2011 DAKAR RALLY CHAMPION, NASSER AL-ATTIYAH, WILL DEFEND TITLE IN 2012 IN A ROBBY GORDON HUMMER

2011 DAKAR RALLY CHAMPION, NASSER AL-ATTIYAH, WILL DEFEND TITLE IN 2012 IN A ROBBY GORDON HUMMER

Charlotte, N.C. (December 6, 2011)– Winner of the 2011 Dakar Rally, Nasser Al-Attiyah confirmed that he will join Robby Gordon and his off-road team in the 2012 edition of the Dakar Rally. Driving one of the highly-modified HUMMERs sponsored by his native country of Qatar, Al-Attiyah will compete for his second consecutive overall Dakar Rally victory.  Should he conquer the South American desert once again, he will be only the second driver to triumph in two different manufactures; Ari Vatanen did so in 1990-1991.

Al-Attiyah has an impressive racing resume and is an accomplished cross-country and classic rally racer. He has won seven FIA Middle East Rally Championships titles since 2003 and collected 13 stage wins in the infamous Dakar Rally from 2009 to 2011.

"I am very excited for the opportunity to defend my title with the big support from my country Qatar and have a new challenge in driving a 2-wheel drive car with Robby Gordon and his team," Al-Attiyah said.

Lucas Cruz, who won as a co-driver in 2010 with Carlos Sainz, will sit along side of Al-Attiyah for the 2012 Rally.

“To have Nasser as a teammate in this year’s Dakar Rally is a huge boost for our team. He brings the excitement and experience of a champion to our team. I personally take it as an honor that he chose our team to defend his 2011 overall win. Between my SPEED Energy HUMMER and his Qatar HUMMER, we have a strong team, cars, and drivers capable of winning the Rally,” commented Robby Gordon.

VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar Concept

VW Race Touareg 3 Qatar Concept

At the first Qatar Motor Show (26-29 January, 2011), Volkswagen has presented a slightly tamer version of the Touareg 3 that started in the Dakar Rally at the beginning of January 2011; this 228 kW / 310 PS Volkswagen could very well be the world's most talented street-legal SUV.

This is a genuine Rally motorsport vehicle, like the one that was still touring South America in the Dakar Rally two weeks ago and was built to withstand the toughest rally race in the world. The vehicle now being shown in Qatar is a version of the Race Touareg 3 - an SUV that can sprint to 100 km/h in less than six seconds - that is legally approved for use on public roadways. The just over two metre wide body was slightly modified for road use. Instead of 16-inch wheels, new 18-inch wheels from BBS with a gold look are being used. The "Race Touareg" signature - also in a golden colour - stretches the entire length of the vehicle's sides. In turn, it is perfectly coordinated with the exterior paint in "Magic Morning," a white that has a slight gold shimmer to it.