ROBBY GORDON WINS WITH TOYO TIRES!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 
2009 SCORE Overall Point and Trophy-Truck Championships Belong to Gordon & Toyo Tires
With the same determination and skill that drove them through the 2009 SCORE-International off-road racing season, Robby Gordon and navigator, Andy Grider, clenched the 2009 SCORE Overall Point and Trophy-Truck Championships as they crossed the finish line of the 42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 on November 21.
These mark the first overall championships for Toyo Tires in this legendary racing series.
Running on 39X13.50R17 Toyo Open Country M/T®-R tires, Gordon and Grider had accumulated enough points during the season in this historic desert racing series to only have to finish the 42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 to secure the overall point championship.
Off-road fans around the world tracked the results online and monitored their favorite off-road websites to see if Gordon would come out on top. Knowing Gordon, they know he always races to win.
In the end, Gordon’s #77 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Chevy CK1500 trophy truck endured the 672.85-mile course around the Baja California peninsula to finish the Baja 1000 in fifth place with a time of 15:14:31. The team competed against 327 other starters from 39 U.S. states and 14 countries, nearly half not finishing the punishing race.
To win the overall 2009 SCORE championship, Gordon led the five-event racing season starting with his win at the first race, the Laughlin Desert Challenge held in January. He then finished runner-up in the San Felipe 250, finished in the top 10 in the Baja 500 and won the Primm 300 in September. Gordon was also one of 14 racers to earn a 2009 SCORE Toyota Milestone Award for completing every required mile of every race.
“I can't say enough about the commitment, hard work and dedication Toyo Tires has given our team this year,” said Gordon after the race. “They are committed to being the best in the off-road industry and this championship proves it; I couldn't do it without them.“
“Winning the overall SCORE-International championship is the perfect ending to a year that has been filled with off-road racing victories,” said Steve Hutchinson, vice president of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Robby Gordon has been a member of Team Toyo since 2005, delivering wins such as the 2006 Baja 1000 and stages of the Dakar. We are glad that our Open Country M/T-R tires helped deliver that success.”
The next event for Robby Gordon and Toyo Tires is the 2010 Dakar® race which begins January 2 in Argentina. Last year, Team Dakar USA shook the international community by finishing third overall with their Open Country M/T-R equipped Hummer H3. It was the only two-wheel-drive vehicle in the top ten. With their successes throughout 2009, the team is even more determined to take the overall win at Dakar.
Follow the 2010 Dakar race here, at toyotires.com! Toyo Tires will send one of their own, to chronicle the adventure in South America. Watch for Ramses’ Rally Journal - filled with stories, photos and video - at the end of December.
Click here to learn more about 2009 SCORE Champion, and Team Toyo driver, Robby Gordon