Toyo's Gordon wins SCORE Desert Challenge

Jan. 26, 2009

Robby Gordon piloted his Toyo-shod Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Silverado truck to an overall win during the 15th annual SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nevada this weekend.

Just back from his third overall finish at the Dakar rally which was less than a week prior, Gordon switched from his Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Hummer H3 rally racer to his trophy truck shod with 37X13.50R17 Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires to win at Laughlin by more than four minutes.

"Dependable tires are a critical piece to winning races and thanks to Toyo Tires, we ran the entire weekend without any issues," said Gordon. "It is exciting to have Toyo Tires as a partner because they are dedicated to being the best and it shows in their products."

Gordon started the Laughlin weekend by finishing on top during Friday’s qualification runs, outpacing the field of 102 competitors. The race format was a cumulative time between competition on Saturday and Sunday, Gordon conserving equipment by placing second on Saturday. This allowed a decisive move into the lead for Sunday’s race, demonstrating that he is focused on winning the SCORE-International off-road series championship for 2009.

"We congratulate Robby Gordon and his team for winning the Laughlin Desert Challenge," said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. "Combined with his third overall finish in the Dakar Rally, this is a great way to begin the 2009 off-road racing season for both Team Gordon and Toyo Tires."

In addition to his most recent successes, Robby Gordon has been a force on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires, winning the Baja 1000 in 2006, in short-course racing, during special stages in Central Rally Europe; and an Open Class victory and Stage 6 win in the 2007 Dakar. To learn about the Open Country® line of tires from Toyo Tires, log on to toyo.com. Toyo Tiresmanufactures and distributes a complete line of replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as tires for commercial trucks, buses and off-road and construction applications.