Dakar Rally updates!

[SoCal_fun]

Robby Gordon up to 14th for stage 2. I think he started 53rd.. Not bad! Go RG!! Go Hummer!! :220v:
There is a daily show on OLN now until the end of the rally!
Standings
RANKING OVERALL CAR Pos. N° Name Make Time Variation Penalty
1 307 SAINZ / SCHULZ VOLKSWAGEN 02:30:48 00:00:00
2 302 ALPHAND / PICARD MITSUBISHI 02:34:33 00:03:45
3 304 ROMA / MAGNE MITSUBISHI 02:35:02 00:04:14
4 301 SABY / PERIN VOLKSWAGEN 02:35:10 00:04:22
5 311 SOUSA / LURQUIN NISSAN 02:35:20 00:04:32
6 306 MASUOKA / MAIMON MITSUBISHI 02:36:23 00:05:35
7 303 KLEINSCHMIDT / PONS VOLKSWAGEN 02:36:37 00:05:49
8 308 AL ATTIYAH / GUEHENNEC BMW 02:37:30 00:06:42
9 300 PETERHANSEL / COTTRET MITSUBISHI 02:37:35 00:06:47
10 322 CHICHERIT / BAUMEL BMW 02:37:35 00:06:47
11 309 MILLER / VON ZITZEWITZ VOLKSWAGEN 02:37:40 00:06:52
12 305 DE VILLIERS / THORNER VOLKSWAGEN 02:38:41 00:07:53
13 323 HOLOWCZYC / FORTIN NISSAN 02:39:13 00:08:25
14 335 GORDON / SKILTON HUMMER 02:39:17 00:08:29
Dakar Rally link
http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/200/index.html

[fred515]

RG is 8th overall after stage 3.

[Riverkid]

If his car holds up all those other guys are going to have trouble beating him...

[fred515]

Thats for sure I hope him or Miller wins it that would be something.

[Squirtin Thunder]

Thats for sure I hope him or Miller wins it that would be something.
The only way Gordon could win this is if Miller keeps the reigns pulled tight on Gordon. I mean Robby is his own worst enemy.

[SoCal_fun]

The only way Gordon could win this is if Miller keeps the reigns pulled tight on Gordon. I mean Robby is his own worst enemy.
Maybe in Indycars, or NASCAR, but not offroad. :argue: This is where he shines. As long as the equipment holds up, great chance of smoking the pack! :)

[Squirtin Thunder]

Maybe in Indycars, or NASCAR, but not offroad. :argue: This is where he shines. As long as the equipment holds up, great chance of smoking the pack! :)
Robby has a problem he always over drives the car. And that is what causes equiptment failure.

[Boa1277]

With the exception of the 3rd stage the first 2 were very user friendly to the Rally style of car, stage 3 was just a teaser of what is coming, does Lance Armstrong hitting the mountain stages of the Tour De France sound familiar, that is what is coming Robby is going to destroy the other teams once he gets to the more difficult sand and whoop sections that are coming. I believe stages 4 thru 6 are really going to show everyone whats up. If he does not have a mechanical he will should really put time on his competitors and take over the lead. Go Team USA screw the Euros

[superdave013]

I thought those Hummers were slower then the second comming of christ.
Anyone have a pic of RG's race rig? To bad he can't drive a TT.

[Boa1277]

Here you go
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/3063jumpstart.jpg
This is actually a class 1 buggy with a carbon fiber body on it.

[Boa1277]

Here is another one.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/306306dakar_2_02_resize-thumb.jpg
Try out these websites lot of good info. The live tracking is awesome to bad they dont have this for Score....
http://www.flyhiflylo.blogspot.com/
http://tracking.dakar.com/ASO/iritrack_v7_us.html
http://www.robbygordon.com/cms/publish/index.shtml
http://www.usadakar.com/

[Squirtin Thunder]

I thought those Hummers were slower then the second comming of christ.
Anyone have a pic of RG's race rig? To bad he can't drive a TT.
Dave robbys' Hummer was designed on a TT platform from what I have read and seen.

