of Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch as they try to navigate that section without getting stuck. Other portions of the special will feature quick straight gravel sections that are more suited for cars that are set-up to excel on the WRC style course, the HST Gordni being one look for Gordon to cut more time off the overall deficit today.

Follow the quest for an American 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

NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) will provide daily highlights after each stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally at 5:30 p.m. ET. Check your local listings for exact time and channel for availability.

Dakar Rally Stage 9 Shortened, Gordon Credited with 25th, Creed DQ’d

BELEN, Argentina (January 10, 2016) – After a disastrous Stage 8 on Monday, Team SPEED teammates Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed looked to come back with a strong effort on Tuesday, and gain some time back on the leaders as the rally would move into the dunes for the first time.

The common theme of the 2016 Rally is weather, and once again it would become a major factor. This time not for heavy rain or hail, but extreme heat with temperatures exceeding 120 degrees, ASO officials decided the Special would be shortened by 100 km.

Toyo Tires/TRAXXAS driver Robby Gordon would start among the top 20 in the car division for Tuesday’s race after using his second elite driver professional. As gear issues in the previous stage relegated him to a disappointing 60th-place finish. The Stage 9 course presented many challenges with dust and complex navigation, but Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch were able to successfully race their way through the timed section and finish in a time of 4 hours, 21 minutes, 23 seconds which recorded them in the twenty-fifth position of the shortened special.

“Today’s special was one of the hardest I have scene in all of my Dakar’s, I’m just glad we were able to finish with no major issues,” Gordon stated after the completion of Stage 9.

However the story of the day for Team SPEED, would be the notification from ASO officials of the disqualification of Sheldon Creed from the 2016 Rally. Creed, the youngest starter ever in the Dakar’s history would encounter clutch troubles during Stage 8 after getting stuck, while stopped his Toyo Tires/KMC Wheels Gordini would get hit by two other competitors causing extensive damage to the right and left side.

Knowing his race vehicle was beat up, and the crew needed to get started on repairs right away for Stage 9, Creed bypassed a couple waypoints knowing he would be assessed a penalty. To the Team SPEED’s surprise today ASO officials determined his actions were severe enough to disqualify him from the rest of competition.

In his first rally race at the bright age of 18-years old, Creed the 2015 Stadium SUPER Trucks Champion, proved to everyone he is a driver that is able to compete at the highest of levels with the best drivers in the world, and will be a consistent contender for the win in any form of racing he competes in well into the future.

Creed went on to say, “I would like to thank Toyo Tires and Robby Gordon for believing in me, and giving me the opportunity to showcase my driving skills on a world-wide scale. This has been an absolute blast, and an experience I will remember for a lifetime. Looking forward to getting the 2016 Stadium SUPER Trucks season started in Australia in little over a month.”

In the front of the pack Spaniard Carlos Sainz picked up his second Stage win of 2016, winning the shortened Stage 9 in a time of 2 hours, 35 minutes, 31 seconds. Followed closely in second by Dutchman Erik Van Loon capturing his first podium finish of the 2016 Rally at 2 hours, 35 minutes, 41 seconds, just 10 seconds behind Sainz. Mikko Hirvonen of Finland completed the stage in 2 hours, 35 minutes, and 48 seconds to finish third, while South African Giniel De Villiers was credited with fourth with a time of 2 hours, 36 minutes, 9 seconds. Stage 8 Winner Nasser Al-Attiyah would round out the top five with a time of 2 hours, 37 minutes, and 35 seconds.

After nine stages of the 2016 Dakar Rally Sainz has moved back into the overall lead 7 minutes, 3 seconds ahead of second place Peterhansel. Al-Attiyah would claim the third position 14 minutes, 38 seconds back, followed by Hirvonen in the fourth position 34 minutes, and 50 seconds back, while South African De Villers holds the fifth position 53 minutes, 18 seconds behind.

