BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – Robby Gordon and navigator Johnny Campbell finished atop the podium Saturday after winning the 13^th, and final, stage of the legendary Dakar^® rally. The two piloted their #308 SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires /Traxxas HST Gordini from Rosario to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 13 minutes, 16 seconds - a full 25 seconds faster than the next finisher.  Delivering maximum traction and exceptional durability over the difficult and varied terrain for this and the entire rally were Toyo Open Country M/T-R tires.

Finishing 19^th overall, Gordon once again proved his determination by overcoming adversity early in the rally where he fell to 50^th place during Stage 2.  His rebound also included a third place finish in Stage 5, proving he would not be beaten by the rally.  Known as a fearless competitor, fans will remember highlights such as Gordon’s legendary maximum-speed descent during Stage 8 from the mammoth sand dunes of Iquique, Chile, to coastline far below.

“It’s unfortunate that we had a few freak things happen to the Toyo Tires/Traxxas Gordini early in the Rally,” Gordon said.  “However, the one thing we had no issues with the entire Rally were our Toyo Tires.  In fact, we have not had an issue with our Toyo Tires for more than three years in the Dakar Rally, which is an amazing testament given the terrain and how much we punish them.  Our guys never gave up either and they worked all night, every night and fought to the finish ending on a high note.  We will be back with Toyo again in 2016 for another shot at the overall Dakar Rally win.”

Also competing for Team Toyo was former World Extreme Ski Champion Guerlain Chicherit and navigator Alex Winocq with the #323 Monster Energy / Toyo Tires “zebra” buggy from Team X-Raid.  Chicherit and his team displayed their remarkable tenacity to complete the rally as they overcame various challenges.  They soldiered on through a variety of obstacles which included a loss of power steering, electrical problems, a clutch replacement, and an on-board fire which would have ended the rally for most teams.  Chicherit proved his speed and driving talent by finishing on the podium in third place during Stage 9 and 45^th overall.  Of the 137 cars that started the rally only 67 completed it.

“Robby Gordon, Guerlain Chicherit, and both of their teams demonstrated perseverance and a championship spirit in the 2015 Dakar Rally,” said Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “We celebrate their successes as part of Team Toyo, and are proud that our Open Country tires helped them tackle the toughest race in the world.”

Running January 4-17, the 13-stage 2015 Dakar covered nearly 5,650 miles through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.  Man, machine and tires had to overcome challenging terrain including remote deserts, soaring mountain passes, vast sand dunes, river crossings and fields of rocks… making Dakar the most demanding race in all of motorsport.

Back in North America this year, Robby Gordon will represent Team Toyo in SCORE-International desert off-road racing, and in the SPEED^® Energy Formula Off-Road series.

Learn more about Team Toyo drivers and the full line of tires from Toyo Tires at www.toyotires.com.

About Toyo Tires^®

Established in 1966, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. represents the innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service that Toyo Tires has delivered worldwide for 70 years.

The company offers a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including light trucks, SUVs, high performance cars and luxury vehicles as well as commercial trucks.  Consumer product lines include the popular Open Country^® tires for light trucks and SUVs; Proxes^® ultra-high performance tires; Versado^® tires for luxury passenger cars; and the value line of Extensa^® passenger car tires. Many of the tires are built in the United States at their state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.

For more information log onto www.toyotires.com and connect with the community at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.