In desert racing the co-driver’s responsibilities include calling out turns from the GPS, checking mirrors, monitoring gauges, and changing a flat tire or working on a broken race car. While a few top tier teams have dedicated co-drivers, the job more often is an afterthought given to friends or family. Short course “spotters” are even more removed from the situation, calling out turns and traffic from outside of the vehicle. By contrast, top rally raid navigators are paid professionals who are courted by rival teams and drivers. When you look closely you start seeing the same navigators at the top of the rankings each year. (more…)
Category: Events/Competitions
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American Racer Robby Gordon Claims Fifteenth Place in Stage Ten of Dakar Rally
LA RIOJA, Argentina (January 13, 2016) – Robby Gordon continued to improve positions at the 38th Dakar Rally Wednesday, bringing his Traxxas/Toyo Tires HST Gordini Supercar home in fifteenth-place of the weather shortened 244 Km special.
As the heat of the day increased, so did Gordon’s intensity, as the twenty-sixth starter wasted no time working his way past competitors into the ninetieth position thru Km 140 with no troubles. When many of the other drivers were finding themselves stuck, over heating or experiencing navigational issues, Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch pressed thru in the Toyo Tires/TRAXXAS Gordini all the way up to the seventieth position by Km 180. (more…)
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Dakar Rally Stage 9 Shortened, Gordon Credited with Twenty-Fifth Position, while Creed DQ’d
BELEN, Argentina (January 10, 2016) – After a disastrous Stage 8 on Monday, Team SPEED teammates Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed looked to come back with a strong effort on Tuesday, and gain some time back on the leaders as the rally would move into the dunes for the first time. (more…)
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TRANSAMERICAN AUTO PARTS RETURNS WITH KEY SPONSORSHOPS FOR 2016 KING OF THE HAMMERS
Compton, California (January 12, 2016) – Multiple Transamerican Auto Parts business divisions including off-road retailer 4 Wheel Parts, are returning as official event partners and sponsors for the 10th annual Ultra4 Nitto King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California. Transamerican Manufacturing Group (TMG) will sponsor numerous activities and events, including the Smittybilt Every Man Challenge, under the auspices of its numerous off-road and performance aftermarket companies that include Pro Comp, Rubicon Express, G2 Axle & Gear and Smittybilt. The weeklong “Ultimate Desert Race” featuring multiple classes from motorcycles to the high horse powered Unlimited Class 4400 Ultra4 cars runs from January 30 – February 6, and includes 4 Wheel Parts’ sponsorship of the Ultra4 qualifying sessions for the 4400 main race and the Smittybilt Every Man Challenge on February 4. (more…)
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Team SPEED Suffers Major Set Backs in Stage 8 of the 2016 Dakar Rally
BELEN, Argentina (January 9, 2016) – Following a respectable eleventh-place finish in the seventh stage of the 38th Dakar Rally, Robby Gordon and Team SPEED would have high hopes for the second half of the rally following the rest day on Sunday. However, those hopes were put to the side early on in Stage 8 as both Robby Gordon and Sheldon Creed would encountered major set backs costing them valuable time on track. (more…)
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Robby Gordon Rebounds at Dakar Rally in Stage 7 to Finish in the Eleventh Position
SALTA, Argentina (January 9, 2016) – American driver Robby Gordon successfully rebounded from his disappointing finish on Friday in the 38th Dakar Rally with a solid 11th-place finish in his HST Gordini during Stage 7. (more…)