Robby Gordon’s top twenty-five finish today would move him up to the thirtieth position in the overall standings 9 hours, 38 minutes, and 29 seconds behind.

Wednesday’s decisive tenth stage of the rally will bring competitors through the Fiamblala dunes, on the longest dune section in the history of the Rally. Traditionally the HST Gordini Supercar’s are very good in the dunes, but don’t look for Gordon to take any risky maneuvers that may take him out of contention of finishing the rally in the Top-25 with only four stages remaining.

Team SPEED Suffers Major Set Backs in Stage 8 of the 2016 Dakar Rally

BELEN, Argentina (January 9, 2016) – Following a respectable eleventh-place finish in the seventh stage of the 38th Dakar Rally, Robby Gordon and Team SPEED would have high hopes for the second half of the rally following the rest day on Sunday. However, those hopes were put to the side early on in Stage 8 as both Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed would encountered major set backs costing them valuable time on track.

Robby Gordon would start the stage in the eleventh position, within striking distance of the dominant leaders, but shortly after the start of the stage Gordon would make contact with a large rock causing extensive damage to the right front wheel. Teammate twenty-second starting Sheldon Creed would need to stop on course to assist Gordon with the repairs to his HST Gordini.

Although Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch were able to repair the damaged right front and get back up to race speed, the Toyo Tires/TRAXXAS HST Gordini lost over an hour of time and was passed by majority of the vehicles on the course during maintenance.

Shortly after assisting Gordon, Sheldon Creed would ran into his own problems as he became stuck in the sand, and would burn up the clutch, requiring additional assistance. As Creed and navigator Jonah Street were assessing the situation and attempting to make repairs with their distress beacon on, another competitor would come barreling through where they were and strike the Toyo Tires/KMC Wheels Gordini, causing extensive right and left side damage. Between the clutch issues and damage to the vehicle Creed was left significantly behind on the racecourse, but still able to press on once all was repaired.

Gordon who was able to press on and run nearly 300 km smoothly after repairs, would come to a rest again just kilometers from the finish with another issue. In the process of pushing the Gordni so hard to gain time back on the leaders, Gordon would over work the transmission and burn up the gears. Unable to get the car to move again, Gordon would look for a tow back to the bivouac. Luckily a T4 truck competitor strapped on, and towed the Toyo Tires/TRAXXAS HST Gordini to the finish at a blistering pace of nearly 80 mph. Despite being towed, Gordon will be able to start the ninth stage of the Rally on Tuesday provided there are no terminal engine issues.

Gordon would finish the stage in the sixtieth position, 7 hours, 54 minutes, and 46 seconds behind the leader, while Sheldon Creed would limp his beaten and battered Gordni home in the sixty-sixth position spot, 5 hours, 39 minutes, and 17 seconds behind.

Qatar driver Nasser Al-Attiyah picked up his first Stage win of 2016, winning Stage 8 in a time of 4 hours, 12 minutes, 23 seconds, followed closely by Spaniard Carlos Sainz at 4 hours, 12 minutes, 35 seconds, just 12 seconds behind. French drivers Stephan Peterhansel completed the stage in 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 54 seconds to finish third, while fellow countryman Cyril Despres finished fourth with a time of 4 hours, 17 minutes, 3 seconds. Mikko Hirvonen of Finland would round out the top five with a time of 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 5 seconds.

After eight stages of the 2016 Dakar Rally Peterhansel has moved back into the overall lead today after Stage 7 overall leader Loeb would flip over and loose over an hour making repairs. Sainz would claim the second position 2 minutes, 9 seconds back, followed by Stage 8 Winner Al-Attiyah in the third position 14 minutes, and 43 seconds back. Hirvonen holds the fourth position trailing 36 minutes, 42 seconds, while South African Leeroy Poulter holds the fifth position 49 minutes, 32 seconds behind.

