5TH PLACE OVERALL FOR GORDON & CAMPBELL

Lima, Peru (January 15, 2012) - At the conclusion of the 2012 Dakar Rally, Robby Gordon and Johnny Campbell left their mark on the final stage by finishing first in the capital of Peru. This marks the third stage win for the American duo and Team SPEED's fifth of the rally. Despite being faced with adversity from their competitors and the organization, the No. 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER stole the show. Gordon posted 10 top-5 stage finishes to finish in fifth place overall. Even though it wasn't Gordon's best finish (third in 2009 was) of his rally career, it certainly was his best performance.
 
"It's all about SPEED. Our HUMMER was definitely capable of winning the rally. I just made a couple of mistakes that cost us, but I'm happy to walk away on a good note and really ready to start talking about 2013." As Gordon commented about his effort in 2012, he also praised his new navigator, Johnny Campbell, "Johnny is such a great guy. Not to take away from anyone else because I've been lucky to have good navigators in the past, such as Kellon Walch and Andy Grider. Johnny really helped me stay focused, and I think he helped from a management side of things to bring us to a championship caliber team." 
 
Gordon also thanked his sponsors and fans.  “I want to thank Toyo Tires, Traxxas, Mapei, Menard’s, SPEED Energy Drink, Polaris, 4Wheel Parts and all of our great sponsors in all of the racing series we run throughout the year.  Without them, we wouldn’t be in a position to do this.  I also want to say thanks to all the fans all over the world, and a special thanks to the fans in South America.  They really seem to love racing, and they made us feel at home wherever we went.  I always try to have fun racing, and make it fun for the fans.  I hope we did.”
 
The story for Team SPEED in 2012 was all about redemption. Robby Gordon produced a team that was on the edge of glory to become Dakar Rally Champions. By Stage 9, they would find themselves only a few minutes behind the overall leader. Unfortunately the distraction of the dispute about his air inflation system made it hard for Gordon and his team to stay focused on the main goal for the overall win. Despite the adversity, the team walks away with five stage wins between Gordon and Al-Attiyah, making up for what was such a disappointing 2011 rally.
 
Looking forward to 2013, Gordon and Team SPEED plan to take nothing short of victory. Gordon and team will make the long journey back to the United States and begin preparations for next year's edition.

Team SPEED - Dakar Rally Stage 1 Recap

Santa Rosa (January 1st, 2012) - On the first day of the New Year, the competitors of the 2012 Dakar Rally prepared for an early start, which took them from the beach city of Mal Del Plata to Santa Rosa de La Pampa. The special stage section was only 57km, making it the shortest racing section of the rally.

Nasser Al-Attiyah would start out with an advantage being the first car on the road, and teammate Robby Gordon would follow off the line in fourth. When the auto class got to the special stage, they would find areas to pass the competition along the coast line and drive into small dunes that represented their first hurdle. In this short section, the fastest time would establish each competitors position in the rankings.

By checkpoint 1 of the Special Stage, Al-Attiyah and Gordon were running first and second, only 9 seconds between them with Peterhansel 51 secs behind. The HUMMERs were off to a great start, proving to be a real contender. Unfortunately only 2km from the finish, Al-Attiyah's HUMMER lost power. Seeing his teammate on the side of the road, Gordon had no choice but to help the 2011 Dakar Champion cross the finish.  With the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER towing the Qatar/Toyo Tires HUMMER, Gordon ended up losing valuable seconds, resulting in him being the third car to finish. He ended up fifth based on corrected time. Al-Attiyah's finish will be determined at a later time due to the fact he had assistance. Al-Attiyah and his navigator Lucas Cruz would evaluate the situation with their vehicle before heading towards Santa Rosa de la Pampa. Not really knowing what exactly happened, they were able to communicate with Gordon to help get his HUMMER up and running again.

About SPEED Energy– SPEED Energy is available in four flavors: Unleaded, Fuel, Ethanol and Octane, which provides the human machine with the fuel it needs to keep up with the SPEED of life. Each drink contains a potent energy blend of B-vitamins, caffeine, taurine and ginseng. SPEED is packaged in 12 ounce sleek cans that have a stylish black top and sexy body and are available in singles, four-packs, and cases.  SPEED Energy is available in the United States in major retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. For more information, please visit speedenergy.com.