[Boa1277]

It is not a Trophy Truck by any means, a TT has a solid rear axle, and Robbys Hummer is independent rear suspension check out the links above and you can really appreciate what this effort is about. Here is a quote from Robby after this stage, I sure hope his navigator is up to the challenge, I know Robby can drive it.
""Gordon wryly admitted, after arriving in Er Rachidia, that he’d made an error at the start, which probably cost them the overall win for the stage. “We made a great run off the line, passing both Jean Louis Schlesser (the eventual winner) and Stephane Peterhansel’s Mitsubishi, but then I looked off to the left and saw one of the BMW X3s fast disappearing in the dust. Knowing how well this team had been doing I instinctively elected to follow and soon realized he was lost. Darren (Skilton), my navigator, had been tracking our line in the heavy dust and soon pointed out that we were seriously off-course; we had to double back and I suspect we lost at least two minutes.” Gordon eventually re-passed both Schlesser and Peterhansel, but his elapsed time for the stage still put the Hummer team in fifth overall 1 minute and 30 seconds behind the leaders. “This is an incredibly large and confusing area of the earth; it’s very easy to trust your racing instinct instead of the route book and your navigator…I won’t make that mistake again,” said Gordon. “The positive point of the lesson was that we were able to catch and repass both Schlesser and Peterhansel; that proved the Hummer’s capabilities for us and gives us tremendous confidence for tomorrow’s start.
"

[Woodster]

His Hummer is based off of a Class1 desert race car.. It has a Corvette LsX engine in it( I think around 450HP?) He was out at Glamis last month testing it getting ready for the Dakar race.. He could win it for sure once he gets out of the Rally type stages and into the more open desert racing

[SoCal_fun]

Robby has a problem he always over drives the car. And that is what causes equiptment failure.
If the equipment can't hold up to Robby's talent, how is that his fault :rolleyes: (unless it's one that he built, such as the Hummer). lol!
The damm FORDs he used to drive in CART were always letting him down, wasn't his fault though! :argue: Same in NASCAR, if he could keep an engine under him (and keep the competition out of his way, LOL!!).
I wish Robby all the best, he's alot of fun to watch! :boxed:

[Squirtin Thunder]

If the equipment can't hold up to Robby's talent, how is that his fault :rolleyes: (unless it's one that he built, such as the Hummer). lol!
The damm FORDs he used to drive in CART were always letting him down, wasn't his fault though! :argue: Same in NASCAR, if he could keep an engine under him (and keep the competition out of his way, LOL!!).
I wish Robby all the best, he's alot of fun to watch! :boxed:
I agree the problem is that most all of Robbys' cars have come from his shops, except the few years at RCR.

[Squirtin Thunder]

It is not a Trophy Truck by any means, a TT has a solid rear axle, and Robbys Hummer is independent rear suspension check out the links above and you can really appreciate what this effort is about. Here is a quote from Robby after this stage, I sure hope his navigator is up to the challenge, I know Robby can drive it.
I personally watch the documentry on the build and Robby said it was based one his TTs. I think he is a great racer. I might not like him as a person but I do wish him luck, for the U.S. in this race and yes he has an out of control talent. His co driver is the only way they will win this race. That is my $ .02

[Ivan Dan]

I personally watch the documentry on the build and Robby said it was based one his TTs. I think he is a great racer. I might not like him as a person but I do wish him luck, for the U.S. in this race and yes he has an out of control talent. His co driver is the only way they will win this race. That is my $ .02
RG's Hummer started as a Class 1 buggy he (his shop) built for Cam Theiriot. Cam raced it for a season or so and RG bought it back from him for this project. His co-driver is Darren Skilton who is a very experienced off-road racer himself.

[superdave013]

ok, I did a little reading. Robbie ran a VW last year and had the ride again this year. VW has 6 cars with a 100 million $$ budget. (110 mil, now that's just sick) RG turned that ride down to run one of his own rigs.
Anyone can say what they will but that's just bad a$$ if you ask me. His shop is less then 1 mile from mine. I'll root for the local underdog anytime.
And they thought they were safe when Lance left the tour.

[Ivan Dan]

ok, I did a little reading. Robbie ran a VW last year and had the ride again this year. VW has 6 cars with a 100 million $$ budget. (110 mil, now that's just sick) RG turned that ride down to run one of his own rigs.
Anyone can say what they will but that's just bad a$$ if you ask me. His shop is less then 1 mile from mine. I'll root for the local underdog anytime.
And they thought they were safe when Lance left the tour.
Yes this is correct and actually RG was offered $400k to race the Toureg for VW and he turned it down. He said the VW handled like $hit and wanted to do his own deal. The Hummer he is racing now is basically a class 1 unlimited buggy that is VERY VERY fast. I guarantee the Hummer handles 100 x's better than any of the other cars out there and if it holds together he will win. I too am rooting for RG and would love to see him put together a win for the first US victory in Dakar.