The troubles Robby Gordon had in Stage 8 dropped him considerably in the overall standings to thirty-seventh place 7 hour, 54 minutes, and 46 second behind. Creed would also drop to the forty-second spot 9 hours, 12 minutes, 1 second back. Luckily for Team SPEED there is still five stages left to cut into their deficit in hopes of a top twenty overall finish and a Stage win.

Tuesday’s ninth stage of the rally will bring competitors on their second marathon stage, on a loop northwest of the city of Belen, Argentina through scattered dunes, river beds, and harder terrains and back to the bivouac in Belen before night fall. The scenario of Stage 9 is highly suited for the HST Gordini to do well, as long as navigators Kellon Walch and Jonah Street are able to keep a clear head and make the right navigational choices, you will see driver Gordon and Creed move up considerably from their deep in the field starting positions.

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

NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) will provide daily highlights after each stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally at 5:30 p.m. ET. Check your local listings for exact time and channel for availability.

Robby Gordon Claims 8th Place in Stage 5 of the 2016 Dakar Rally, Creed Finishes in 33rd

UYUNI, Bolivia (January 7, 2016) – Backing up his first top-ten finish during Stage 4, Robby Gordon claimed the eighth position on Thursday as Stage 5 brought competitors into the scenic country of Bolivia for the first time.

Starting the day in the 10th position, Gordon raced out to a blistering pace catching ninth place starter Argentina’s Orlando Terranova, and eighth place starter Nani Roma right out of the gate. Gordon would buzz Terranova 15-20 times for him to move over and allow them go by, but Terranova did not obey.

Being stuck in his dust would slow down the pace for Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch as they would make sure to hit each checkpoint and speed zone. The HST Gordini would get stuck for about 3 minutes towards the end of the special allowing the leaders to get away, forcing Gordon to finish Stage 5 in a time of 3 hours, 41 minutes, 54 seconds. Just 9 minutes, 20 seconds behind France’s Sebastien Loeb.

Sheldon Creed driving the second HST Gordini started the fifth stage in the 26th position, and experienced a day to remember for the young Dakar rookie. Starting off the stage in a conservative manor Creed passed three cars right away thru a large wash section, but would experience his first flat of the rally shortly after forcing him and navigator Jonah Street to stop and change it loosing valuable time.

Problems however did not stop there, as rain would visit the competitors once again. Normally that would not be an issue, but Creed’s windshield wipers stopped working during Stage 4. Being the first portion of a marathon stage mechanics were not allowed to work on the vehicles overnight. As the windshield began to fog up and visibility became very difficult Creed and Street opted to kick a hole in the glass to free up an area to see clearly. Creed would finish go on to finish the fifth stage in a time of 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 21 seconds in the 33 position, 46 minutes and 47 seconds behind the winner.

Loeb would go on to win Stage 5 in a time of 3 hours, 32 minutes, 34 seconds, followed closely by Spain’s Carlos Sainz at 3 hours, 32 minutes, 56 seconds. Stage 4 winner Stephan Peterhansel completed the stage in 3 hours, 35 minutes, and 34 seconds to finish third. Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar finished fourth with a time of 3 hours, 35 minutes, 41 seconds, while South Africa’s Leeroy Poulter would round out the top five in 3 hours, 38 minutes, and 41 seconds.

After five stages Loeb has increased his overall lead over Peterhansel by 7 minutes, and 48 seconds, followed by Carlos Sainz whom jumped back into the third position after Stage 5 with a time of 13 minutes, and 26 seconds back. Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah moves back to the fourth position trailing 14 minutes, 16 seconds, while South Africa’s Leeroy Poulter drops back to the fifth position 18 minutes, 38 seconds behind. After being assessed a 1 hour, 3 minute penalty during Stage 2, Robby Gordon currently sits in the twenty-fourth position 1 hour, 48 minutes, 52 second behind. Sheldon Creed’s holds claim to the twenty-eighth position 1 hour, 15 minutes, 51 seconds behind the leader Loeb after his minor visibility issues during Stage 5.

