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Toyo Tire Europe, Willich, Germany  – Toyo Tires and Robby Gordon’s Team SPEED return to compete in the 2012 Dakar with an even stronger team. This year, two specially built Hummer H3 racers will compete for the overall win. Gordon will drive the number 303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires entry; while defending 2011 Dakar winner, Nasser Al-Attiyah, joins the team to pilot the number 300 Qatar/Toyo Tires Hummer H3 racer. Both race vehicles rely on Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires to deliver off-road performance and durability.

Team SPEED and Toyo Tires are no strangers to Dakar. In addition to winning the 2011 Dakar, Al-Attiyah finished second in the 2010 Dakar having won several rally championships since 1990. Former off-road racing champions Gordon and Toyo Tires first competed in the Dakar in 2006. A Stage 6 win and an Open Class victory in the 2007 Dakar, was followed by their highest finish, third overall, in the 2009 Dakar.  The only two-wheel drive car to finish in the top ten, the Hummer proved the strength of the team and the Open Country M/T-R tires.

“Toyo Tires and I have worked hard over the years to develop a tire combination that is right for the HUMMER,” said Gordon.  “Their team has put a lot of effort into making a Toyo tire that is tough, durable and ready for the Dakar Rally.  It has good grip and can sustain the varying terrain, from sand to slick gravel roads to hard rocky areas.  I look forward to getting out there and racing on it.”

For the 2012 Dakar, Robby Gordon will be joined in the cockpit by multiple Baja 1000 winner and off-road legend Johnny Campbell, serving as navigator in the SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires Hummer. Campbell will guide the vehicle through the challenging terrain of this 14-day, 9,000km Pan-American odyssey. The 2012 Dakar starts on New Year’s Day on the East coast of Argentina in Mar Del Plata. It will cross over the Andes of Chile, finishing on South America’s West Coast in Lima, Peru.

“We are proud to have Toyo Tires represented by three off-road champions, Robby Gordon, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Johnny Campbell. Open Country M/T-R is the perfect tire to lead them to their goal of winning the 2012 Dakar.” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports.

Follow the team in the 2012 Dakar, log onto www.toyotires.com/dakar-rally-blog. Toyo Tires’ Adrian Puente will travel with the team during its effort to win Dakar, providing race team coverage, photos and videos.