Autoblog

Dakar flub gets Robby Gordon a cursin'

Zach Bowman — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Celebrities, South America

Robby Gordon is off to a rough start in the 2013 Dakar Rally Raid. First, the racer broke reverse trying to free his rig from a sand dune. That news sent him into a fit of rage captured on an in-cabin camera. We'll just say the language isn't safe for work or for younger ears, but for everyone else it's well worth checking out below. Shortly thereafter, events turned even worse when Gordon cleared a dune only to fall victim to deep, soft sand at the bottom. When his Hummer hit the loose terrain, the nose dug in, pitching the whole machine onto its roof. Both Gordon and his co-driver wound up having to dig themselves out of the wreck.

Somewhat miraculously, Gordon seemed less upset about putting his racer shiny side down than he was about shredding reverse. Either way, his shot at landing on the podium has up and vanished. You can check out both clips for yourself below.

*REMEMBER: NSFW language.

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Dakar flub gets Robby Gordon a cursin' originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stadium truck racing returns courtesy of Robby Gordon

Zach Bowman — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Etc., Videos, Specialty, Off-Road, Racing

Robby Gordon has resurrected his Stadium Super Truck series for 2013. The racer describes the spectacle as Baja meets Bigfoot, wherein 600-horsepower beasts with 20 inches of suspension travel race side-by-side in stadiums around the country for a shot at a $60,000 nightly purse. The driver who manages to take home the championship win will walk away with $500,000. The series is patterned after the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Race Series, which gave drivers like Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears their start in racing some 25 years ago.

Each event will feature two days of festivities, including a fan expo, tailgating and side-by-side ATV races. Each truck will have at least some resemblance to production models outside and will run DOT-approved street tires. Check out a very unique season preview as well as a quick clip of one truck in action by scrolling down. We have to say watching a single Stadium Super Truck play in the dirt is about as thrilling as watching paint dry, but the real deal should feature side-by-side competition, and we look forward to the return of stadium truck racing at the Los Angeles Coliseum on May 29, 2013.

Continue reading Stadium truck racing returns courtesy of Robby Gordon

Stadium truck racing returns courtesy of Robby Gordon originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robby Gordon triumphs at Mint 400 [w/video]

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

The Mint 400, held in the Nevada desert outside of Jean, is legendary for more reasons than being a grueling race: Rick Mears, Al Unser, Jr. and Steve McQueen are among the marquee names to have entered it, Wonder Woman Lynda Carter and Vanna White were Mint 400 Girls, and Hunter S. Thompson's assignment to cover it for Sports Illustrated turned into Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Robby Gordon managed to avoid both of Thompson's conditions on his way to winning the latest edition of the General Tire Mint 400 held last week.

Estimates have 65,000 total spectators watching 300 teams and 900 drivers in 20 categories going for the top podium spot over three days. The race was four laps of a 92-mile loop through the rock and gravel, with Gordon completing the 368-mile deed in 6:05 in his Class 1500 runner, just three minutes ahead of second-place driver David Maurice in a Class 1400 truck.

Scroll down for the post-race press release and a video of this year's action.

Continue reading Robby Gordon triumphs at Mint 400 [w/video]

Robby Gordon triumphs at Mint 400 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2009: Hummer quartet is a pretty sweet swansong

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:41:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, SEMA Show, Truck, Hummer, Specialty, Off-Road

2010 Hummer Robby Gordon Off-Road - Click above for high-res image gallery

We almost skipped the Hummer section of the General Motors booth this year at SEMA, concentrating instead on the plethora of Chevrolet Camaro concepts all around them. When we went back for a second look at the day's new design for the Graphics Camaro, we saw the truck above and figured we should probably reconsider avoiding HUMMER after all. We took some pics and scrounged up the press release which you'll find after the jump.

There were four different Hummers on display. The one shown above is a Robby Gordon Off-Road race truck that is absolutely ridiculous -- in a good way. This H3 was built to campaign in the 2010 Dakar Rally and is a full-blown, tube-chassis race truck, just like the Trophy Trucks you'll see running in the Baja 1000.

Next up was the Rod Hall Racing H3 Alpha. This is a stock-class desert runner that ran the 2009 SCORE International Baja 1000., meaning that it features a stock frame, stock suspension design and production-based engine.

The other two trucks were Hummer concepts. First up was the H3 Moab. Said to be inspired by trails like Steel Bender, Moab Rim, and Poison Spyder, it's a 300-horsepower, V8-powered H3 Alpha with dual locking differentials, a Rancho four-inch front suspension lift, custom rear spring-over conversion, and 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires mounted on custom 17-inch two-piece Monster Black Competition Beadlock Raceline Wheels by Allied.

