Robby Gordon 2013

[UngaWunga]

Originally Posted by VxZeroKnots

You do realize you are talking about the French? Who, for better or worse they are famous amongst us colonials for their condescension. I doubt rebranding his truck would change that, especially given his give-zero-fucks attitude.

Let's just forget that they helped up greatly during our own revolution way back when and gave us that cool statue. Yeah, those cheese eating surrender monkeys don't do anything good in the world.


Should be a good race this year. Hopefully Robbie has learned enough to finish all the legs this year without tweaking the organizers too much. Who are the other big competitors? Do the Spanish have a big push going this year?

[c.vestal]

Nice stuff here. Happy I found this thread.

[Tarheel Wheeler]

Originally Posted by UngaWunga

Should be a good race this year. Hopefully Robbie has learned enough to finish all the legs this year without tweaking the organizers too much. Who are the other big competitors? Do the Spanish have a big push going this year?

The only way he will not "Tweak" the organizers is if decides to run second to the chosen teams. Don't really see that happening, so guess the "Tweaking" will start on Stage 1. Git R Dun RG!

[dentvet]

Why didn't Gordon just install a rev limiter on Nasser's truck after the first belt failure? Stick some extra plush carpet under the gas pedal or something

[DesertSurfer]

Originally Posted by larryboy

You must be lost, this is a final Dakar effort for this team, it'd be retarded to brand them as something for one race. He tried...past tense...to establish a racing effort under a marque that existed when he started, then moved to running the car as a remote control car for big boys...it was a Traxxas, not a Hummer. The guy doesn't own oil fields, he's a racer and has a race car.

RG had a dream to WIN the Dakar under an American car sponsorship, Hummer, and has continued to carry on as a personal quest. If he were to win the Dakar with his home built rear wheeler, he will devastate the entire Dakar Rally Sponsorship Program concept... Proving that major auto manufacturers don't know what they are doing by failing to dominate the world's most complex auto race. It's no wonder the ASO will do what ever it needs to, as witnessed last year, to keep it's top manufacturers and their employee drivers in the winner's circle, at all unethical costs.

RG is merely imposing a will cultivated by 100's of years of oppression by European aristocrates. It's an American spirit to those of us American. But it's also a David vs. Goliath story for anyone told they couldn't achieve greatness against corporate bureacracy.

His winning would be the equivelent of the 1981 US Hockey team defeating the Russians for the Gold.

And as evidence why RG chose to mimic the H3... It's a DAMN FUN VEHICLE, Y'ALL...

[Tork]

Originally Posted by DesertSurfer

RG had a dream to run the Dakar under an American car sponsorship and has continued to carry on long after his sponsorship. If he were to win the Dakar with his home built front wheeler, he will devastate the entire Dakar Rally Sponsorship Program... Proving that major auto manufacturers don't know what they are doing by failing to dominate the world's most complex auto race. It's no wonder the ASO will do what ever it needs to, as witnessed last year, to keep it's top manufacturers and their employee drivers in the winner's circle.

RG is merely imposing a will cultivated by 100's of years of oppression by European aristocrates. It's an American spirit to those of us American. But it's also a David vs. Goliath story for anyone told they couldn't achieve greatness against corporate bureacracy.

And as evidence why RG chose to mimic the H3... It's a DAMN FUN VEHICLE, Y'ALL...

I believe it is a rear wheel drive 2WD .

[Strong Bad]

Hmmm I guess some forget about Jean-Louis Schlesser, or more likely you never knew about him because you just following the Dakar because Rubby is racing it.

[DesertSurfer]

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

Hmmm I guess some forget about Jean-Louis Schlesser, or more likely you never knew about him because you just following the Dakar because Rubby is racing it.

Does since 1979 count? I was fortunate to live in Paris from 1982-1988 and follow the 24-7 daily coverage, which has kept me a Dakar junkie for MANY, MANY years.

I don't think Schlesser counts as an American trying to bring home the win as an American manufacturer. However you do bring about a good point... I believe Schlesser was the reason the ASO modified categories to protect the major manufacturers... if I'm not mistaken.

[DesertSurfer]

Originally Posted by Tork

I believe it is a rear wheel drive 2WD .

Not fair... I caught it in my rear view first...

[HogWild]

Originally Posted by dentvet

Why didn't Gordon just install a rev limiter on Nasser's truck after the first belt failure?

The problem was that Nasser would downshift while the engine was already at a high rev, which forced it even higher. An ignition rev limiter won't help with that.

[VxZeroKnots]

Originally Posted by UngaWunga

Let's just forget that they helped up greatly during our own revolution way back when and gave us that cool statue. Yeah, those cheese eating surrender monkeys don't do anything good in the world.


Should be a good race this year. Hopefully Robbie has learned enough to finish all the legs this year without tweaking the organizers too much. Who are the other big competitors? Do the Spanish have a big push going this year?

I wasn't making a judgement on them, I have some friends who are French and despite their shortcomings are great people You can't tell me that you haven't heard at least once how rude the French are to Americans, be it true or not.

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

Hmmm I guess some forget about Jean-Louis Schlesser, or more likely you never knew about him because you just following the Dakar because Rubby is racing it.

I was like ten when all that was going down

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by DesertSurfer

Snip.......If he were to win the Dakar with his home built rear wheeler, he will devastate the entire Dakar Rally Sponsorship Program concept... Proving that major auto manufacturers don't know what they are doing by failing to dominate the world's most complex auto race. It's no wonder the ASO will do what ever it needs to, as witnessed last year, to keep it's top manufacturers and their employee drivers in the winner's circle, at all unethical costs.

HOME BUILT???? Are you smoking crack??? You can't be serious saying that Robby's shop is anything but a top notch professional race shop. The amount of research and development money put into Robby's Hummmmmbuggys by General Motors was HUGE. Dyno time dealing with restricted intakes and and as previously discussed, wind tunnel time alone puts him well above home built budgets.

Schlesser was much more of a home build than Robby ever was. JLS's first buggies were designed and built here in America and he re-badged them and later he simply copied previous designs.

BMW blew the whistle on Robby's illegal intake manifold, it was not the ASO that finally decided to go after him. And as much as Robby cried about how he had been using it without complaint in previous years, having a port of any kind between the restrictor and the engine has always been illegal. Robby knew that BMW would wait until he was considered to be a real threat before they protested, he simply thought he would be able to beat the protest.

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by HogWild

The problem was that Nasser would downshift while the engine was already at a high rev, which forced it even higher. An ignition rev limiter won't help with that.

Back torque limiting clutch would work, but then you'd be doing a clutch every night with that guy. They're a lot of fun though, jam it in first and pop the clutch out at 80mph...doesn't fully grab until the rpms are matched.

[UngaWunga]

Originally Posted by VxZeroKnots

I wasn't making a judgement on them, I have some friends who are French and despite their shortcomings are great people You can't tell me that you haven't heard at least once how rude the French are to Americans, be it true or not.

Dude, that goes both ways. Its a big world out there. You are not the center of it.


On with the racing.

[UngaWunga]

Originally Posted by HogWild

The problem was that Nasser would downshift while the engine was already at a high rev, which forced it even higher. An ignition rev limiter won't help with that.

Didn't Nasser also bend the rear frame in the early stages, throwing off the alignment of the belt that kept burning up/falling off?

Nasser is one helluva a fast driver, but needs a factory team support to fix all his stuff, it seems.