[coolchange]

I know some guys runnin in this on a SIDECAR! If they finish it will be a first for a sidecar.

[coolchange]

Thats funny, RG the under dog.

[mbrown2]

I hope RG can hold it together....always good to see the American's stepping up in race owned by the Euros..
Bitchen Pic..
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1988/1968/1600/HUMMER_MEDIA_DAY_22.1.jpg

[Boa1277]

I personally watch the documentry on the build and Robby said it was based one his TTs. I think he is a great racer. I might not like him as a person but I do wish him luck, for the U.S. in this race and yes he has an out of control talent. His co driver is the only way they will win this race. That is my $ .02
The documentary was correct, in saying the hummer part of the car was based off his Trophy Truck, that is how they made the carbon fiber body, the actual car though is a modified class 1 I have followed this the whole way and if you go to his website it tells you how the Hummer came into life. Ivan Dan is right on the money when he says Cam originally purchased this class 1 car from Robby, and he bought it back for the Dakar.
Now on a race update note, go to live tracking something is going on he either broke or got lost but he was held up a check point 2 or right after for quite awhile, that sucks I will keep you posted, or go to the link in previous posts for your own live update....... :(

[SoCal_fun]

The documentary was correct, in saying the hummer part of the car was based off his Trophy Truck, that is how they made the carbon fiber body, the actual car though is a modified class 1 I have followed this the whole way and if you go to his website it tells you how the Hummer came into life. Ivan Dan is right on the money when he says Cam originally purchased this class 1 car from Robby, and he bought it back for the Dakar.
Now on a race update note, go to live tracking something is going on he either broke or got lost but he was held up a check point 2 or right after for quite awhile, that sucks I will keep you posted, or go to the link in previous posts for your own live update....... :(
Damm! :mad:

[Boa1277]

Robby had transmission problems he is over 3hrs behind leaders, they are hoping they can get back to Quaratzee to repair the car, his chances of winning the overall are very slim, hopefully he will be able to get car fixed and win a few stages.
So now I am going to really cheer for the Mark Miller team, yeah he is driving for VW but he is American and that is what really counts, I still pick Robby to win a couple of stages and I bet he finishes pretty high in the standing if he gets things back together...

[h2oski2fast]

Robby had transmission problems he is over 3hrs behind leaders, they are hoping they can get back to Quaratzee to repair the car, his chances of winning the overall are very slim, hopefully he will be able to get car fixed and win a few stages.
So now I am going to really cheer for the Mark Miller team, yeah he is driving for VW but he is American and that is what really counts, I still pick Robby to win a couple of stages and I bet he finishes pretty high in the standing if he gets things back together...
Way to stay loyal. LOL

[Riverkid]

Did anyone else see the footage of Robby racing Cam's car at Laughlin? That car has a way back CG and the 95+mph wheelies he was pulling were just sick! He runs everything to the absolute limit. Let's hope he gets the trans fixed and is back to a 100% car for the next stage.
I could care less about the asphalt rumors. I just love to watch him drive in the dirt!!! .They were finishing that car up when they lifted my truck and it is just sick!!! The fab guys he has under the roof are just amazing. Pretty freaking ambitious of him and I hope he pulls it off.

[SoCal_fun]

Still gonna root for Robby! Hope he's able to win some stages as has been said. Wonder what it was that failed.
It's only his first year with that Hummer, and they only had 90 days to get it together. If they can get the bugs worked out and come back next year, watch out.

[SoCal_fun]

