THE DAKAR SPOT

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Thursday, January 04, 2007

ROBBY AND MICRON DELIVER THE GOODS!

Racer Robby Gordon and Micron Technology to digitally capture video of legendary Dakar Rally

Micron Equips Gordon Dakar Vehicle with Image Sensors and Flash Memory

To Capture Race, Video To Be Shown on Robby Gordon Motorsports and Micron Websites


HUNTERSVILLE, N.C., and BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 4, 2007 – Robby Gordon, one of the racing world’s most versatile drivers, is teaming with Micron Technology to digitally capture video of Gordon in action at the 29th Dakar Rally that begins Jan. 6 in Lisbon, Portugal, and ends 15 stages and 7,915 kilometers later in Dakar, Senegal.

Video of the legendary competition will be captured using innovative Micron image sensors and NAND flash memory technology specially outfitted on Gordon’s Monster Energy, Toyo Tires-HUMMER H3 Dakar racer. Video from the in-car cameras, which are programmed to record at set intervals or can be activated by Gordon at the push of a button while driving, will be available at http://www.micron.com/dakar with regular race updates on the Robby Gordon Motorsports website at http://www.robbygordon.com.

Gordon first met Micron officials and learned of the company’s technology when both he and Micron competed and won their respective race classes — Gordon in the Trophy-Truck division and Micron in the Wide Open Baja Challenge division — at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race in Mexico in November. Micron equipped four vehicles operated by its executives with Micron’s imaging and flash memory products to capture video of the grueling off-road contest and test the durability of those products.

“We want to bring our fans closer to the real Dakar experience, and working with Micron to capture video of this legendary rally is a great fit,” said Gordon, who is competing in his third Dakar Rally as the driver of Team Dakar USA. “By using Micron’s technology and broadcasting video updates of the race on YouTube, the world gets a chance to see firsthand how intense this race is and we’re looking forward to every minute of it.”

The Micron/Robby Gordon Motorsports new media project hopes to complement the already impressive media offerings from the rally organizers. The Versus channel will provide more than 29 hours of Dakar Rally coverage throughout the month of January. In addition, rally fans can follow their favorite drivers via Iritrack – a GPS tracking solution available on Dakar.com once the rally begins.

For Micron, the Dakar Rally offers another harsh environment to test the durability of its DigitalClarity™ image sensors and Lexar Professional CompactFlash™ memory cards. Additionally, Micron welcomes the opportunity to help deliver regular updates to Robby Gordon Motorsports fans using its innovative technology platform.

“At Micron, we’re a company that captures, moves and stores digital data,” said Steve Appleton, Micron Chairman, CEO and President. “Collaborating with Robby and his team provides us with a unique forum to showcase our products and our culture of innovation.”

With its superior image quality, Micron is the leading supplier of CMOS image sensors in the technology industry today. The company’s imaging technology can be found in a variety of applications from mobile phones and PC cameras to security and healthcare products. Micron also provides best-in-class image sensors to the automotive industry, with its image chips designed into backup cameras and parking, lane departure warning and several other safety navigation systems in various makes and models of automobiles worldwide. Micron image sensor technology being used to capture images in Gordon’s H3 at Dakar can be found in the rear-vision system offered in the 2007 HUMMER H2.

Additionally, the three NAND flash memory video recorders installed in Gordon’s vehicle contain an 8 gigabyte Lexar Professional CompactFlash memory card. Trusted by professional photographers, the memory cards provide a high-speed, high-capacity removable storage solution that facilitates the ultimate performance in digital still and video recording equipment.

Gordon is the first and only American to win a stage in the Dakar Rally. He shocked the racing world in 2005 by winning his first-ever stage of the famed rally, and he also won the third stage. Last month, he teamed with rookie Andy McMillin to win the SCORE Baja 1000, after also winning the race in 1987 and 1989. He has 11 top-five finishes in 18 Baja 1000 starts, is a three-time winner of the Baja 500 and has three SCORE International Series Championships to his credit. Additionally, he is a four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race winner and has also won in the NASCAR Busch Series, Indy cars, IMSA sports cars and virtually every other type of racecar in which he has competed.

Gordon’s HUMMER H3 Dakar racer consists of an H3-shaped body paired with a specially developed chassis featuring a suspension designed by Gordon and his Off-Road team. The Gordon H3 will be a tube-chassis vehicle similar to Trophy Trucks racing in the famed SCORE 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.

Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.

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Micron, the Micron orbit logo and DigitalClarity are trademarks of Micron Technology, Inc. Lexar and the Lexar logo are trademarks of Lexar Media, Inc. Micron Technology, Inc. is an authorized licensee of the CompactFlash™ and CF logo™ trademarks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.