Monster Energy Team Dakar USA Prepares for the 2008 Dakar Rally

This year, the 15-stage epic off-road race starts in Lisbon, Portugal on January 5^th and concludes on January 20^th in Dakar, Senegal. The preparation for the 2008 Dakar Rally is in its final stages as the support vehicles, loaded with all the spare parts and equipment, begin their trip across the USA today to Savannah, GA where they will then travel by cargo vessel to Lisbon. It is much more of a challenge for the Anaheim, California based team than that of their European based counterparts. The majority of the top teams participating in the Dakar Rally are based in Europe, which allows them more time to prepare unlike Team Dakar USA. Logistic preparation for Team Dakar USA is a very important dynamic to the success of the overall program. Fortunately, the Hummer H3s are airlifted only days before the start, giving the team added time to test and perfect the race vehicles.

As Team Dakar USA enters its third Dakar Rally with the Monster Energy / Toyo Tire Hummer H3, Gordon has also added a second Hummer to his elite off-road team. He has enlisted the help of fellow American Dakar veteran, Ronn Bailey to pilot an identically prepared Hummer H3. Bailey, who is CEO of Vanguard Integrity Professionals, an enterprise security software company, will participate in the next three Dakar Rally events as an integral part of Team Dakar USA. The Vanguard Integrity Professional H3 Hummer entry will be very strategic to the teams overall objective of becoming the first American team to win the Dakar Rally.

With the added pressure of a second team, the team also has to prepare for the increased course length. The organizers of the Dakar Rally (the ASO) have lengthened the course by more than 1,000 km (621 miles) for a total of 9,273 km (or 5,762 miles). Therefore, the team needs to prepare for this added challenge by making sure that the parts will withstand the grueling desert terrain, that there is enough fuel ordered to make it to the end, and that support vehicles and team members get the rest needed.

For Gordon, the support of Ronn Bailey and the second entry easily outweighs the overall strain of the preparation for the additional team. “If you look at the results of our Dakar effort, you’ll see they parallel to our efforts in the NASCAR Cup Series. Every year our programs continue to get better. We fell out of the Rally the first year after not making a checkpoint. Last year, we managed to become the first American team and manufacturer to win a stage. We finished in eighth place overall. This year, aside from drastically improving the Hummer, the next best thing we could do is try to level the playing field to be more like the multi-car factory-supported teams. Now we have a teammate in Ronn Bailey, and he is every bit as passionate about winning this race as I am.”

Bailey, who in the past had tackled Dakar with his own effort, clearly sees the wisdom in joining forces with Gordon. “Robby is building some of the most impressive off-road vehicles – it’s amazing just to watch the Hummer suspension work. For Robby and I to team up for Dakar makes sense on so many levels. It consolidates two strong American efforts in to one powerful team. For both of us the combined resources will provide advantages that will be undeniable.”

While the logistics of getting to the start of the Dakar Rally alone might seem overwhelming, Gordon and Bailey clearly have their eyes set on making history by becoming the first American team and drivers to win the legendary Dakar Rally.

DATE	START	FINISH	CONNECTION	SPECIAL	CONNECTION	TOTAL
05/01/08	Lisboa	Portimão	104 km	120 km	262 km	486 km
06/01/08	Portimão	Málaga	15 km	60 km	460 km	535 km
07/01/08	Nador	Er Rachidia	182 km	372 km	163 km	717 km
08/01/08	Er Rachidia	Ouarzazate	29 km	356 km	199 km	584 km
09/01/08	Ouarzazate	Guelmim	188 km	498 km	148 km	834 km
10/01/08	Guelmim	Smara	66 km	454 km	105 km	625 km
11/01/08	Smara	Atâr	198 km	619 km	12 km	829 km
12/01/08	Atâr	Nouakchott	44 km	450 km	37 km	531 km
13/01/08	Rest Day
14/01/08	Nouakchott	Nouhadibou	37 km	525 km	86 km	648 km
15/01/08	Nouhadibou	Atâr	111 km	552 km	22 km	685 km
16/01/08	Atâr	Tidjikja	35 km	524 km	133 km	692 km
17/01/08	Tidjikja	Kiffa	131 km	398 km	2 km	531 km
18/01/08	Kiffa	Kiffa	25 km	484 km	6 km	515 km
19/01/08	Kiffa	Saint-Louis	326 km	301 km	130 km	757 km
20/01/08	Saint-Louis	Dakar	239 km	23 km	42 km	304 km
TOTAL			1 730 km	5 736 km	1 807 km	9 273 km