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Eagle1

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Team Dakar USA Clears First Hurdle: Scrutineering



Robby Gordon’s Team Dakar USA arrived at the Belém Cultural Centre in Lisbon for scrutineering in an impressive all black convey that consisted of six off-road vehicles that include the H3 race Hummer, a T4 4x4 race entry to support the H3, a 4x4 support truck, a 6x6 support truck, and two assistance Hummer H1’s.

After almost a year of preparation for the most challenging off-road race in the world, the Monster Hummer team was given the green light to race in the 2007 Dakar Rally. The day of scrutineering included almost five hours of activities that included GPS training, document processing, photos, Iritrack installation and finally technical inspection.

Gordon’s Toyo Hummer which caused a sensation last year was equally well received. The all black race truck was the last vehicle to complete the technical inspection process but the crowd was still thick with anticipation to see what has quickly become a fan favorite. Billboards throughout the Lisbon area feature the H3 Hummer – including a 40ft high billboard cascading the side of the Cultural Centre.

“It’s very exciting to be here,” said Gordon, “The reception for the Hummer has been unbelievable. Our guys have worked so hard to get everything ready and I feel we are very well prepared. After last year we identified our weaknesses and went to work. The Hummer has been in the wind tunnel and we have put almost 10,000 miles of testing on it. We have one shot and we are hoping to make it count.”

The first of 15 stages in the Dakar Rally begins tomorrow in Lisbon and travels to Portimão. The rally can be seen in the United States on the Versus Network. In addition Team Dakar USA has combined forces with Micron to provide daily video updates that can be seen on RobbyGordon.com.
 
Update from the Media Hummer H1




Stage 1 - Saturday 6 January 2007 | Lisboa – Portimão
Amazing scene from the Lisbon Cultural Center this morning as the 2007 Dakar got underway. Thousands and thousands of fans lined the streets on the liaison from Lisbon to Portimão. The arrival at Portimão signaled the first stage in the 2007 Dakar Rally.


Robby Gordon and Andy Grider in their Toyo tire clad Monster Hummer were the 20th vehicle on the 117km special. By the end of the stage they were 13th overall in the car class – 8 minutes and 44 seconds behind the stage winner and Portugal native – Carlos Sousa


Robby Gordon quote after the first Stage

“The stage was very tight and technical and the sand was soft and deep. We had a good race going but we got stuck trying to avoid hitting some fans. I would say we lost close to five minutes by being bogged down. That was the biggest problem. We had a couple of technical issues with the truck. The clutch was slipping so we had to baby it a bit. Overall we are going to be ok. I’m satisfied with how we are going to stack up against the competition.”
 
Good luck USA!!

But if I was booking it I'd for sure have a 2 to 1 against him even finishing the race!! Based solely on former attempts.
Betsy :rolleyes:
 
Betsy said:
But if I was booking it I'd for sure have a 2 to 1 against him even finishing the race!! Based solely on former attempts.
Betsy :rolleyes:
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Based soley on former attempts? BS, it's based solely on your biased ignorant BS!
Robby's 1st year 2005 he finished 12th or 13 overall (of more than 500 competitors. That was even after knowing he couldn't make the podium he completly rebuilt the front end of a teammates car by removing the parts from his car and waiting for the parts truck to come so he could get back on the road. By doing so his team mate finised on the podium overall. He also won stages, and is the only American to have EVER won stages in the Dakar. That doesn't sound like that bad a preformence that deserves having an ignorant someone like you constantly taking potshots at him.:mad:
Last year was a totally brand new inexperienced team, with a totally new unproven chasis and body.
You don't like Robby, that's cool, don't read and don't post to the dakar thread no one here will miss you, you can be assured of that.
 
Eagle1 said:
Based soley on former attempts? BS, it's based solely on your biased ignorant BS!
Robby's 1st year 2005 he finished 12th or 13 overall (of more than 500 competitors. That was even after knowing he couldn't make the podium he completly rebuilt the front end of a teammates car by removing the parts from his car and waiting for the parts truck to come so he could get back on the road. By doing so his team mate finised on the podium overall. He also won stages, and is the only American to have EVER won stages in the Dakar. That doesn't sound like that bad a preformence that deserves having an ignorant someone like you constantly taking potshots at him.:mad:
Last year was a totally brand new inexperienced team, with a totally new unproven chasis and body.
You don't like Robby, that's cool, don't read and don't post to the dakar thread no one here will miss you, you can be assured of that.
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Perfectly stated!

Im new here... been reading for awhile but decided to post cause well this is Robbys fans time to shine and stand up.

