Robby Gordon finishes South American Dakar Rally with best run ever

By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net

     DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
  
Robby Gordon pulled off his best finish ever in the two-week Dakar Rally Saturday, with a third-place run in the South American event.
     Volkswagen's Giniel De Villiers won the 13th and final stage to clinch the title in Buenos Aires, with American teammate Mark Miller  second. Gordon, running for General Motors' Hummer division, finished an hour, 46 minutes behind the winner. Gordon's teammate Eric Vigouroux finished 13th.
    Gordon's report: "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 I ended up 23rd, and Eric 37th, which ensured that both race vehicles finished safely inside the top-15.
   "We may not be the overall winner but I can tell you 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 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.

   "We are already starting to plan for next year's Dakar Rally while this year's is fresh in our minds. The rumor is we may be back in Argentina, so I feel confident we can come back and win next year."

    Gordon's full report is here 

Robby Gordon is already preparing for next year's Dakar Rally after his best finish ever (Photo: Robby Gordon)