Arctic Cat Presents Race and Ride Contest with Robby Gordon

Arctic Cat Inc. (ACAT) today announced it is launching the “Race and Ride with Robby Gordon” contest. The Grand Prize winner will race an Arctic Cat Wildcat™ X with Robby Gordon during the Stadium Super Trucks race at the Sand Sports Super Show in Costa Mesa, Calif., on September 16-18, 2016. The Grand Prize also includes a two-night stay in Orange County, Calif., for the winner and a guest.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160229006888/en/

Commented Arctic Cat Chief Marketing Officer Greg Williamson: “We continue to look for ways to give our dealers and customers the ultimate off-road driving experience. We can’t imagine a more thrilling way to do this than to give them the opportunity to race one of our exciting 2016 Wildcat X machines, alongside a legend like Robby Gordon and in front of thousands of race fans.”

The “Race and Ride with Robby Gordon” contest starts on March 1, 2016, and ends on July 30, 2016. It is open to U.S. and Canadian residents who are 21 years of age or older at the time of entry. No purchase is necessary to win. All contest ballots will be available at participating Arctic Cat dealerships and online at www.arcticcat.com/race-and-ride, where fans may download the entry form and get a glimpse of this exciting opportunity by watching video highlights from last year’s race. Completed ballots must be placed into a ballot box found only at participating Arctic Cat dealerships to be entered for a chance to win. Contest information and rules will be posted on Arctic Cat’s website and in participating dealerships.

The Arctic Cat Stadium Side-by-Side (SXS) Racing Series was launched last year with overwhelming success, as the undercard, or lead-in race, to the main event at Robby Gordon’s wildly popular Stadium Super Truck (SST) Series events. The Arctic Cat Stadium SXS Series features 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.

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.

Team SPEED Rebounds in Dakar Rally Stage 3 with Robby Gordon Finishing 16th and Sheldon Creed 25th

SAN SALVADOR DE JUJUY, Argentina (January 5, 2016) – Team SPEED drivers Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed successfully rebounded from Stage 2 struggles in the 38th Annual Dakar Rally to finish the weather shortened Stage 3 from Termas De Rio Hondo to San Salvador De Jujuy respectively in the 16th and 25th positions.

Robby Gordon, starting 24th after a troublesome second stage, which involved getting stuck in the mud and loosing 15 minutes to the leaders, would manage to drive aggressively and overtake 8 cars in Tuesday’s weather shortened 200 km (124.3 mi) special, which presented slick course conditions and difficult visibility for a second day.

Gordon’s finishing time of 2 hours, 19 minutes and 7 seconds cut valuable time off his deficit to the leaders, and would give Gordon a much better starting position in Wednesday’s loop stage.

Team SPEED teammate Sheldon Creed after being accessed a 3-minute penalty after Monday’s Stage 2, Creed would start in the 37th position on Tuesday.

Showing the world why he is the 2015 Stadium SUPER Trucks champion and X-Games Gold Medalist, Creed did not let his age and lack of rally experience get in his way advancing twelve positions to finish with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes, 20 seconds, just 14 minutes, and 41 seconds behind the leader.

France’s Sebastien Loeb would win the stage in a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 39 seconds. Spain’s Carlos Sainz followed at 2 hours, 11 minutes , 2 seconds while defending Dakar Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar ran the stage in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 4 seconds to finish third. Giniel de Villiers of South Africa finished fourth with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 41 seconds, while Mikko Hirvonen of Finland finish fifth in 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 28 seconds.

After two stages Loeb holds the overall lead over de Villiers by 5 minutes, and 3 seconds. Followed by France’s Stephan Peterhansel in third 5 minutes, and 5 seconds back. Hirvonen holds the fourth position 5 minutes, 52 seconds behind, while Al-Attiyah rounds out the top five 6 minutes, and 39 seconds back. Robby Gordon sits in the seventeenth overall position 27 minutes, and 25 seconds behind, with teammate Sheldon Creed holds the twenty-ninth position 53 minutes, 40 seconds behind leader Loeb.

Wednesday’s fourth stage (629 km/391 mi, with a 429 km/ 266 mi special) will take drivers around a loop beginning in San Salvador De Jujuy, and traveling well into the Andes Mountains reaching elevations of 3,500 meters (11,483 feet). This will be a challenge not only the drivers, but the cars as well. The high altitude mixed with the summer temperatures of the southern hemisphere, and the incessant changes in pace resulting from alternating sandy and rocky terrain will have exhausted drivers and cars itching to return back to the San Salvador De Jujuy bivouac for the night.

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 22nd, Sheldon Creed 33rd In Stage 2 Of The 2016 Dakar Rally

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

Stage 1 Of The 2016 Dakar Rally Cancelled Due To Bad Weather

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.