I think his past shows he can finish this thing (id bet on it), maybe even a top 10. im not the most optimistic person or I'd say podium. He's having a clutch problem right now and will have to remove it after tonights stage, hopefully that'll get straighten out before they reach Africa and Robby will be a shoe in to win a stage or 3...
only reason he's not in the top 10 right now is he got stuck in the mud and had to be pulled out from it (gotta 'love' the fans for standing way too close to the path :rolleyes:). then he was stuck in traffic which seperated him from the leader by even more.... and its known that the H3 is not built to dominate stage 1 and 2 because of its size, the VW's fit stage 1 and 2 like a glove... they were a shoe in to win it because of it and because the driver is from the Lisbon area himself.
Considering Robby is still in the learning phase of Dakar with the new team, hes doing great for himself with his budget and no team members, while everyone else has atleast 3 teammates and triple the budget. The Monster H3 is stacked, more prepared and is 10x better than it was last year! wish i could say the same thing about the live tracking...

dont forget to check out the videos at youtube.com/rgm7
 
Thanks Eagle!

Betsy, please don't continue your tirades against Robby. You are NOT being fair and some may even report you to TPTB. As Eagle stated, just don't read the dang thread.
One doesn't have to be a Robby fan to respect the job he does, but I'm sure you'll come up with some excuse to bash him anyway.

WELCOME Baja!
 
I'm a fan too!

As long as he is in AFRICA I am a fan of his too! He is representing MY country and one of my countries vehicles.. I gotta root for him.. As hard as it is for me to say...go Robby go!
Betsy;)
 
Betsy said:
As long as he is in AFRICA I am a fan of his too! He is representing MY country and one of my countries vehicles.. I gotta root for him.. As hard as it is for me to say...go Robby go!
Betsy;)
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WOW.....what else can I say;)
 
Is the world comming to an end? me and Betsy are on the same side for once....:eek:

Iv been a Robby fan since 2003.
 
barelypure said:
So you're saying Robby has fans. Well will wonders never cease...

;) j/k y'all
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LOL Robby does have fans, a good many of them too. I've followed him for quite awhile now in off road and IRL but really became a fan of his in NASCAR when he won in the 9/11 rememberance car and donated all the winnings.

He didnt fair too well last night but still hanging in there... he's back to 18th now... tonight will be alot better for him because the H3 is built for the dunes and not mud..

An emotional second day for Sperrer
Dakar Rally : Team Gauloises - Leg 2

"I want to thank Sylvain for his concentration because it was not easy for the navigator to constantly focus during the stage, » he added. « We even took time five kilometres from the end of the 67km stage to rescue US super star Robby Gordon and his Hummer as we helped them out of a difficult position. Suddenly there was a big cloud of dust in front of us and we lost almost five minutes trying to get Robby's Hummer out of the ditch where he had landed. There was not much our light Buggy could do to rescue this really heavy monster car. Nevertheless, we tried and thanks to the great preparation by SMG, our the 6-litre V8 Buggy performed really well all day. »
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I watched the 30 min recap show on VS today for stage 1. Boy they were right, the trail was very narrow and then the spectators really crowded it tighter. No wonder that big Hummer got stuck trying to stay clear of the people.

Recap show is on VS (Versus) everyday at 3pm EST with replay at 6:30pm for 16 days
 
Ok Somebody

Please tell me where to find that VS (versus) channel??? I have looked all over my dishnet and have not found it..
Betsy:confused:
 
Ok I found it.. the OLN channel is soon to be the VS channel ( I googled it)!
Dishnet is 151 I'm gonna watch ever day..
Betsy :rolleyes:
 
Ok I watched OLN and saw the 6:30 replay

What I saw was sand..sand..and more sand! The race cannot get much sandier than that stage!
Where robby got stuck was a sandy water hole. All the silly looking small SUV's just skimmed the top and flew thru the water. But then the heavy ride of Robby's came in and just SUNK! No chance that big hunk of iron would get out. A piece of road machinery came to his rescue..pulling him out with a rope.
About all that was shown of the track was a deep sand road lined with pine trees.. MAny drivers had brushes with the scenery.. or so they said.
Betsy;)
 
It's not OLN, TRL, it's changed to Versus (VS) as Betsey says, on Dish Network, it is 151 right next to SPEED.
 
Well hell!

:rolleyes: I got to the tv with only 5 minutes left in the program... Robby was on camera when I turned it on.. That big ol hummer was flying and Robby was waving to the crowd as he went by with parts flapping on the sides of his ride.. It was said his mechanics had their work cut out for them tonight..
I will watch the whole thing at 6:pm..
Betsy :rolleyes:
 
So Robby put the rubber side up today!

Ok the damage to the vehicle (car?) was caused when Robby rolled it today.
The announcer said it would be repaired and ready to go by morning..
Betsy:rolleyes:
 
After Stage 3 Robby is sitting in 22nd place overall... didnt do as good in stage 3 as was expected. I have yet to hear what might have happened to make him finish 21st. I have a feeling its because of the clutch problem has yet to be resolved, cosmetic damage was fixed and the H3 looks as good as new. Hopefully the dunes of Africa will treat him better.
He got a 13 minute penalty for speeding in the first or second stage, if that didnt happen he's be sitting in 16th...
VWs are untouchable, If Robby doesnt podium then I hope Mark Miller will, he took Robbys spot as the US driver for VW in car 305 and is sitting 5th.
 
