Robby Gordon the latest. he continues to make himself a lot of friends in the international off-road racing circles. “Minis are for girls, because we beat them by 20 minutes. It was a great stage, with big dunes and the car’s fast,” Gordon said. Gordon added: “We schooled these boys. I’m pissed. I’m pissed at Stephane and I’m pissed at Nani for challenging my character about being a cheater and today I kicked their asses.
Another podium. Robby Gordon takes 2nd place and gains a BIG 7 minutes on the leader. The plan is still in place and we are looking good for the championship. On this stage the hummers dominated, Robby took it easy and was still able to take second place, only 5 seconds from the leader, and not to mention there was a controversial second stop for Robby at one of the check points. If they would give him the 30 seconds back, he would be in 1st place by 25 seconds. The association is just calling it a race incident and will leave everything as is.
Josep Besoli, the chair of the jury of race officials in the car category, still gets the goose bumps when telling the story he lived yesterday: the withdrawal of a competitor after admitting to using external assistance. And not just any one of them. “Fifteen minutes after his team manager came to ask us to replace his driver in the starting order, Spinelli came to us with a letter stating his withdrawal from the race due to having used illegal assistance. He had been helped by locals after encountering alternator problems during the special. He was in tears when he said: “I could not possibly finish the Dakar knowing I have cheated. Honesty is my priority and prime motivation.” This is exactly the opposite of all the cases I deal with on a daily basis!
The spirit of the Dakar can be summed up as a coming together of several passions. In addition to being an unmissable and extraordinary event in the world of motor sports, it is also a unique human experience. The history of the rally, the exploits of some and the mishaps of others are a reminder to each and everyone that the Dakar is first and foremost a matter of feeling and emotions. This aspect is what most competitors are particularly fond of. It explains, for example, the survival of the concept of solidarity amongst all those involved in the race.