Last but not least is the H3T Sportsman. It's been customized with a combination of powertrain modifications, suspension enhancements and an assortment of genuine factory accessories and aftermarket components. The standard Alpha 5.3-liter V8 has been boosted by a healthy 70 horsepower. Suspension upgrades include Light Racing JounceShocks and two-inch-diameter Rod Hall Racing piggyback reservoir-type performance shocks.

Altogether a pretty nifty quartet of Hummers that we'll probably never own. Check out the gallery and all the details after the jump.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: HUMMER concepts

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SEMA 2009: Hummer quartet is a pretty sweet swansong originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robby Gordon signs up for the 2010 Dakar, adds a third HUMMER

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:05:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hummer

One of two American's on the final podium, Robby Gordon finished third in this year's Dakar Rally. Driving a HUMMER H3, he took the bottom step behind South African Giniel De Villiers and American Mark Miller, both of whom were driving VW's diesel Race Touareg2 and ended Mitsubishi's vise-like grip on the rostrum. In fact, if Carlos Sainz hadn't crashed, the Touaregs would have taken all three top spots.

Team Gordon was driving HUMMER H3s, and Robby's third place was joined by teammate Eric Vigoroux's 13th place. For 2010, the team is going to add a third H3 driven by former F1 and IndyCar driver Eliseo Salazar. The 55-year-old Salazar might seem like an unlikely choice, but he is Chilean, and he currently pilots a Mitsubishi in the Chilean Rally Championship. Should the Dakar return to South America next year, he should make a decent addition to the team. Team Gordon just might want to stock up on HUMMER parts before then...

[Source: Team Gordon]

Robby Gordon signs up for the 2010 Dakar, adds a third HUMMER originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Central Europe Rally: VW on top, Gordon in 10th

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hummer, Volkswagen

Click above for high-res gallery of awesome rally shots

After all the trials and tribulations, the first event in the Central Europe Rally took place this past weekend and Carlos Sainz took the overall win behind the wheel of a heavily prepped Volkswagen Touareg 2, while NASCAR driver Robby Gordon's team finished 10th.

The race, which spanned some 1,670 miles across Hungary and Romania, took Sainz and his co-pilot, Michel Perin, 11 hours, 18 minutes and 8 seconds to traverse, followed by the team of Stephane Perhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret driving a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, while Dieter Depping and Timo Gotschalk came in third, behind the wheel of another Touareg 2.

Gordon, whose total time was 1 hour, 25 minutes and 38 seconds behind Sainz, completed the race with the help of a HUMMER H2 and Andy Grider at his side. The full race results can be viewed after the jump, and we've assembled a gallery of some seriously awesome shots from the Central Europe Rally below.

Gallery: 2008 Central Europe Rally

[Source: Rallysportmag]

Continue reading Central Europe Rally: VW on top, Gordon in 10th

Central Europe Rally: VW on top, Gordon in 10th originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robby Gordon switches to Dodge

Noah Joseph — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:42:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Dodge

Robby Gordon is regarded as one of the most versatile drivers in NASCAR. After racing in Champ Cars, IndyCars, Trans-Am, IMSA, IROC and the Dakar Rally, Robby (no relation to Jeff Gordon) moved to NASCAR, competing in the Craftsman Truck series and then the Busch series before moving up to the premier Sprint Cup, where he runs his own single-car team. He's won three cup races and is ranked as the most successful owner/driver on the grid.

Now, after having run Chevy engines from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Ford engines last season, Gordon has announced his switch to Dodge for 2008. The deal, considered a coup for Dodge, was struck with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, which also fields cars for Kasey Kahne, Elliot Sadler and open-wheel defector Patrick Carpentier. We hope the Dodge engines meet Gordon's approval, or Toyota may be getting a call soon.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty]

Robby Gordon switches to Dodge originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drivers gear up for Dakar 2008

Noah Joseph — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:55:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

With the 2008 Lisbon-Dakar Rally confirmed to proceed, a star-studded roster of drivers is shaping up for what promises to be an exciting event spanning two continents over the course of two weeks.

Robby Gordon will be returning for the fourth time to fight for America's glory in, what else... a Hummer (pictured above). The NASCAR star will be competing against a host of rally champions, including double WRC champ and 2007 FIA Cross Country Cup winner Carlos Sainz (VW Touareg), and Monte Carlo rally winner Bruno Saby who will be driving the late Colin McRae's BMW. Two former F1 drivers, Ukyo Katayama and Tiago Monteiro, will be also competing, along with Vanina Ickx, daughter of famed grand prix and Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx.

All these drivers will be aiming to oust Mitsubishi, which has dominated the dunes and won the rally every year since 2001. Mitsubishi will be fielding no less than four Pajero/Montero this year in the event, which is set to depart from Lisbon, Portugal, on January 5 and finish in Dakar, Senegal on January 20. Watch this space for coverage.

[Source: Autosport]

Drivers gear up for Dakar 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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