Thanks Baja!

I am SUPPOSED to be able to get VS on my cable (ch 126) but it won't come in. :mad:
 
Horrible Morning....

Stage 4 update:
Robby had major problems and camped out for awhile on the trail trying to fix his car, making him finish 71st... Im thinking if he keeps finishing bad because of the stature of the hummer, he needs to reconsider supporting another make in dakar... the hummer just seems too big. Im just happy he's still hanging in there though, he needs to finish the rally just to prove he can do it in his own vehicle... it'd be a great step from last year.

On the other hand please be thinking of the family of Elmer Symons. The 29 year old South African KTM rider died following a crash early on stage four.
 
Well atleast he got whatever it was fixed enough so he could finish the stage, but that drops him back to 49th in overall standings. I hope he finishes to Baja, and I agree about the size of the vehicle.
 
Stage 4: Er Rachidia - Ouarzazate




Africa begins to show her many traps in today’s stage. This was the competitors’ first opportunity to see the dunes in the 2007 Dakar Rally. Today’s stage was a test of the competitor’s patience and endurance.


Gordon had high hopes for today’s special which was 405km over terrain that was well suited to both the H3 and Robby Gordon’s driving style. He felt that this Moroccan stage from Er Richida to Ouarzazate would have given both he and navigator Andy Grider the chance to showcase the team’s speed.


Contaminated fuel caused the Team Monster Energy/Toyo Tire/Hummer to have less horsepower than the H3 race engine is capable of producing and never allowed the team to really show their strengths.



“Our goal was to come here and win,” said Gordon as he returned to the bivouac. We have been plagued with bad luck, but we won’t let it get us down. This is a long rally and we must put the bad luck behind us and keep moving forward.”



As the team prepares the H3 for the following day’s special to Tan Tan they believe that the fuel issue has been resolved. The rocky terrain of the stage 6 special will be a favorable environment for the Hummer to regain momentum and to improve the overall standing of the team.



The Dakar Rally can be seen on the Versus Network in the United States. In addition Team Dakar USA has teamed up with Micron to provide daily video updates that can be seen on RobbyGordon.com. To see all the videos from the 2007 Dakar Rally visit youtube.com/rgm7
 
Looks like Robby finished 15th for todays stage, not bad for as far back as he was after yesterday. He had to start 71st, so he passed a few competitors. This moves him up to 29th overall.

The big truck has done fairly well so far, it's moved up to 18th from 55th after stage 1
 
14:25 - After setting a blistering pace and passing over half the competitors that started in front of him the 320 Hummer of Robby Gordon just blew through the finish leaving officials scrambling around looking for the checkered flag that blew away in his cloud of dust.
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id say someones feeling a little bit better about his chances...

he passed almost sixty cars! id say the hummer is better now that everything, including the bad fuel from stage 4 is in the past. If he runs as fast as he did today, he'll be a threat for a stage win soon.
 
14:25 - After setting a blistering pace and passing over half the competitors that started in front of him the 320 Hummer of Robby Gordon just blew through the finish leaving officials scrambling around looking for the checkered flag that blew away in his cloud of dust.
Click to expand...

That's funny!
lol.gif
 
Stage Five Report: Ouarzazate - Tan tan






While Carlos Sainz won the fifth stage of the 2007 Dakar, much of the buzz in the bivouac surrounded the impressive performance of American Robby Gordon and his Monster Hummer. Team Dakar USA was relegated to a 77th place start based on their finish in the previous stage. Gordon charged his black Monster Energy Hummer to a 15th place finish in the stage which moved him up to 36th in the overall classification. The finish was the best for the day in the Open Category.

Robby Gordon’s Quote after Stage Five
“The tires that Toyo brought to Dakar have been spectacular and it really showed today in the very rocky track. We passed quite a few cars today by leaving the track and we punished the tires and they survived extremely well. Our finish today will get us a much better start tomorrow so we are looking at getting the Hummer closer to the front so we can contend for stage wins. Much has happened so far but you have to realize that this race is just five days old and there is a lot of racing left. Our team is working hard and since we solved our fuel problem the Hummer is running exceptionally well. We are going to push hard and make something happen!”


The Dakar Rally can be seen on the Versus Network in the United States. In addition Team Dakar USA has teamed up with Micron to provide daily video updates that can be seen on RobbyGordon.com. To see all the videos from the 2007 Dakar Rally visit youtube.com/rgm7
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Looking at the tracker a few minutes ago, it appears the auto's are almost to the finish, & Robby is in going to have another good finish today. I wouldn't be surprised if it was in or close to the top ten.
 
Robby's in the lead right now... (it doesnt look like it on the tracker because they go by time and not physically leading the race). He's 1:03 ahead of 2nd place Schlesser.
Glad todays race started in the late afternoon for them.. i got to get sleep last night!
 
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