I didn’t know what to expect going into Duluth. I had only ridden eight days before the race and we were wide open in the shop for two weeks trying to get everything ready. We had about eight guys working around the clock wrapping the semi, painting snowmobile parts, building engines, studding tracks, etc. Mandi and my Mom made sure we didn’t starve. Needless to say, it was a pretty hectic two weeks. I was able to relax on Thanksgiving day and have a nice dinner with Mandi and my Mom, then it was off the races.

I didn’t have to race in the X Games qualifiers so I was able to do some spectating on Friday. Saturday we had our Stock class qualifying final. I won two qualifiers and got third in the other, giving me the top qualifying spot and first pick on the start. I was slow of the start and had to play catch up. I was working on a pass for fourth and ended up crashing on the uphill section of the track. I got back going in sixth place wasn’t able to catch fifth place before the checkers flew. I apologize to anyone who was planning on coming early Sunday to watch the Stock final. There was a quick change in the schedule that put the final on Satuday night inseatd of Sunday morning.

Pro Open qualifying on Sunday went great. We won all three races, landing top qualifier again. I was slow off the start again and had to work my way from about sixth to catch the leader Ross Martin. I rode my butt off to catch and pass him and the track was beating me up. I was able to bring home the win with a safe margin.

It felt awesome to get a win at the first race and all the guys on the team felt a little better about working so hard in the weeks prior.

We went home and got ready for the Park X regional the following weekend. We wanted to go there to get some extra testing and practice in. The track was good and we were able to dial our sleds in a little better. I had some bad luck in the Pro Open final, Another rider drove his ski into my tunnel on the first lap leaving us both sitting on the side for the entire race. We did win both Pro Stock finals and got some good practice in so all in all it was a successful weekend.

My next race will be in Fertile, Minn on Dec. 15-16. We will be there in full force to get some more race time under our belts before the next national.

The first three months of married life have been great. Mandi and I have been busy with wedding thank you notes, Christmas gifts and cards, shoveling snow and getting geared up to move to our new home.

Hope everyone has a great holiday season!

Thanks for checking in and God Bless-

Tucker.

“Today marks the opening of a new and exciting chapter in the history of Monster Energy,” said Monster Energy spokesman Scott Sepkovic. “Monster has been a very loyal and generous supporter of the sport of motocross at all levels. And with the move to step up as the title sponsor of supercross, Monster’s moved to bolster its already stratospheric brand awareness within the industry and beyond.”

“Fans were used to seeing the iconic M-claw logo on top of the podium with Carmichael, McGrath, Langston, Stewart and Villopoto - among others. Now it’ll be seen everywhere.”

Since the sport’s inception here in the States in 1972 (LA Coliseum), Monster Energy AMA Supercross has stood as the reigning king of all action sports. With jumps and air time that boggle the mind, along with the most fit and focused athletes in the competition motorsports world, the partnership between supercross and action sports-friendly Monster Energy is a natural.

“We view the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series as the pinnacle of action sports competition,” said Monster Energy Sports Marketing Director John Lee. “Monster Energy’s loyal fan base, including the ever-growing Monster Army, will for certain tap deep into the action sports community to help deliver Monster Energy AMA Supercross to an even wider demographic than its enjoyed in the past.”

Lee added that the legions of loyal Monster Energy drinkers, along with the core action sports athletes Monster backs (skate, surf, snow and BMX), will tune into the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series and continue to add to the sport’s already solid fan base.

 

“The sport of supercross, though mainly based here in the States, is considered a global property in terms of its scope,” said Lee. “Monster Energy recognizes this and, as we work to distribute our product line to all points on the planet, we’ll no doubt enjoy the great acceptance of supercross within the action sports and motorsports communities and the additional brand awareness it will deliver for Monster Energy around the world.”

