Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico – Toyo Tires captured a historic 1st and 2nd overall in the 45th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 this past weekend.  Robby Gordon of Charlotte, NC, driving his #77 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires® Chevy CK1500 trophy truck, won the 501-mile race in a time of 10:04:36.  Finishing second was BJ Baldwin of Las Vegas, NV, piloting his #1 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires Chevy Silverado trophy truck in a time of 10:13:51.  Both drivers relied on Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires for their decisive podium finish over a field of some 275 international competitors.

For the first time, pre-race qualifying was held a few days earlier on a section of the Baja 500 race course near Ojos Negros.  Robby Gordon qualified the fastest, ensuring a number one starting position.

SANTIAGO, CHILE – Toyo Tires racers captured six stage wins and a total of 13 podiums during the running of the 2013 Dakar which completed its final stage this past weekend.  Running from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile, the roughly 5,000-mile 14-stage rally wound its way south along the Pacific Coast, while sweeping inland through parts of Argentina.  Competitors were challenged with extreme off-highway conditions which included huge sand dunes, rock strewn desert roads, deep river crossings and treks through high mountains.

In addition to Team Toyo’s Robby Gordon, two past Dakar champions Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al-Attiyah also took on the Dakar using Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires.  Immediately, Sainz captured Stage 1 with his American-built #303 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy.  Al-Attiyah then responded by winning Stages 3, 4 and 6 with his #300 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy.

CALAMA, CHILE – Nasser Al-Attiyah, driver of the #300 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy, has won today’s 438km Stage 6 of the Dakar rally with a margin of victory of more than 8 minutes.  The win moves him to within just 1 minute 18 seconds of the overall lead of the 14 stage, nearly 5,000 mile South American rally.  Relying on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires as a part of his winning strategy, Al-Attiyah has now won Stages 3, 4 and 6, while finishing in third during Stage 1.

“We did a good job and I’m quite happy to be here, without any mistakes,” said Al-Attiyah.  “The car is working very well, the tires were really good, and I’m quite happy with everything.”

AREQIUPA, PERU – Nasser Al-Attiyah, driver of the #300 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy equipped with Toyo^® Open Country M/T^®-R tires, scored his second consecutive stage victory today in the 2013 Dakar^®.  Al-Attiyah’s success in this year’s Dakar includes a third place in Stage 1, and victories in Stages 3 and 4.  During today’s 429km Nazca to Arequipa (Peru) Stage 4, he moved to within 5minutes 16seconds of the overall race leader, Stéphan Peterhansel in the X-Raid MINI.

In addition to Al-Attiyah’s success, Carlos Sainz captured a Stage 1 win with his #303 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy. Robby Gordon in his #315 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires / MAPEI HUMMER also placed second in yesterday’s Stage 3.  In total, Toyo Tires has captured three wins in the first four stages, with a total of five podium finishes.

The countdown is on to the 2013 Dakar, considered by many to be the craziest, most dangerous off-road rally in the world! Toyo Tires will be covering the 2013 Dakar rally and its sponsored teams in the race that starts tomorrow.

Starting January 5, this 15-day, Pan-American odyssey will cover nearly 5,000 miles in 14 stages. See Gordon’s Hummer traverse some of the world’s highest sand dunes and mountains while racing through Peru, Argentina and Chile – all with one thing on his mind: victory.

CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – Toyo Tires and Robby Gordon are teaming up once again to take on the legendary Dakar Rally in January.  Gordon will drive his #315 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires / MAPEI HUMMER with assistance from veteran navigator Kellon Walch.  Running January 5 – 20, the 2013 Dakar rally is nearly 5,000 miles in length and will start in Lima, Peru; and then run south through the South American continent to the finish in Santiago, Chile.

Each year Dakar organizers challenge entrants with unique routes.  Run primarily off the road, the terrain can vary from coastal sand dunes to rock-strewn mountains and dense forests.  Competitors and their equipment can face the challenges of running in the desert heat or the extreme cold while crossing high-elevation passes.  Along the way, vehicles may be forced to travel at a slow crawl or hit speeds soaring well over 100-mph.  Since 2007, Gordon has relied on Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires to help conquer this world famous off-road rally.

CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA – Team Toyo’s Robby Gordon clinched the Class 1500 Championship and was crowned  2012 Grand Champion in the Best In The Desert off-road series during the Transwest Ford Henderson 250 this past weekend in Jean, Nevada.  Gordon’s #1537 SPEED Energy/RPM Offroad/Toyo Tires/4 Wheel Parts ‘truggy’ was dominant the entire season, thanks in part to his Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires.

In February, Gordon won the Bluewater Resort & Casino Parker 425 overall.  In March, he won overall in the Mint 400.  In May, Gordon won his class and placed third overall at the Canidae Tap It Silver State 300.  During the Vegas to Reno race in August, Gordon placed second overall.  The series then returned to Parker, Arizona in October where Gordon swept the entire weekend of the BlueWater Desert Challenge.

PARKER, ARIZONA – Robby Gordon and Toyo Tires® swept the BlueWater Desert Challenge in Parker, Arizona this past weekend.  Driving the #1537 SPEED Energy/RPM Offroad/Toyo Tires/4 Wheel Parts open wheel ‘truggy’ equipped with Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires; Gordon dominated the three day event which consisted of Friday qualifying and two segments of racing.

During Friday’s qualifying, Gordon topped the charts with a time of 3:02.466 for an average speed of 59.19-mph.  Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires were also on the truck of the second fastest qualifier, BJ Baldwin.  Baldwin drove the #1 Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Chevy Silverado class 1400 Trick Truck to a time of 3:03.353 at 58.90-mph.

During Saturday and Sunday’s three-lap, 26-mile per lap races; Gordon won overall each day with more than a two-minute margin of victory.  His cumulative time for the race was a 2:42:52, beating the second overall finisher by more than 4.5 minutes.  BJ Baldwin finished second in class 1400 and fifth overall with a cumulative time of 02:52:02.

Austin Kimbrell and his dedicated crew put in another solid effort at rounds 11 and 12 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORRS). The LOORRS shortcourse event was held at the new Wild West Motorsports Park outside Reno, Nevada. This brand new 1.2-mile track that climbed and dropped with the rolling hills, promised to deliver door-to-door racing at top speeds.

The imposing track was filled with long straits, big drops and tricky turns. Turn four, Austin’s favorite, had a nice radius but dropped in elevation, which made it similar to the famous corkscrew turn at Laguna Seca. If the reaction from the jam-packed stands were any indication, Austin wasn’t the only one who liked turn four. Getting the track dialed in would be the same challenge for all the teams and drivers.

SPARKS, NEVADA – Team Toyo’s Kyle LeDuc won Round 11 of the Lucas Oil^® Off Road Racing Series in the Pro 4 Unlimited class this past weekend on a new racetrack located in the hills outside Sparks, Nevada.   It marks LeDuc’s seventh win in the 16-race season while driving his 900+ horsepower #99 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires^® Ford F-150.  Part of LeDuc’s competitive advantage is his Toyo^® Open Country M/T^®-R tires.

LeDuc easily captured the number one qualifying spot both Friday and Saturday.  During Saturday’s Pro 4 Unlimited class main event, he turned in the best lap with a 53.042 time at 81.445-mph.  Late in the race, a shock mount broke, delivering a pounding to both driver and truck until the checkered flag came out.  LeDuc showed his toughness by still capturing the number one spot on the podium.