All American Dakar Team Will Compete Together for the Next Three Years in
the World's Longest and Most Challenging Race
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Team Dakar USA, the elite off-road
racing group established to operate Gordon's Dakar efforts, announced today
the addition of Dakar veteran and off-road driver Ronn Bailey to its racing
platform. The announcement was made at the Toyo Tires booth at the SEMA
trade show, the premier automotive aftermarket industry event.
Bailey, who is CEO of Vanguard Integrity Professionals, an enterprise
security software company, will participate in the next three Dakar Rally
events as an integral part of Team Dakar USA and more importantly as
Gordon's esteemed teammate.
Part of the reason that Bailey and Gordon joined together was their
mutual belief to demonstrate Team Dakar USA's All-American effort in the
world's most challenging international off-road race. Winning the race
aside, Team Dakar USA's main objectives will be to highlight American
innovation, determination and international goodwill, which are each
important to these CEOs.
The upcoming 2008 Dakar Rally will mark both driver's fourth attempt at
winning the world renowned, 16-day event that covers over 6,000 km (3,600
miles) of punishing African terrain.
"Ronn drives fast, hard, and can handle the treacherous terrain and
extreme conditions," Gordon stated. "Even after he flipped his car in last
year's Dakar Rally, he and his crew rebuilt it and drove to the next
checkpoint. This is an attribute that speaks highly of him and his
commitment to be the best," said Gordon, who finished eighth overall in the
2007 Dakar Rally earlier this year.
"It's an exciting day for me and for Vanguard Integrity Professionals,
which will also be a proud sponsor of Team Dakar USA for the next three
years," explains Bailey. "It's an honor to be driving for this team along
side Robby Gordon who no one can question is one of the world's top
off-road racers. We will be racing against the largest off-road teams, more
than 50 of the words best racers and a lot of great privateers and
amateurs. While anything can happen in this race, I expect with our
combined experience, resources and passion for the race; Robby will win
first place overall and I will be on the podium in the top 20 or better."
About the Dakar
The 30th Dakar Road Rally starts in Lisbon on January 5th and ends in
Dakar, Senegal on January 20th. The 2008 Dakar promises to be longer and
more punishing than in previous years to commemorate the 30th Dakar event,
and has been extended by an additional 1,700 km. More than one million
people are expected to line the routes as the racers head from Lisbon
through Spain to Morocco, through Mauritania and into Senegal. In 2007, 245
motorcycles 180 cars and 85 trucks started the race, while only one-third
finished. http://www.dakar.com
About Ronn Bailey
Bailey is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology
Officer of Vanguard Integrity Professionals in Nevada. For more than three
decades, Bailey has been a recognized leader in information security
technology. Bailey has worked closely with governmental agencies and
Fortune 1000 companies worldwide to solve security issues at the highest
levels of business and government. In addition, Bailey is an inventor and
holds several security related patents.
Bailey, 58, a gutsy adventure, having never raced before, decided his
first off-road race should be the 2005 Dakar to help promote his business
activities. He got lost in the Sahara desert for 3 days and nights. He has
since done Dakar in 2006 and 2007, driving all the way to Dakar, Senegal,
but the podium has eluded him each year. He successfully finished the 2005
Rallye Maroc race in Africa and has been a 1st through 3rd place finisher
in every North American and Mexican race he has entered, save one, when his
car was destroyed in a collision by another driver. Dakar 2008 will be
Ronn's 11th race.
About Robby Gordon and Team Dakar USA
Gordon, owner of Team Dakar USA, will make his fourth appearance in the
Dakar Rally in 2008. A three-time Dakar stage winner and the only American
to do so, Gordon has been competing in off-road endurance races since the
early 1980's. Himself a three-time winner of the esteemed Baja 1000 along
with numerous other victories within North American borders, Gordon, along
with his teammate, Ronn Bailey, will attempt to be the first Americans to
get the overall win in the race's history.
Gordon began Team Dakar USA in 2005 in an effort to showcase American
ingenuity and technology in one of the world's most popular sporting
events. Although participating in the 2005 Dakar Rally for Volkswagen, the
2006 Dakar Rally was Gordon's first attempt as an independent owner. During
that race, Gordon was forced to make an early exit from competition during
the seventh stage due to a punctured radiator, which sidelined the team for
the remainder of the event. In the 2007 Dakar Rally, Gordon and his team
became the first Americans to win a stage in the Dakar Rally. While Gordon
claimed his third stage win in his third Dakar attempt, he also captured
the Open Category honors with his eighth place finish overall.
SOURCE Team Dakar USA
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Related links:
http://www.dakar.com
http://www.go2vanguard.com
CONTACT:
Rob Harris of Robby Gordon Motorsports,
+1-704-949-1255, rharris@teamgordon.com; or Andy Lavin of
Vanguard Integrity Professionals|Ronn Bailey, +1-702-794-0014,
media.relations@go2vanguard.com; or Julie Sediq of Toyo Tire
(U.S.A.) Corporation, +1-714-229-6111, SediqJ@toyotires.com, all
for Team Dakar USA
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