The 2008 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series schedule:

January 5, 2008                   Anaheim, Calif.                           Angel Stadium

January 12, 2008                 Phoenix                                        Chase Field

January 19, 2008                 Anaheim, Calif.                           Angel Stadium

January 26, 2008                San Francisco,                            AT& T Park

February 2, 2008                 Anaheim, Calif.                           Angel Stadium

February 9, 2008                 San Diego                                   Qualcomm Stadium

February 16, 2008               Houston                                      Reliant Stadium

February 23, 2008               Atlanta                                         Georgia Dome

March 1, 2008                      Indianapolis                                RCA Dome

March 7, 2008                     Daytona, Fla.                               Daytona Motor Speedway

March 15, 2008                  Minneapolis                                  Metrodome

March 29, 2008                  Toronto                                         Rogers Centre

April 5, 2008                       Irving, Texas                                Texas Stadium

April 12, 2008                    Detroit                                            Ford Field

April 19, 2008                    St. Louis                                       Edward Jones Dome

April 26, 2008                    Seattle                                          Qwest Field

May 3, 2008                       Las Vegas                                   Sam Boyd Stadium

 

Monster Energy supports the sport. Be it BMX, skate, FMX, MotoGP, MX, road racing, supermoto, off-road, MTB,

off-road, surf, snow – name it – the athletes are rockin’ Monster Energy more than anything these days. Check

out all the types – Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos,

the new Monster/fruit juice hybrid called “M-80” and the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream

supercharged with our Monster Energy blend. Everybody involved with the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series

will be diggin’ ‘em – so will you. On the ‘Net at www.monsterenergy.com

This year, the 15-stage epic off-road race starts in Lisbon, Portugal on January 5th and concludes on January 20th in Dakar, Senegal. The preparation for the 2008 Dakar Rally is in its final stages as the support vehicles, loaded with all the spare parts and equipment, begin their trip across the USA today to Savannah, GA where they will then travel by cargo vessel to Lisbon. It is much more of a challenge for the Anaheim, California based team than that of their European based counterparts. The majority of the top teams participating in the Dakar Rally are based in Europe, which allows them more time to prepare unlike Team Dakar USA. Logistic preparation for Team Dakar USA is a very important dynamic to the success of the overall program. Fortunately, the Hummer H3s are airlifted only days before the start, giving the team added time to test and perfect the race vehicles.

As Team Dakar USA enters its third Dakar Rally with the Monster Energy / Toyo Tire Hummer H3, Gordon has also added a second Hummer to his elite off-road team. He has enlisted the help of fellow American Dakar veteran, Ronn Bailey to pilot an identically prepared Hummer H3. Bailey, who is CEO of Vanguard Integrity Professionals, an enterprise security software company, will participate in the next three Dakar Rally events as an integral part of Team Dakar USA. The Vanguard Integrity Professional H3 Hummer entry will be very strategic to the teams overall objective of becoming the first American team to win the Dakar Rally.

With the added pressure of a second team, the team also has to prepare for the increased course length. The organizers of the Dakar Rally (the ASO) have lengthened the course by more than 1,000 km (621 miles) for a total of 9,273 km (or 5,762 miles). Therefore, the team needs to prepare for this added challenge by making sure that the parts will withstand the grueling desert terrain, that there is enough fuel ordered to make it to the end, and that support vehicles and team members get the rest needed.

For Gordon, the support of Ronn Bailey and the second entry easily outweighs the overall strain of the preparation for the additional team. “If you look at the results of our Dakar effort, you’ll see they parallel to our efforts in the NASCAR Cup Series. Every year our programs continue to get better. We fell out of the Rally the first year after not making a checkpoint. Last year, we managed to become the first American team and manufacturer to win a stage. We finished in eighth place overall. This year, aside from drastically improving the Hummer, the next best thing we could do is try to level the playing field to be more like the multi-car factory-supported teams. Now we have a teammate in Ronn Bailey, and he is every bit as passionate about winning this race as I am.”

Bailey, who in the past had tackled Dakar with his own effort, clearly sees the wisdom in joining forces with Gordon. “Robby is building some of the most impressive off-road vehicles – it’s amazing just to watch the Hummer suspension work. For Robby and I to team up for Dakar makes sense on so many levels. It consolidates two strong American efforts in to one powerful team. For both of us the combined resources will provide advantages that will be undeniable.”

While the logistics of getting to the start of the Dakar Rally alone might seem overwhelming, Gordon and Bailey clearly have their eyes set on making history by becoming the first American team and drivers to win the legendary Dakar Rally.