HUMMER Division and Robby Gordon Motorsports have joined together to take on
the Dakar Rally, widely considered to be the most grueling off-road race in the
world due to its brutal terrain and extreme environmental conditions. Gordon
will lead his Team Dakar USA from behind the wheel of a HUMMER H3 race truck.
His relationship with HUMMER will also include driving an H3 in the 2006 Baja
1000 and Baja 500 desert races.
“Team Dakar USA's main objective will be to prove to the world that American
innovation and determination can compete on the world stage,” said Gordon. “We
started planning for this just after my first Dakar Rally, where we won two
stages, and I know we are prepared and ready to take on the world.”
According to Susan Docherty, HUMMER general manager, HUMMER jumped at the chance
to partner with Gordon in this international race. “This summer we took the
first step in making HUMMER a true global brand, with the sale of the first H3’s
in Europe,” said Docherty. “This international event will give us a wonderful
stage to show people around the world that the H3 is an exceptional off-road
vehicle and one they should consider buying.”
Gordon’s H3 will consist of an H3 body paired with a specially developed chassis
featuring a suspension designed by him and his Off-Road team. The H3 will be a
tube-chassis vehicle similar to Trophy Trucks races in the famed Baja 1000,
except that it will have a fully enclosed air-conditioned cockpit, including
windshield and side windows. It will be powered by a production-based General
Motors V8 engine.
The 16-stage Dakar race covers more than 6,000 miles (nearly 10,000 km) in just
over two weeks. While the event is gaining popularity in the United States, it
has a broad following around the globe. The 2006 Dakar begins on December 31 in
Lisbon, Portugal and runs through Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, and Guinea before
finishing in the capital city of Dakar, in Senegal . The race covers all types
of terrain, from mountains to sea level and farmland to desert. Competitors can
encounter snow and sub-zero temperatures as well as sandstorms and searing heat
in the desert. More information on the Dakar race is available at
www.teamdakarusa.com or www.dakar.com.
Robby Gordon was named by Off-Road retailer magazine in 2004 as one of the five
most influential people in the off-road industry. He has successfully owned and
operated teams in the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series, CART, IRL and SCORE.
