Today was an historic day for The Dakar Rally in it’s first year in Argentina-Chile. It is a proud day in American Racing History. There are 2 Americans on the podium, Mark Miller and Robby Gordon. Giniel De Villiers has won The Dakar.
From Robby Gordon.com:
Update: Cordoba to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina (January 17, 2009) - The 31st Dakar Rally concluded today, and Team Dakar USA’s dual effort throughout the 13-stage race was truly spectacular. Even though neither the No. 309 Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer nor the No. 324 Vanguard Hummer won the Dakar Rally, having both race vehicles finish inside the top-15 in the world’s most grueling race is a victory in itself.
After winning today’s 227-km stage, Giniel De Villiers also went on to win his first ever Dakar Rally title, while Mark Miller, a fellow American competitor, finished second. Team Dakar USA’s Robby Gordon pulled off an impressive third place finish, trailing by only 1 hour, 46 minutes. The finish was good enough to earn him a podium finish and his highest in his five Dakar Rally attempts. Also notable was the performance of Gordon’s teammate, Eric Vigouroux, who had a remarkable 13th-place overall finish.
“Team Dakar USA did what we had to do today – we raced conservative enough to preserve our overall position at the end. All we needed to do today was run a smart, cautious race and cross the finish line at the end. I think that I ended up 23rd, and Eric was 37th, which ensured that both race vehicles finished safely inside the top-15,” commented Robby Gordon on today’s 227-km stage from Cordoba to Buenos Aires.
“We may not be the overall winner in this year’s Dakar Rally, but I can tell you that we are our own winners. What we did here this year is really amazing. Not only is this my highest finish in a Dakar Rally, but Eric Vigouroux finished 13th in a Hummer that he had virtually no seat time in before the race commenced. This is a testament to the Team Dakar USA program; the more we race the better we get,” exclaimed Gordon on Team Dakar USA’s performance in the 31st-annual Dakar Rally. more…
I am always excited for Dakar to start…and always glad when it’s over.
What a long strange trip this one has been…
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