From Robbys email updates:
ROBBY GORDON HUMMER TEAM DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Stage four of the Dakar Rally from Er Rachidia to Quarzazate, in the North African desert kingdom of Morocco, should have been Robby Gordon’s day to move his “Dakar” Hummer H3 from eighth overall into the top five, but unexpected transmission problems have drastically slowed the American team, dropping them some 3 hours and 51 minutes to the race’s new overall leader, the Spaniard, Carlos Sainz.
Gordon had placed a brilliant fifth overall on the previous day’s Third Stage, a difficult dust filled run, from the North African port of Nador deep into the Moroccan desert to the finishing point at the town of Er Rachidia. Gordon’s run had raised his position in the overall scoring from 14th to eighth overall. That very advantageous starting position for this morning’s stage from Er Rachidia to Quarzazate had given Gordon and navigator Darren Skilton great confidence that they’d soon be challenging the race leaders for the overall position, even though they were eight minutes down on total time. “Yesterday we had the chance to run head to head with Jean-Louis Schlesser (the eventual winner of Stage 3) in his specially built V8 powered desert racer,” said Gordon, “and our Hummer H3 performed flawlessly.” The Frenchman, a long-time competitor in the Saharan classic finished some 12 minutes ahead of Gordon on total accumulated time but Gordon was unfazed by the seeming deficit. “We proved yesterday that we had the combination of power and handling to beat Schlesser, so today we simply have to make up the time,” said Gordon before the start.
Once this morning’s race had begun, on the timed “Special” middle stage of the Er Rachidia-Quarzaate trail, Gordon’s Hummer quickly began to demolish Schlesser’s time advantage for the race. “He had a solid 12 minutes on us at the start and we were seven cars back with two minutes spacing between us, so he had disappeared by the time we took to the course. Our Hummer was doing really well and we’d gained almost everything we’d lost when we began to realize that we had a serious transmission problem. A drive flange finally failed, which killed any chance of us taking the overall win.”
Fortunately Gordon was able to signal another competitor, who relayed the information of the problem to Gordon’s crew, which was awaiting his arrival in Quarzazate. Gordon and Skilton managed to keep the transmission working sufficiently to limp along at a frustratingly slow pace, but their tenacity paid off in that the two were able to cross the finish line, even though it took them 7 hours and 44 minutes to get there. The official finish for the stage will keep Gordon in the race, provided he and his crew can get the Hummer back to Quarzazate and cross the finish line of the Liasion stage in time to make the cut-off time to be an official finisher, and be qualified to start tomorrow’s Fifth Stage from Quarzazate to Tan Tan on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco. “There’s little chance now for an overall win,” said Gordon when questioned about his chances, “but if we can repair the transmission in time to start tomorrow, we can, and certainly will continue. This race has just begun and there will be several more chances to win one of the remaining Special Stages."

[Boa1277]

Hey I am truly loyal to the Robby Gordon effort I have known the kid since the 8th grade, but I am also a realist 3hrs 51minutes is a huge deficit to overcome for the overall win, if he does it I will probably be just as happy as he is (probably)LOL, but I really want USA to do well, if Robby cant, then hopefully Miller will, I also hope Grider and Blais kick butt in the MX class. I guess I am a pro USA, which I am very proud of..... :)

[coolchange]

Damn, my sidecar buddies are out in the third stage with a counter shaft failure. :mad:

[Cs19]

Did anyone else see the footage of Robby racing Cam's car at Laughlin? That car has a way back CG and the 95+mph wheelies he was pulling were just sick!
I was there and saw that.I thought that car looked like carried itself extremely well through the whoops.

[Squirtin Thunder]

Is Gordon Back in yet ???

[Boa1277]

Here is a report of the 5th stage, Miller got 2nd in the stage making time up on the overall leaders. Robby is back and kicking but, he got 19th for the day moving up 25 spots in the overall competition,Gordon went from 69th to 44th he is going to have to start winning some stages if he hopes to make up time on the leaders, it must be hard to do that starting 119th anyone who has ever been to a desert race realizes the dust and traffic factor.....
This came off Robbys website
Stage 5: Update
TEAM DAKAR USA > News > Stage Report
Posted by on Jan 4, 2006, 10:04
Gordon began the day in the same position that he completed yesterday's stage - 119th. He completed the 217 mile special in 4'09" and was the 48th car to cross the finish line meaning he had passed 71 cars on the day. The overall performace with adjusted time was good enough for a 19th place finish on the day wich will move the Hummer up in the starting order for tommorows stage. Gordon improved his overall classificaton to 44th from 69th

[superdave013]

thanks for the updates man. I've been checking this thread everyday so please keep 'em comming.
It sounds like he's not going to Lance Armstrong them this year but I sure hope he pulls of a good finish.

