Charlotte, NC (Nov. 19, 2011) - Robby Gordon drew the 20th starting position for the 44th running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. The team immediately knew that the odds were against them to capture another Baja 1000 victory, but it was definitely a challenge that they were up for after finishing second last year only five minutes behind winner, Tavo Vildosola.

The trophy truck class was delayed by a jack-knifed semi-trailer blocking the course and was forced to restart approximately 10 miles outside of Ensenada, Mexico. With his sights set on a victory for his team, Gordon immediately starting to pick a few trucks, trying to get out of their dust early. A good battle with Pistol Pete around race mile 70 put him exactly were he wanted to be at this point in the race; he was sixth on the road and third overall on corrected time. Once the trucks made it to the highway, Gordon got just enough gas so he wouldn't get passed by the onslaught of trophy tucks that he had put behind him already.

Heading into San Felipe would bring some of the roughest terrain along with darkness that proved to be a problem for many competitors including Gordon. The SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires team pitted around race mile 250. In under 55 seconds, they added a light bar, two rear Toyo Tires and a tank full of gas, sending him on his way quickly. After the stop, he still was the sixth truck on the road, only minutes behind leader Bryce Menzies.

The team was getting set up for their next pit stop around race mile 400 when they heard some commotion on the radio. Just miles before the pit, Gordon and his navigator hit a burm at speeds close to 130MPH and rolled the truck. Even though most of the bodywork on the truck was destroyed, the truck landed back on its Toyo Tires. Having to limp to the race mile 400 pit with no lights and severe damage, the team thought their race was over. Luckily, the truck had no real mechanical issues; all it needed was a new set of Toyo Tires and more lights. After these adjustments, Gordon was on his way again. The crash would send him back to ninth place on the road and nearly 45 minutes back of the leaders.

Knowing that the crash set them back, Gordon put the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires trophy truck into overdrive. Over the next 100 miles heading into Valley Trinidad, he would make up 25 minutes on the leader, proving the truck and driver still had their sights on the finish line. Deep into the night, the few lights that Gordon had left on his truck would hinder his efforts of gaining on the leaders. By the time he got to race mile 645, his lights were bent down. He had to stop to fix them when he got to the arch way heading back into Ensenada. Despite yet another setback, Gordon was sixth on the road and looking for a top-5 finish with only a handful of miles to go.

Heading back into the muddy washes of Ensenada, Gordon had tracked down the first truck off the line (Jesse James) and had him in his sights to pass. James rolled onto his side as Gordon went for the pass. Unfortunately for Gordon, his truck would come to a halt just 2 miles before the finish. A broken drive shaft stopped the No. 77 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires in its tracks. Having to push the truck out of the mud, the team changed the driveshaft losing an hour and a half to the overall winner. Without the failed part, Gordon and the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires team would have finished fifth about 25 minutes behind winner, Andy McMillan.

It was a day of adversity and perseverance for the team as the No.77 finally crossed the finish line at 5:30AM local time. "We missed a turn at the 390-mile mark, and we crashed the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires trophy truck. We were running 130 before that so we probably hit the ground at 100; it was a big one. I haven't crashed that hard in a long time. Then literally two miles from the finish line, the drive shaft broke but I'm sure it broke because of the crash. The back of the truck moved over about three inches because of the crash so the drive shaft probably got jarred pretty hard," Gordon commented after finishing eighth in the Trophy Truck class and tenth overall. "Toyo Tires were great, just awesome. We just never have any problems with them. I think with SPEED Energy we are gaining more exposure for the brand and changing the desert from green to orange."

Next event for the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires Off-Road racing team is the 2012 Dakar Rally where Robby Gordon looks for redemption from an early exit last year.