San Diego, CA – Robby Gordon and Toyo Tires have won Round 5 of the Stadium SUPER Trucks (SST) racing series during its return visit to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California this last weekend.  This marked Gordon’s second win of the season with his #7 SPEED Energy/MAPEI race truck.  With his combination of five podium finishes and two Fast Qualifiers, Gordon takes over the championship points lead with six races remaining in the 11 race series.  It also marks the third victory of the 2013 SST season for Toyo® Open Country tires.

“San Diego No. 2 was definitely better for me than San Diego No. 1. I had a great battle with youngster Sheldon Creed with him pressuring me the entire race,” said Gordon.  “It was a great race, these Toyo tires really worked well tonight, and I can’t thank all the fans enough for coming out and supporting us.”

San Diego, Calif. – SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks made a return trip to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif., for the second and final time in 2013. Five distinct racing divisions took to the track to test their driving skills on the uniquely prepared dirt and asphalt course. Robby Gordon, Larry Swim, Apdaly Lopez, Derek Costella and Shelby Anderson were able to record wins in Round No. 5 of SST competition.

Robby Gordon, of Orange, Calif., driving the #7 SPEED Energy / MAPEI / Toyo Tires truck held off the hard charging Sheldon Creed of Alpine, Calif. to claim his second SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks victory of the season.

The 20-Lap SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks final began from a staggered start, and saw first place starter Arie Luyendyk Jr. from Scottsdale, Ariz., quickly jump out to the early lead navigating his way through the first set of turns. Iron River, Mich., driver Nick Baumgartner would waste no time working his way past the No. 25 to lead Lap-1.

Using the clear track to his advantage Gordon would take the cross-over option on Lap-2 to race his way to the front of the field from the fifth starting position.

Los Angeles, Calif. – Making its return to the birthplace of stadium off-road racing SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks invaded the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a full night of racing action with three distinct divisions testing their skills on the uniquely prepared high flying dirt and asphalt course. Robby Gordon, Larry Swim, and Jerry Whelchel were able to conquer the multiple challenges to record wins in Round No. 3 of SST Competition.
Robby Gordon, of Orange, Calif., driving the #7 SPEED Energy / MAPEI / Toyo Tires truck held off points leader Rob MacCachren to capture his first win in Stadium SUPER Trucks history.

The 20-Lap SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks final began from a staggered start and saw first place starter Gordon jump out to the early lead. Entering turn 1, third place starter Ricky Johnson of El Cajon, Calif., opted to test the cross-over option for a chance to take the over the lead. Not going as planned Johnson’s evening quickly came to an abrupt end as a flat tire resulted in getting him off course in the middle of the peristyle. Trouble also found Jeff Ward on the opening lap as he became stuck in the sand step-up resulting in losing multiple laps to the leader.

Los Angeles, Calif. (April 27, 2013) – SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks made the return to the birthplace of Stadium truck racing on a specifically designed dirt and asphalt course inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.

Mike Jenkins began the qualifying session, running 3 smooth laps. Next was Lalo Laguna as he blistered a quick lap of 42.123 jumping to top of the charts. Laguna remained the quick qualifier throughout much of the event even after successful laps by off-road new comers Arie Luyendyk and Nick Baumgartner. P.J. Jones found trouble on his third qualifying lap turning the American Racing Wheels No. 98 over on its side.

Glendale, AZ – Stadium-style off-road racing has made its exciting return in the U.S. this past weekend at the inaugural Stadium SUPER Trucks™ (SST) race held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.  Toyo Tires® celebrated a podium sweep during the 18-lap final — the top three trucks riding on Toyo® Open Country M/T®-R tires.  The #21 Traxxas entry scored a decisive first place victory over the #8 SPEED Energy truck piloted by Justin Matney, followed by Robby Gordon in third driving the #7 SPEED Energy/MAPEI race truck.

The Toyo Open Country M/T-R has a history of winning championships in both desert and short-course off-road racing. Toyo Tires scored an off-road racing Trifecta in 2012 winning the SCORE, Best in the Desert and LOORS Pro 4 series championships.  The Stadium SUPER Trucks series adds another dimension for proving its winning capabilities off-the-road.

“Toyo Tires was proud to be a part of Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Truck race in Phoenix this past weekend,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.  “Sweeping the podium of the first-ever SST race is especially gratifying since the SST spec trucks are evenly matched, making the drivers and the tires the biggest factors in the race results.”

“Race one is in the books and it was pretty gnarly.  Congratulations to everybody at Toyo… they podiumed the whole thing across the board,” said Robby Gordon. “I’m really happy, and I think the weekend went pretty good.  I think it was good competition for everybody involved, and I’m looking forward to the next event at Long Beach Grand Prix.”

The next event in the series will be at the Long Beach Grand Prix in Long Beach, California.  The trucks will demonstrate their skills on a paved grand prix course with manmade ramps to provide an entirely new challenge to both trucks and drivers.

