DAKAR RALLY: Team Dakar USA's HUMMER H3 wins 8th overall

[Flybrian]

H3 'Monster HUMMER' Completes Landmark Run at Dakar

For the unfamilar, the Dakar Rally is not so much a rally as it is an endurance race that traditionally originated in Paris and ended in Dakar, Senegal over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Recently, the starting locale has varied, but has mostly originated in continental Europe. There are three classes of competition - Motorbike, truck (large offroad vehicles), and car. Perennial leaders like the Mitsubishi Pajero, Land Rover, and Mercedes G-Wagen compete in the car class. Likewise, the HUMMER H3 competed alongside.

The Dakar Rally is comprised of fifteen individual stages. Robby Gordon - with his H3 Monster HUMMER - captured first place in the sixth stage from Morocco to Mauritania. This was actually the longest leg of the race, totalling nearly 500 miles. Their victory here and 8th place finish overall is no small victory as it marks the first time an American team or an American marque took first place in any stage as well as the first place finish for the HUMMER marque, a feat made all the more significant given that less than 60% of the 109 car-class entrants even completed the rally.

Click below for more information:

- Rally News @ HUMMER.com

- Stage Reports from Robby Gordon Motorsports

For sixteen days, from Lisbon to Dakar, Team Dakar USA embarked on the toughest race known to man and machine. By the end they accomplished what no other American team had ever done in the previous 28 editions of the Dakar Rally. Robby Gordon Motorsports and General Motors with its Hummer brand respectively became the first American team and manufacture to win a stage in the Dakar Rally. While Robby Gordon claimed his third stage win in his third Dakar attempt – the Monster Hummer also captured the Open Category honors with its eighth place finish overall.

The short 16 km final stage in the 2007 Dakar Rally was raced on the banks of Lac Rose and saw Robby Gordon attack the course like he had for the previous 4313 km. Gordon and navigator Andy Grider began the stage in fifth place – the position they had finished the previous day’s stage. When the dust settled they had advanced the Monster Hummer to a third place finish and secured the eight overall finishing positions for the 2007 Dakar Rally.

[cletus8269]

another thing that needs to be mentioned is the pontiac gxp-r's performance at the 24 hour le mans. 2nd in the gt class for a debut is great, and pontiac finished 2nd and 3rd over all in the prototype class.

Edited January 31, 2007 by cletus8269

[Sixty8panther]

Wow... good for Hummer, respectable for sure!

This was the first motorsport event I became aware of and got enthused over.

As a kid in Slovakia in the early 1980s I saw our own Dakar winning TATRA

on the roads on several occasions. The first model I built, one of those snap

together types, was this same truck. It used to do R&D in the back of our town,

in the woods, granite query & WWII trenches, practically in my grandparent's

back yard and in the surrounding area.

Gotta love that external rollcage.

Something cool about seeing an 8 ton truck do a Subaru WRX-STi style jump!

Even the pros get stuck!

[Z-06]

Tatras are amazing trucks. What I love about them is the ruggedness and yet simple mechanism of go anywhere capabilities. We should have those here.

But good to know about Hummer.

To all those European snobs, let them know when GM decides to get it right it gets it right.

Now I wish GM captures F1 :AH-HA_wink: (Bring in Michael Schumacher as their team boss) and let Opel or as a matter of fact Caddy to play. It will help them build their image.

[prinzSD]

another thing that needs to be mentioned is the pontiac gxp-r's performance at the 24 hour le mans. 2nd in the gt class for a debut is great, and pontiac finished 2nd and 3rd over all in the prototype class.

I think you mean the Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona. And I think the GXP Rs look pretty cool as well.

[Dragon]

started following the Dakar last year when I heard Ewan MacGregor's Long way Around partner was going to do it on a bike. Just an absolutely amazing (and brutal) race

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Yet another excellent accomplishment by GM that will go UNPROMOTED and UNNOTICED...

Yay! (Sarcasm)

[Z-06]

Yet another excellent accomplishment by GM that will go UNPROMOTED and UNNOTICED...

Yay! (Sarcasm)

Yes GM should use this as a PR campaign, and blow it out of proportions like Toy-boy-da

[Dragon]

Yet another excellent accomplishment by GM that will go UNPROMOTED and UNNOTICED...

Yay! (Sarcasm)

whats the point? most North American's wouldn't know what the f@#k it was and they wouldn't understand the significance of it.

Even if they did know it was was, one look at that pic that was posted and they'd probably just dismiss it and say that that thing is as much a hummer as a chevy NASCAR is a Monte

Edited February 2, 2007 by Dragon