The third day of the 30th Dakar Rally was completed Monday in Argentina, with drivers making the trek from Puerto Madryn to Jacobacci.  With two 70 kilometer liaisons and a 551 kilometer special, the third stage of the event was one of the more difficult of the 14 stages.

In the past, drivers have been able to stop during the liaison sections to get fuel. This year stopping is not allowed, forcing the drivers to be more careful of their fuel mileage.

"With today being one of the longest specials of the Rally, we were definitely concerned about our fuel mileage," commented Robby Gordon. "Luckily, we finished the stage with 15 gallons of fuel remaining, so we were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. We should be in good shape for the rest of the race when it comes to fuel mileage."

With fuel not being a factor, Team Dakar USA struggled elsewhere in the third stage. Eric Vigouroux encountered problems early on when the power steering pump bracket of the No. 324 Vanguard Hummer broke. Vigouroux finished the stage in last.

Gordon's No. 309 Monster Energy Toyo Tires Hummer was able to endure two left rear broken wheels. The problem was said to be caused of the sections in which the No. 309 traveled at speeds in excess of 120 mph. Despite his struggles Gordon navigated his Hummer to a tenth place finish, good enough to bolt himself up to ninth place overall. Now only 34:32 behind leader Carlos Sainz, Gordon is sure that the team can catch up and contend for the top spot.

"It was very important to finish in the top-10 today," Gordon said. "The first ten cars get to start the next day's special in two-minute increments, which is very good for our team. Today's terrain reminded me a lot of the landscape between Las Vegas and Reno. We started on hard-packed gravel roads before hitting the silt, which is best described as a terrain that looks like baby powder. We had to race about 60 miles through the silt. Being the tenth car was hard enough; I can't imagine what it is like for the competitors farther back. We need to continue finishing in the top-10 to preserve this starting position.

"I feel very good about being ninth overall in the Dakar Rally. We still have a long way to go, and I know that our team can make up some ground on the leaders." Gordon continued, "There is still a long way to go yet, and we are sure that other teams will encounter problems before the end of the race. I have been conservative on the first couple of stages, and we will show the world what Team Dakar USA is all about when the time is right."