2019 Robby Gordon Headquarters
Dakar 2014 - Robby Will Be On The Gas/Road
I asked the question Sunday at the SST Costa Mesa fairgrounds to Robby "will you be at Dakar 2014" His answer was "YES". His look was serious with his response - eye contact was made. I have been following Robby for years. Look out Dakar, he had the that liittle smirk/smile. This will make January exciting for sure.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by WJM on
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Yes he did, on the beach.
I like Chicherit but I think your right Mike. Once you get a taste of WFO over the bumps and the fun challenge of steering with the throttle, it's got to be hard go back to short travel 4WD.
It also looks like Carlos Sainz is going with the new Porsche powered SMG buggy. I like this package with the boxer engine; lightweight, compact, low CG, perfect for a buggy.
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Bugly 2.0 doesn't appear to have the obvious design flaws of 1.0. The biggest flaw with the car could be Nassar himself. He's bad fast but he also takes too many risks that compromises equipment, especially when you don't have three or four team cars to carry your broken down ass and a 100 man crew waiting in the bivouac to straighten it.
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Permalink Reply by Hendricus on
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Hahaha, pretty funny. So true! Nassar is a proven driver. Heck, he's won the thing! But he's a beginner compared to RG in the category of owner/driver/car builder. Once Robby cracks the code on Dakar, look out! I think Robby will crack it before Nasser does, that's for sure. But Nasser has "a system" that's tough to beat. It's called buying whatever you need. But it doesn't always get you there. All part of the fun!
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Permalink Reply by will on
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Here's some more photos with some more speculation [Spanish, goggle translate is your friend].
http://www.motorpasionf1.com/dakar/exclusiva-asi-es-el-nuevo-buggy-...
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From the article: "The 2014 edition will bring some surprises, after Robby Gordon has sold its Hummer (seems to be one of his SuperTrucks preparing to compete in the Dakar), Carlos Sainz ran an SMG buggy, the ultrapoderosos Mini X-Raid and occasional pilot has yet to remove the head and present their plans."
Yep, the whole world is wondering what Robby is up to. Seem this author knows more that all the buds of Robby that hang out on the Planet.
Why do I have to be left in the dark! I'm get'n me a pizza van and a long range camera!
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Permalink Reply by Mike Kenyon on
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Seem this author knows more that all the buds of Robby that hang out on the Planet.=the author knows more than Planet members?
you do know the outside world reads this site and there is a mole?!
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It's Martinez isn't it? I can tell because he writes like the Google translations of the Spanish articles. Hahaha.
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Permalink Reply by Dave Horwath on
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+1000, My brain hurts after reading his posts!
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No,it's not Michael
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Permalink Reply by J.R. Sands on
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Thanks Will. So I see many changes ... here Nassir looks to be building a competitive race car.......maybe
Talk about copied. What kind of budget does Nassir have. Even the support rigs are starting to look like well you know what I mean
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Permalink Reply by Bricoop on
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Im curious as to which "corvette engine" Nasser puts in here. Im gonna go out on a limb and say RG's gonna run the same engine package in the new rig. GM helped develop and tune this engine specifically for the rally. I wonder if they've given Nasser the same help or same engine. It'll be interesting to see top speed comparisons (If Nasser didn't get help from GM I believe it will really show, especially at altitude).
Here's a fun video showing how quick this is. The new vehicle is going to be lighter with better weight distribution (hint, hint) which will help imensley durring the rally type stages where RG has been burned in the past. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g37NRbjMIfQ
Weight distribution is so key to RG having a competitive truck. The old Hummers were designed to be perfect for the old course. When the Rally started in Europe RG always was smoked in the early WRC style courses. But that didn't matter as most of the Rally was in the dunes where a rear-engine vehicle performs best.
And here's why: Look at sand buggies, the engine is almost always in the rear. You don't want a lot of weight on the front tires as they'll just dig into the sand and slow you down. Also, rear-grip is a huge concern. The more weight in the rear the less likely you are to dig yourself into the sand (if you live in a snowy climate you know what im talking about). And because you effectively create your own route in the dunes precise turning is not nearly as important.
But with the new course the reason even weight distribution is so important is because of all the precision turning required (eg tight WRC style track). RG's speed is limited in these stages by the amount of front wheel grip he has. Front wheel grip is largely based on the amount of weight over the front tires. Like I said above the old Hummers had relatively little weight over the front tires and RG would have to compensate by having to slow down more than the 4-wheel drive even weight vehicles.
Im always excited about the rally, but this year even more so. I do have some questions/concerns about the new vehicle, but I'll wait until the new design is announced to hypotesize about them. GAS ON
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The best part of those fan videos is the excitement of the people. That moment is exactly why they are there. The Mini's are beast. They are the car to beat. I've huge respect. But they just don't bring the show. I recall Peterhansel calling Robby a showman. He's right! But he's wrong if he calls him "NOTHING BUT a showman." This is the year of a podium finish for RGM Dakar!
So Bricoop, what's your opinion. My guess is that Robby's new Dakar car will be front-center engine, similar to SST, but longer wheel-base, maybe wider too. What's your opinion, are the SST's too short of a wheel-base for high speeds? But then heck, SST's don't look any shorter wheelbase than the Mini's. But the two cars are so different. I probably can't compare the wheelbase of these two cars in any meaningful way.
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