Friday’s sixth stage (723 km/ 449 mi) will take drivers on the longest special of the 2016 Rally, going 542 km (337 mi) deep into the Andes Mountains North of Uyuni, Bolvia, making a loop and heading back south to Uyuni for the evening. The competitors will once again hit the extreme altitudes between 3,500 m (11,483 ft) to 4,200 m (13,780 ft), which will fatigue the drivers and race machines as the pace and surfaces are ever altering throughout the stage between rock and sand. If weather becomes an issue again as it has since the start of the rally, this stage will see more competitors rally come to an end early.

Robby Gordon Claims First Top Ten Finish of 2016 Dakar Rally – Creed Finishes 26th

SAN SALVADOR DE JUJUY, Argentina (January 6, 2016) – Robby Gordon in his quest to become the first American to win the Dakar Rally, overcame two days of horrible course conditions to post his first top ten finish of the 38 Annual Dakar Rally on Wednesday.

Starting in the 19 position Robby Gordon broke out to a blistering pace working his way up to the 13 position by km 80 just 3 minutes and 47 seconds behind leader Frenchman Stephan Peterhansel. Pushing the HST Gordini supercar and his Toyo Tires to its maximum capacity at altitudes of 3,500 m (11,483 ft), Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch would gain time on the leaders in the sandy and rocky terrain, but would also loose time in certain portions that were noted as tricky navigational areas.

Gordon would go on to put a consistent run together at the end of the stage to finish in 3 hours, 51 minutes and 16 seconds, just 8 minutes and 34 seconds behind the time set by stage winner Peterhansel who finished in a time of 3 hours, 42 minutes and 42 seconds. The time was good enough to record Gordon’s first top-ten finish of the 2016 Rally, setting up a 10 place starting position for Stage 5 on Thursday in a special where the Gordini should be able to gain valuable time on the leaders and content for the stage win.

Team SPEED teammate Sheldon Creed would start stage 4 in the 28th position, and really showed positive driving throughout the day advancing all the way to the eighth position at one time. After being accessed a 10-minute penalty for speeding during one of the transfer sections, Creed would finish the fourth stage in a time of 4 hours, 4 minutes, and 20 seconds in the 26 position, just 21 minutes and 38 seconds behind the winner.

Peterhansel would go on to win Stage 4 in a time of 3 hours, 42 minutes, 42 seconds, followed closely by Spain’s Carlos Sainz at 3 hours, 42 minutes , 53 seconds and Stage 2 winner Sebastien Loeb of France completeing the stage in 3 hours, 43 minutes, and 9 seconds to finish third. Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar finished fourth with a time of 3 hours, 47 minutes, 39 seconds, while Cyril Despres of France would finish fifth in 3 hours, 48 minutes, and 26 seconds.

After four stages Loeb continues to hold the overall lead over Peterhansel by 4 minutes, and 48 seconds. Followed by 2015 Dakar Winner Nasser Al-Attiyah in third 11 minutes, and 9 seconds back. South Africa’s Leeroy Poulter moves into the top for the first time with the fourth position 12 minutes, 31 seconds behind, while Sainz rounds out the top five 13 minutes, and 4 seconds back. Sheldon Creed holds the twenty-fifth position 1 hour, 15 minutes, 51 seconds behind leader Loeb.

Thursday’s fifth stage (642 km/399 mi) will take drivers from San Salvador De Jujuy, Argentina to Uyuni, Bolivia for the second portion of the marathon stage. With altitudes increasing to around 4,600 m (15,092 feet) the fatigue of the Dakar will start to kick in for the drivers, navigators, and race vehicles. Generally in Dakar Rally history the fifth stage starts to separate the contenders from the rest of the pack. Navigators; Kellon Walch and Jonah Street will be on extremely high alert as Gordon and Creed cannot sacrifice loosing any more valuable time to the leaders.