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Team HUMMER: Off to a Good Start


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

Cordoba, January 3, 2010: For Team HUMMER today was the start of Stage #1 and the first opportunity for competitors to race against each other. The stage was suppose to feature 251 kilometers but was unfortunately shortened by 52 kilometers due to heavy rainfalls earlier this week. The end total of the special had 199 kilometers of racing. Robby Gordon and his Monster Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER would finish 6th overall behind the eventual winner Nani Roma and improving on his performance from last year. “I am very happy were we are at right now. We got off track a few times but to still be beat by 4 minutes and 48 seconds is pretty good considering at this stage last year we didn’t fare so well.”

As far as the rest of Team HUMMER, the Vanguard HUMMER would have a great day as its driver got more accustomed to the different driving style that comes with the H3 HUMMER. At the end of the stage, the Vanguard HUMMER would end up 13 minutes 53 seconds behind the race leader. It would be a different story for the Chile sponsored HUMMER driven by Carlo Degavardo. Carlo Degavardo would end up having a crash close to the end of the stage when his brake line broke and throttle cable stuck wide open going into a corner. Luckily Carlo and navigator Juan Pablo Rodriguez would only hurt the windshield and right side mirror as they would carry on and finish 39th overall.

For tomorrow, the stage is set from Cordoba to La Rioja. It will be more of the same from today with similar terrain and will be tougher on the HUMMERs 2-wheel drive systems.

Race Coverage – For fans tracking the Dakar Rally at home, please visit robbygordon.com, planetrobby.com, and Robby Gordon’s twitter page for daily updates on the team’s performance including a daily recap, photos and videos. Versus will provide coverage throughout the United States. A 30-minute daily program featuring highlights from that day’s racing will be aired on Versus daily at 3:30 p.m. with a replay airing later in the day. The show is set to air daily from January 3rd through January 18th, check your local listing for exact show times. A 60-minute recap show featuring all fourteen stages will air on Versus on Sunday, January 24th at 3:00 p.m.