[Boa1277]

This is the best link I have found so far for good info on the Dakar, all of the others, with the exception of the actual competitors websites, are mini versions of this one.....
http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/500/depeches.html

[Boa1277]

thanks for the updates man. I've been checking this thread everyday so please keep 'em comming.
It sounds like he's not going to Lance Armstrong them this year but I sure hope he pulls of a good finish.
No problem on the updates, unfortunately I will be leaving town tomorrow and will not be home until Sunday, so hopefully someone else will continue the updates, I will gladly start again on Monday.. Have a great weekend everyone...

[Ivan Dan]

No problem on the updates, unfortunately I will be leaving town tomorrow and will not be home until Sunday, so hopefully someone else will continue the updates, I will gladly start again on Monday.. Have a great weekend everyone...
No problem I will handle the updates for ya while you are gone.
TEAM DAKAR USA STORMS BACK
GORDON HUMMER MAKES INCREDIBLE RECOVERY ON DAY 5 OF DAKAR
American Racer Robby Gordon’s “never give up” philosophy pays off in stage 5 run from Quarzatate to Tan Tan Morocco.
After three brilliant days on the Dakar Rally, Robby Gordon and navigator Darren Skilton had moved their specially built “Dakar Hummer H3” from a 35th starting position in Lisbon Portugal to fifth in Er Richidia, Morroco. On day four, from Er Richidia to Quarzazate, Gordon had the Hummer in contention for the overall win when a small bolt in the transmission failed, almost putting the Hummer completely out of the race. Only Gordon’s skill as a mechanic saved the moment as he had to repeatedly climb under the car and disassemble one of the transmission’s halfshafts to reattach the failing component. He did this six times in the desert finally completing the timed stage just two minutes from being disqualified for being past the allowed time. Then he had to limp over a hundred miles back to the liaison finish line to officially complete the fourth day of competition. Gordon arrived at 10:30 in the evening. This is when Gordon’s ace six-man crew went into action. The transmission was replaced with a new one, but the failing part had to be “re-engineered” so it wouldn’t fail again. The solution was simply to weld the suspect bolt into position so it couldn’t move. After an all-night thrash the Hummer was ready to run just as dawn was breaking over the Atlas Mountains in the far distance.
Gordon’s last finishing place from the night before relegated the team to 120th on the morning’s starting grid. “Through no fault of our own we went from the lead to so far back we could barely see the lead cars when they left the starting line. This was a real set back as this was the stage (from Quarzazate to Tan Tan) that Robby and I really felt we could win,” said Skilton after the finish.
Nevertheless Gordon moved from 120th up to 45th. “There was incredible dust on this leg, as we were far enough into the race where the cars are now combined with the trucks in overall finishing order, so that determines the start order for the next day,” said Skliton “If we’d started in front we could have made excellent time but we had to drive smart, taking no chances. We know this race has just begun. There are thousands of miles yet to cover across the roughest part of Africa. Robby passed some 70 cars before we began smelling oil. Not knowing the cause we had to stop and try to solve the problem but we could only determine the reservoir was low, so we topped up and cruised in to Tan Tan. The Hummer seems to be running fine, but we won’t know the source of the leak for sure until the crew gets on it.”
To make things even more interesting, officials have determined day six will be a “marathon leg” so the morning’s start time will come before dawn. The crew, having had to drive straight through from Quarzazate; leaving just as the car was finished, has had little sleep and is now working on the car to get it ready for the early morning start.
The good news? Gordon’s good finish today has moved the Hummer team back up the starting order, into contention for a top-10 overall finish. We’ll know more by tomorrow evening.

[1978 Rogers]

My money is on Mitsubishi. They've dominated.

[Ivan Dan]

My money is on Mitsubishi. They've dominated.
Bad bet in my opinion.....Mark Miller and VW are in perfect position to take the overall.

[1978 Rogers]

I'll have to stay posted on whats happening from you guys and the web site. I don't get OLN on cable. :mad:
The last time I watched every race was when Mitsu took 1, 2 & 3. I don't remember, that was 03 I think. I think it pretty amazing just the finish the thing. Talk about endurance. :crossx:

[superdave013]

Dan, you are the man! Tnaks for the update. That's bad a$$.
Mitsubishi built the planes that shot bullits at my grandpappy. F those guys!