All 12 SST events in 2013 will be televised via tape delay on NBC networks, seven on NBC and five on NBC Sports. Check local listings for channels and times.

Keep up with the latest news and results on Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD’s Stadium SUPER Trucks Series at facebook.com/StadiumSuperTrucks and twitter.com/SSuperTrucks. Visit stadiumsupertrucks.com for more information including where to purchase tickets for the 2013 season.

To learn more about the full line of Open Country® tires for trucks and SUVs, log onto toyotires.com.

Las Vegas, NV – The HDRA series heads to Ridgecrest, California April 5-7 for the King Shocks 250. This will be the first time some of the HDRA regulars, like BJ Baldwin, will have a chance to take on the sandy washes and boulder strewn landscape that Ridgecrest is known for.

“Pre-race testing of our Monster Energy Toyo Tires Rigid Industries Trophy Truck went very well,” said BJ, “I’m anxious to see what this course has to offer. Anytime we go to a new course, it puts everyone on equal footing. There are no secret lines, no home court advantage. Each team will have to learn the fastest way around.”

CYPRESS, CA – Toyo Tire U.S.A Corp is proud to announce its partnership with Robby Gordon Off-Road’s Stadium Super Trucks (SST), becoming the first tire manufacturer to sign for the 2013 inaugural season of thrilling, stadium-style off-road racing.

Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD’s Stadium SUPER Trucks is a new breed of off-road featuring live motorsports, bringing back what was once the concept of legendary racer Mickey Thompson. Robby Gordon’s new concept of Stadium racing involves high-powered off-road trucks racing on challenging dirt tracks consisting of huge jumps, crossovers, and tight corners. The 2013 season will be comprised of 12 heart-pounding events providing action in the greatest venues across North America.

Toyo Tires^® will have multiple Stadium SUPER Trucks equipped with its popular Open Country M/T^® including that of No. 7 Robby Gordon. Toyo Tires first partnered with Gordon in 2006 and have maintained a winning relationship ever since. Gordon has delivered multiple championships, wins and podium finishes for the Toyo Tires brand. Accomplishments include the 2012 Best in the Desert Class 1500 Champion and Best in the Desert Grand Champion, 2009 SCORE Overall Point Champion and SCORE Trophy-Truck Champion, Overall 2006 Baja 1000 Winner and many Dakar Rally Stage wins.

Johnson Valley, CA – BJ Baldwin has plenty to be proud of in his first attempt at rock racing. On a King of the Hammers, (KOH) course that was designed to create high attrition, only 27 out of 129 finished, he and co-rider Jake Yeoman placed a respectable 44th after battling the rocks and ruts for over eight hours.

With support from Monster Energy, Toyo Tires, Rigid Industries, Method Race Wheels, King Shocks, Lucas Oil, Hoonigan, Trent Fabrication, Trail-Gear, Yukon Gear & Axle and MJ motorsports, BJ had mounted a serious effort to compete for the crown. He took full advantage of his limited practice time on the brutally tough “Hammers” trails in Johnson Valley, California, qualifying 29th out of 100 in an unfamiliar car that is vastly different from the Monster Energy Trophy Trucks he has taken to numerous championships. His Trent Fab built car is four wheel drive with a huge transfer case to split the engine power to the massive straight axles front and rear. To provide adequate ground clearance, it has a high center of gravity and to articulate in the rocks, long shocks with soft springs. The car packs a long list of heavy-duty parts into the smallest package possible; driver comfort comes secondary.

Parker, Ariz. – For the second year in a row, Robby Gordon dominated the Parker 425. This was the first appearance of the No.77 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires Trophy Truck since the 2012 San Felipe 250.

The SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires Trophy Truck was quick from the start of qualifying on Thursday to the conclusion of the 425-mile lap race on Saturday. Gordon qualified second behind pole winner Rob MacCachren, which resulted in him starting the race one minute behind MacCachren. With an impressive start, Gordon caught and passed MacCachren within 20 minutes. Gordon talked to his crew about transmission heating issues after pushing the truck hard for the first 18 miles. MacCachren stayed within 10 seconds of Gordon for a few miles until Gordon eventually ran away from him. Gordon would then battle with Jason Voss, the fourth place starter, for the lead; Voss would stay within a few minutes of Gordon on corrected time until the second lap. At that point, Gordon’s crew made an incredible pit stop at mid-way. The SPEED Energy crew changed two tires and filled the No.77 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires Trophy Truck with fuel in just 57 seconds. When the two drivers reached Lap 3, Gordon had pulled ahead of Voss by nearly 6 minutes and 32 seconds physically but only 4 minutes and 32 seconds on corrected time. Gordon would maintain that lead for the final lap, carefully passing slower vehicles on the course. He was the first Trophy Truck to cross the finish line, resulting in a memorable and flawless race for Gordon and navigator Charlie Holbrook.

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.