Stage 11 Recap
San Juan, Argentina (January 13, 2010) - In Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally, competitors from Team HUMMER left Chile to begin their trek across Argentina back the finish line in Buenos Aires for the scheduled conclusion of the race on Saturday. The journey from Santiago to San Juan included dramatic changes in altitude as competitors travelled a total of 434 km and completed a 220 km timed special. The course allowed drivers to admire views of the famous Aconcagua, which is the highest mountain peak in the Americas. The day began with a trip through the Paso Libertadores, which is a mountain pass in the Andes Mountains that allowed competitors to cross into Argentina. The first fifty kilometers was the only portion of the rally completed at high altitude, but required mechanics to incorporate a setup that would compensate for a lack of power. Additionally, drivers had a make a conscious effort to take care of their brakes today to ensure they would last the entire descent of nearly 20 kilometers.
Robby Gordon in his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER finished seventh despite an inflation line problem that resulted in a tire change midway through the special. Without the issue, Gordon felt confident that he and navigator, Andy Grider could have taken another stage victory in the 2010 Dakar Rally; however, he finished five minutes behind Guerlain Chicherit. He remains 10th overall behind overall leader, Carlos Saniz.
The Vanguard HUMMER would finish 14th due to a brake line issue at the last leg of the stage. The duo hope to have better results during the last days of the 2010 Dakar Rally.
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Stage 12 Recap
San Rafael, Argentina (January 14, 2010) - Thursday marked the completion of Stage 12 for the 14-stage Dakar Rally. Before the stage even started, the drivers for Team HUMMER knew it would be a hard, challenging day. Stage 12 marked the longest stage of the rally measuring in at a total of 796 kilometers, with a 476 kilometer timed special. The trek from San Juan to San Rafael was expected to take drivers just over 11 hour to complete. About halfway through the special, drivers momentarily needed to use the road to avoid a classified and protected natural site. After that, the second half of the special was completed exclusively on sand where drivers faced areas of bumpy, fast track and several jumps. After successfully completing the special, drivers still needed to travel another 297 kilometers to reach the finish line in San Rafael.
With the 2010 Dakar Rally winding down to the final days, Stage 12 would be a great day for Robby Gordon and his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER. Gordon would finish the stage fifth, only 10 minutes and 56 seconds behind Carlos Sainz. The top-five finish moves Gordon to eighth in the overall standings, while Carlos Sainz continues to lead the field. Gordon and Sainz would end up battling each other during the stage for some of the most exciting racing during the Rally.
"Today was another good day for the Monster Energy / Toyo Tires team. During the first part of the special, we were really, really good. We lost some time when we got stuck in a silk bed; I think that we could have won the special had we not had gotten stuck. Given how strong the HUMMER was today, I know we have the capability to beat our competition. We have built a really good race team, and I'm sure with years to come we'll be great," commented Robby Gordon.
Overheating issues would plague the Vanguard HUMMER it started Stage 12. The Vanguard HUMMER started the stage, but it was 30 minutes late. Despite the overheating obstacle, the driver of the Vanguard HUMMER would finish 13th and moved up to 19th overall in the standings.
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Stage 13 Recap
Santa Rosa, Argentina (January 15, 2010) - Competitors in the 2010 Dakar Rally wrapped up Stage 13 on Friday and just one stage remains until the 2010 Dakar Rally champion is crowned. During Stage 13, drivers traveled from San Rafael to Santa Rosa on a 725 kilometer course, which was expected to take competitors nearly 9 hours to complete. The stage featuring a 368 kilometer timed special which started off with areas of fast, jumpy track. Despite being just a day away from the conclusion of the rally, drivers still faced several challenging areas to navigate throughout stage 13. For nearly 40 kilometers, drivers ran the risk of getting stuck in the gray sand of the Nihuil dunes, which are some of the last few dunes they will encounter during the 14-stage ally. Once they made it past the sand dunes, drivers experienced much larger and faster paths that allowed them to push their vehicles to the fastest speeds possible.
Robby Gordon and his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER would finish the stage eighth, still sitting ninth overall for the 2010 Dakar Rally. It would be an overall good day for Team HUMMER as the Vanguard HUMMER finished ninth, right behind Gordon. As the team heads back towards Buenos Aires for the final stage, they reflected on the events that unfolded during this year's Rally. Based on everything that they have learned, Gordon feels confident that they will be a force to reckon with for 2011.
"We went for it today and drove the Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER hard. I had Peterhasel in my sights, but Mark Miller had to change a tire and got stuck in front of us and held us up for at least 150 mile. When I tried to pass him in the rocks, we hit a big rock and had to change a tire. All in all, it was a good day for our Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER coming in eighth. I look forward for tomorrow's final stage heading into Buenos Aires; we will try to get another stage win for 2010 before I head back to the US for the Laughlin Desert Challenge," Robby Gordon commented about Stage 13.
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Stage 14 Recap
Buenos Aires, Argentina (January 16, 2010) - Saturday marked the 14th and final stage of the 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally. The rally came full circle as competitors drove 707 kilometers from Santa Rosa to the finish line in Buenos Aires, where the Dakar Rally began nearly two weeks ago. The key to the final stage was staying focused for the duration of the 206 kilometers timed special. The 14th special was composed of a series of very fast track that forced competitors to navigate their way through the Argentinean landscape with precision. After reaching the finish line in the village of San Carlos de Bolivar, drivers had to travel another 335 kilometers to the official finish line of the 2010 Dakar Rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Team HUMMER was "wide open" for the final stage as they tried to gain as much ground as they could before the conclusion of the race. Robby Gordon piloted his Monster Energy / Toy Tires HUMMER to a seventh place finish while his Vanguard teammate finished ninth. When the dust had settled from this year's Dakar Rally, the Monster HUMMER came home in eighth place overall roughly six hours behind this year's winner Carlos Sainz. The Vanguard HUMMER was 21st. As much as Robby Gordon and his team would have liked another podium finish, they are happy with a top-10 finish.
"Today was another good, consistent day for the Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER. We were wide open for miles and miles. In fact, it is the longest I've ever held the throttle open in the Monster HUMMER during the Rally. I really hoped that we could have brought home another stage win before the Rally concluded," commented Gordon on the final day of competition.
"We'll have to go back and go through all of our notes from this year so that we can be better for next year's Dakar Rally. A top-10 finish is still impressive considering just how difficult this race is - both on people and equipment. I am just disappointed that we didn't get another podium finish this year, but we will come back next year and be that much stronger because of it. We won't give up, and I'm confident in our race team that we have what it takes to be competitive against the world's best. We've proven that time and time again. We build great race cars and have a good team; we'll be back next year looking for a Dakar Rally overall win."
Provided by Team HUMMER