[superdave013]

Update::
"An 11th place finish in the sixth stage of the 15 stage Dakar Rally has once again vaulted Team Dakar USA up in the overall classification. Gordon, who was as high as eight in the overall standings after stage three, dropped to 69th after suffering a transmission problem in stage four. Since then the duo of Gordon and Skilton have logged two stong stages and are working their way back to the top-10. Beginning the day, Gordon was in the 45th position. After today the No. 335 Hummer H3 is now four hours and 28 minutes back of the lead car of Giniel De Villiers."
Miller finshed 10th also!!
Oh, Gorden is now 27th overall. I'd say that's pretty smokin seeing as he finished one stage DEAD LAST!

[Ivan Dan]

Earlier reports from Africa indicated that Robby Gordon and his Hummer H3 Dakar effort had "crashed heavily" while competing in the seventh stage of the famed Dakar Rally. There was no crash, and communication directly from Gordon and his navigator Darren Skilton indicate, that while the car is down for repairs, it is for a broken radiator and clutch problem. While night has arrived in Mauritania, and repairs are obviously difficult, every effort is being made to return the Hummer to competition when the race resumes Sunday. Saturday is a day off for all competitors. An overall victory is clearly impossible, however, should Gordon and Skilton make the necessary and expected repairs to the vehicle, the tandem will have eight more race days in which to secure stage victories. More information will be provided regarding the status of the repairs as they are made available.

[Boatcop]

Looks like he's done. Or at least very close to being done.
American racer Robby Gordon’s effort to win the famed Dakar Rally may have come to an abrupt end in the vast sand dunes of the North African desert today. Gordon and Navigator Darren Skilton were making the fast and dangerous run from Zouerat to Atar in their Hummer H3 on the seventh day of the two-week event when they crashed heavily on the face of a huge sand dune.
Both Gordon and Skilton emerged unscathed but the Hummer’s radiator was destroyed and the clutch was shattered trying to extract the car from the grip of the huge dune. The rules of the event dictate that any race team receiving outside-assistance is automatically disqualified, so the chances are that even if Gordon can extract the car, the fact he had to rebuild the car on site with parts brought in by his crew may well eliminate him from the race. Gordon was in touch with his chase crew and had given them GPS coordinates as to the Hummer’s location, but maps do not show any roads leading to the area. There are faint tracks across the desert, but are not permanent so anyone trying to locate Gordon and Skilton is doing so under the most difficult circumstances.
The organizing body of the Lisbon-Dakar event has given the Gordon team special codes to allow their GPS system to function in the area and at least get them to Check Point 2, where Gordon was headed when he crashed. From there the crew would have to back track on the faintly marked course for some 14 kms to find the area of dunes where the Hummer is marooned.
It’s night now and without local guides to help the crew backtrack from CP2, the chances of finding Gordon before daylight are slim. Gordon had been making remarkable time in the last two days of the rally, recovering from transmission failure on the third day of the event, which had dropped the Jim Beam and Toyo Tire sponsored Hummer from 14th to 124th. Gordon’s crew worked round the clock to have him ready for the next day’s dawn start and Gordon responded by moving up to 45th.
Another all-night thrash by Gordon’s ace crew, to make even further repairs to the Hummer, finally gave Gordon one of the fastest cars in the race and he climbed to 11th in the standings, a position he’d used for this morning’s start on the run from Zouerat to Atar. Gordon had roared through Check Point 1 (CP1) still in 11th but was expected to close on the Top-10 race leaders in the final portion of the day’s run because the conditions of the course in that area were so favorable to the Hummer’s chassis. The line through the dunes was expected to delay many race competitors and there were reports of many crashes in the area.
It was not a good day for American racers. Top KTM motorcycle team rider Andy Grider from California was airlifted out with a broken femur, as result of a crash in the dunes. California desert racer Mark Miller, driving for VW this year rolled his Touareg but still managed to finish 15th, down from third overall yesterday.

[Ivan Dan]

Looks like he's done. Or at least very close to being done.
This is supposedly not true atleast the part about crashing.

[Boatcop]

This is supposedly not true atleast the part about crashing.
I got that article directly from Robby's people. And the DAKAR live scoring still has him in the same location he was in 8 hours ago. I'm pretty sure there's a time limit to complete a stage, before they're DQd. If that's the case, you can stick a fork in him.

[Boatcop]

On re-examining the situation, let's hope you're right, Dan.
The message you posted above mine is a later update than the one I got. Mine came out at 3:50 PM (AZ time) and the one you put up at 5:15.
Hopefully he'll get back into this thing.