Race Coverage– Follow Team SPEED during the 2012 Dakar Rally on www.speedenergy.com as well as twitter and facebook at www.twitter.com/speed_energy and www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink.  Daily highlights from each stage can be viewed on the NBC Sports Network (formerly known as Versus) January 1st – the 15th at 1:30AM Eastern Standard time.  Please check your local listings on where to find the NBC Sports Network.

The SPEED Energy APP - featuring exclusive updates of Robby Gordon and his SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HUMMER during the 2012 Dakar Rally.  Follow Robby as he competes in the world's toughest race through Argentina, Chile and Peru.  Be the first to hear updates from the driver himself and get exclusive videos and photos during the team's quest to win the coveted Dakar Rally.  You'll be able to keep up with Robby during the rally from your iPhone or iPad!

Copyright © 2011 SPEED Energy Racing, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
10615 Twin Lakes Parkway
Charlotte, NC 28269

Media Contact: Kevin Wilson or Alison McCabe
Tel.  704-949-1255
kwilson@speedenergy.com or amccabe@speedenergy.com
 
Media Contact: Jay Jones, TMC
Tel.  949-851-6313
jay.jones@tmcauto.com
Toyo Media Site:  http://toyotires.mediaroom.com/

Team SPEED and Toyo Tires® - A Force for 2012 Dakar Rally

Charlotte, NC (December 14, 2011) – Robby Gordon’s Team SPEED and Toyo Tires® are returning to compete in the 2012 Dakar Rally in force.  This year, two of Robby Gordon’s specially built HUMMER H3 racers will compete for the overall win.  Gordon will drive his bright orange #303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires entry; while defending 2011 Dakar winner, Nasser Al-Attiyah, joins the team to pilot the #300 Qatar HUMMER H3 racer.  The race vehicles rely on Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires to deliver off-road performance and durability.

Team SPEED and Toyo Tires are no strangers to Dakar.  Gordon and Toyo Tires first competed in the Dakar in 2006.  Together they showed their capabilities with a Stage 6 win and an Open Class victory in the 2007 Dakar, and then scored their highest finish, a third overall, in the 2009 Dakar.  That year, the HUMMER was the only two-wheel-drive vehicle to finish in the top ten, proving the capabilities of the team and the Open Country M/T-R tires.

“Toyo Tires and I have worked hard over the years to develop a tire combination that is right for the HUMMER,” said Gordon.  “Their team has put a lot of effort into making a Toyo tire that is tough, durable and ready for the Dakar Rally.  It has good grip and can sustain the varying terrain, from sand to slick gravel roads to hard rocky areas.  I look forward to getting out there and racing on it.”

For the 2012 Dakar, Robby Gordon will be joined in the cockpit by multiple Baja 1000 winner and off-road legend, Johnny Campbell.  Campbell will serve as navigator in the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER, guiding the vehicle through challenging terrain on this 14-day, and nearly 6,000-mile Pan-American odyssey.  The 2012 Dakar starts on New Year’s Day on the East coast of Argentina in Mar Del Plata.  It will cross over the Andes of Chile and then finish on South America’s West Coast in Lima, Peru.

“Dakar is the most challenging off-road endurance race on the planet and is a true test of both man and equipment,” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.  “We are proud to have Toyo Tires represented by these off-road champions. The Open Country M/T-R is the perfect tire to lead them to their goal of winning the 2012 Dakar.”

To follow the team’s journey to compete in the upcoming Dakar, and for updated race team coverage, log onto www.speedenergy.com and www.toyotires.com. Fans can also participate in the Dakar experience by connecting with the community at www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink, www.facebook.com/toyotires, www.twitter.com/speed_energy and www.twitter.com/toyotires.

Toyo Tires’ Adrian Puente will travel with the team during its effort to win Dakar, providing reports, photos and videos.  Toyo Tires manufactures and distributes a complete line of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks.  Learn more at www.toyotires.com.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:  Photos of Robby Gordon, Johnny Campbell and the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER are available at: http://toyotires.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=13&cat=138&mode=gallery
 
Media Contact: Kevin Wilson or Alison McCabe
Tel.  704-949-1255
kwilson@speedenergy.com or amccabe@speedenergy.com
 
Media Contact: Jay Jones, TMC
Tel.  949-851-6313
jay.jones@tmcauto.com
Toyo Media Site:  http://toyotires.mediaroom.com/