Toyo Tires take Stage 11 of the Dakar

Robby Gordon, driver of the SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires / MAPEI HUMMER, has won Stage 11 of the 2013 Dakar.  Originally intended to run from La Rioja to Fiambalá in Argentina, the competition portion of the stage was cut from 219km in length to an abbreviated 70km (the location of Checkpoint 1.)  The shortening of the stage was due to safety concerns by the rally organizers as heavy rains had flooded two rivers along the route.
 
Running on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires, Gordon rocketed into the lead early in the stage.  Ultimately, a helicopter was dispatched to stop the lead vehicles.  They were informed that the remainder of the stage had been cancelled as many of the competitors could not cross the rivers.  Gordon’s Stage 11 victory was bittersweet, as his pace meant his 38-second margin of victory could well have been a 30-minute margin if it was allowed to go the full distance.
 
"We won the stage, so today was a good special for us. It could have been a great special for us. I am sure we could have beat most of the cars by 30 minutes or more,” said Gordon.  “It is a shame they had to cancel it because of weather since we would have climbed the standings today.”
 
Along with today’s Stage 11 win, Gordon has captured a total of six podiums during this year’s Dakar.  To date, Toyo Tires-equipped vehicles have captured five stage wins and a total of 11 podiums during this year’s rally.
 
During the 2013 Dakar, Toyo Tires has three ways to follow the action.  Check out the Toyo Tires Dakar Rally blog for updated photos and videos.   You can also follow Facebook and Twitter for daily highlights.  For a chance to win daily swag, be sure to enter the 15 Days of Dakar Sweepstakes at www.facebook.com/toyotires.