THE WEAPONS OUR WARRIORS USE IN BATTLE

The Cars (T-1 and T-2) The car category is where the biggest names compete. Colin McRae, Bruno Saby, Stepahane Peterhansel and Jutta Kleinschmidt have all made their marks in Dakar.

The car category is divided into two categories - amateur and professional. The majority of the professional racers have a completely special built from the ground up 4x4 car that is made to mimic a street version from the same auto manufacturer.

Amateurs are mostly privateers with a lot of determination like two time Dakar champ Jean-Louis Schlesser, but generally they are no match for the factory backed teams of BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Volkswagen.

After competing in a Volkswagen last year Robby Gordon returns to Dakar for the second year. It was after the second stage of last year's event Robby made up his mind to be back with his own recipe. This time with his own team entry. The day he arrived home from Dakar in January 2005 Robby got his hands on the FIA regulations. Since then, Gordon has teamed up with Toyo Tires who is aggressively challenging BFGoodrich in the Off-Road tire market. General Motors is backing the American effort with a helping hand - offering up the H3 Hummer as a platform for Gordon. In addition, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series sponsor Jim Beam will enjoy the global audience. While it is Gordon's first attempt as a team owner in the Dakar, his off-road credentials lead him to Dakar. Several of Robby's race prepped trucks are crowding the top of the SCORE Trophy Truck division in the Southwestern United States. Robby Gordon behind the wheel is a Baja 1000 and Baja 500 winner. The effort might not have all the cash and man power that the multi-entry, factory backed teams have, however; Gordon has been racing and winning in the desert since he was fifteen. Robby states, "We have learned a lot in Baja."

Gordon discovered last year with Volkswagen that American Off-road racing technology can and should compete with German off-road racing technology. Gordon is trying to raise the profile of off-road racing to the mainstream racing fans here in the United States. For good reason. There are 75 Million NASCAR fans in the USA sitting on their porch waiting for the Daytona 500.

Due to different thinking and know how as compared to the veteran teams, Gordon will have a much different shock and tire package than ever seen in Dakar. Robby is the type who tends to think even more outside of the box for the sole purpose of exploiting an unforeseen advantage. Furthermore, Gordon's campaign has come together relatively quickly - which makes his entry impressive and will surely cause his rivals to do a double take. Robby's efforts are well within the FIA rules. However; we may have to expect some good'ol belly aching from the competitors when we see his technical combination coupled with his extraordinary driving skills prove out. After all, it's no secret Robby could out drive any driver entered in Dakar with a turkey sandwich in one hand and a Red Bull in the other.

Defining the box- The cars of T-2 consist mostly of four wheel drive vehicles. While Team Dakar USA will not be a 4-wheel drive, their two-wheel drive combination should prove lethal. The H-3 takes advantage of many rule allowances afforded only to two-wheel entries;
Tire diameter H-3 - 37" > Opposition -31" (Advantage Gordon)
Suspension travel H-3 - 20" > Opposition - 10" (Advantage Gordon)
Weight H-3 - 2/3rds of the Opposition (Advantage Gordon)
The H-3's same basic layout is the two-wheel drive combination that has lead Robby Gordon to eight off road championships and several wins in Baja. In fact, Robby had never raced a 4-wheel drive until he suited up for last year's (2005) Dakar.

The "Monster" H-3 is out-fitted with all the high tech goodies that any of the other team's possess. Features such as a full carbon fiber body produced by the F-1 engineering gurus at Menard Engineering Limited. The Body features a full tilt-up rear section covering the engine, secondary spare tire and spare water storage. The body also has doors with sliding glass windows. Furthermore, a windshield with windshield wipers is included for cleaning off dust, mud and a Mitsubishi or two. This Hi-tech skin covers the Robby Gordon Off-Road chassis built in California. The H3 Hummer is powered by a Katech built and UMI Racing mapped 427 CID V8. The big V8 is similar in specification to the engines the factory C6R Corvette racing team has in their arsenal to annihilate their competitors in the 24-hours of Le Mans and Daytona. The engine management software has several different programs to make the most power depending on stage length. Whatever the power may be for that day, it is fed into a 5-Speed sequential Albins/Weddel manual shift transaxle. The "Monster" has a 500 mile range on a single tank of fuel. To make sure Robby's 16 day adventure proves to be a comfortable journey... Believe it or not, even a heater and chilly air-conditioning is standard, just like the Hummer in your driveway.

Pre-Dakar Testing. The Hummer recently proved worthy in its maiden testing sessions in America Southwest, in such places as the unforgiving places such as the Arizona Desert and the vast Glamis Sand Dunes located in California .

Here is your chance to think out of the box. What would your winning recipe be? See the actual FIA regulations;Click Here