Day 1: Robby Gordon and the 2011 Dakar Rally: Today [Jan 2nd] marked the official start of the 2011 Dakar Rally. Stage 1, the first of 13 timed stages in this years rally race, included a 566-km road section and a 222-km special that began in Victoria and ended in Cordoba. Heavy rain created an unforeseen obstacle for Team Hummer. According to the TV choppers flying over the route, the participants in the car category suffered from skidding and sliding. Robby Gordon, driver of the #303 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires Hummer, started todays special in fourth place. He was scored 9th as he crossed the CP1 marker located at km 137 together while last years winner, Carlos Sainz, led the field. Eliseo Salazar, driver of the #327 SPEED Energy / Cristal CERO Hummer finished todays stage 28th, 34 minutes, 25 seconds behind.
For fans tracking the Dakar Rally at home, please visit speedenergy.com, planetrobby.com, dakar.com along with Facebook and Twitter for daily updates on the teams performance including a daily recap, photos and videos. The team will also be doing a preview daily leading up to the Rally that details their Dakar program and what it takes to get the team ready to participate in the 14-stage event. The Versus Channel will provide coverage throughout the United States. A 30-minute daily program featuring highlights from that days racing will be aired on Versus daily at 3:30pm with a replay airing later in the day. (more notes and quotes at speedenergy.com)(1-2-2011)
