UPDATE (6:27 p.m. ET): Robby Gordon’s camp has revealed that a compromised air filtration system on the No. 305 Gordini was the culprit that put the former NASCAR and IndyCar driver, along with navigator Kellon Welch, out of the 2014 Dakar Rally.
Initial reports of fuel contamination have been denied by Gordon and the team says that he indicated the only problem was the air intake issue on the Gordini’s engine. Gordon and Welch realized the problem less than 20 kilometers into yesterday’s Stage 11.
The team worked until midnight local time Friday to repair the Gordini as they sought to drive it and support vehicles through the night in order to start today’s Stage 12 within an hour after the last car began that run. Unfortunately for them, they ran out of time.
“We gave it our best and didn’t quit until the clock wouldn’t allow us to continue,” Gordon said in a release. “Without the vapor lock issues at the beginning of the Rally and a few other minor issues, the new HST Gordini ran really well and I was pleased with its performance.
“We will work on it for the next year and have a much better understanding of the car for next year’s Rally. I am very proud of the way everyone worked on Team Speed, and I appreciate the dedication and effort that everyone puts into everything we do.”
Gordon now joins fellow American driver B.J. Baldwin on the sidelines. The Chevy driver did not start Stage 10 on Wednesday, with Baldwin later confirming on Instagram that his truck’s fuel cell had a massive hole in it.
“We don’t know why the [fuel cell] mounts broke and logic would tell me that if they could break once they could easily break again and rupture the already weakened fuel cell,” his post said. “The exhaust system on this vehicle is close to the fuel leak in the cell. A fuel leak could easily ignite and cause the car to burst into flames.
“Driving this truck in it’s current condition is much too dangerous. With my family in mind this was an easy decision for me to discontinue the #Rally. No reason to put myself in an extremely dangerous situation just to finish the rally.”