[Ivan Dan]

On re-examining the situation, let's hope you're right, Dan.
The message you posted above mine is a later update than the one I got. Mine came out at 3:50 PM (AZ time) and the one you put up at 5:15.
Hopefully he'll get back into this thing.
Ya thats kind of how I took it too. It was a mistake and they sent out a corrected version of the article. Keepin my fingers crossed! Mark Miller is tearing it up though.

[1978 Rogers]

Bad bet in my opinion.....Mark Miller and VW are in perfect position to take the overall.
Its a tough call for me.
15:28 - auto
Peter hits back in style
Title holder Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) conquered the day’s stage in the car class. The Frenchman clocked the fastest time ahead of USA’s Marc Miller (Volkswagen), 1’12" adrift. Third was Nani Roma at 2’20". The overall lead remains in the hands of Carlos Sainz who finished 9th today.

[Boatcop]

Turn out the lights..........
American racer Robby Gordon’s attempt to win the famed Dakar Rally in his first try as a team owner/driver came within half an hour of becoming a reality before a large clump of camel grass hidden behind a huge sand dune ended his chances. Gordon was making the treacherous Special Stage run over open desert, in fading light, between Zouerat and Atar, Mauritania when he came over a dune and found the sandy crest breaking away under him. Instead of landing in soft sand on the other side the Hummer impacted a large patch of native grass filled with hard sand known as “camel grass.” The otherwise minor impact pushed the front bumper bar through the grill of the Hummer which punctured the radiator.
Given that these set-backs are not uncommon in the Dakar, and even expected, Gordon his navigator Darren Skilton were not deterred and immediately began repairing the H3. All the water had drained from the system, so Gordon used on-board tools to saw the six-square-inch damaged section out of the radiator. He then pinched off the torn coolant tubes and sealed off the remaining damage with epoxy. Amazingly, the system held water so the only remaining problem was extricating the Hummer from the deep bowl of sand. The heat generated fro the effort blew the epoxy sealant from the radiator, again stopping the H3. In the meantime, Skilton had contacted the chase team via radio and gave them their GPS coordinates, but it was now dark and the car was so far off any known road there was no way to easily reach them. As fate would have it, the team’s T4 race truck, a race entry with spare parts for the Hummer, was stuck in the sand as well, thus it could not reach Gordon and Skilton. At this point Gordon radioed his main support crew for assistance. This assistance would automatically eliminate the team’s time from the race, but it was the only alternative if the crew was to start the next day.
Using special information from the race organizers the team’s main chase crew in a Hummer H1 carefully made its way to the last Check Point on the stage where they met up with a helpful Mauritanian military patrol which offered assistance in locating the race car. Even knowing the GPS coordinates nothing could be done until dawn, as the dunes are so difficult to navigate in the dark that the team would have risked stranding its only hope for extraction. By this time, of course, the Hummer’s official race time had expired so the only hope was to take the maximum time loss for the Special Stage and restart the race the next day in Atar. At dawn the crew finally located the H3 team and replaced the radiator but it was now another race against time to make it to Atar to restart the next stage between Atar and Nouakchot, some 170 kilometers away.
The official closing time for the restart was 1 p.m., but officials graciously allowed the H3 team a half-hour grace period to make the start. It wasn’t enough. The Hummer arrived one hour beyond the official allotted time and the Hummer was disqualified.
Gordon’s team still didn’t give up. After a few hours of sleep, Gordon and Skilton, driving the still damaged car with support trucks in tow, took off for Nouakchot hoping to convince race officials they would be willing to accept full-time penalties if they could reenter the race in Nouakchot. Gordon was not only trying to give his sponsors Hummer, Jim Beam and Toyo Tires as much exposure as possible but also to give his team more open desert racing experience with an eye toward next year’s event. The decision of the race officials, after much careful consideration, was still negative but they did grant the team the right to run the next day’s Nouakchot-Kiffa stage for experience. Since Nouakchot is a day’s layover for rest and repairs the Hummer crew is again working round the clock to ready the car for its final appearance in North Africa. After completing the 9th Stage the Hummer will drive directly to Dakar for shipment home. Once back at the team’s headquarters in Anaheim, Calif., Gordon’s off-road crew will completely disassemble the H3 and begin preparations for the Baja 500 in June.
At least he'll be able to make it to Daytona on the 15th to test/practice for the 500. That's kinda too bad. I really wanted to see what Paul would do in Cup car.