LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanguard Integrity Professionals CEO,
CTO and founder, Ronn Bailey, expressed his "devastation" and "significant
disappointment" in light of today's announcement that, for the first time in
30 years, the Dakar race has been cancelled. The decision to call off the race
was due to direct security threats made by Al Qaeda to attack the race from
Portugal to Senegal.
Bailey, whose company provides enterprise security software to
approximately 500 U.S. and foreign governments, multinational corporations and
large enterprises, has confirmed the significant security risk with his own
sources. Bailey was making his 4th Dakar attempt as part of the only
All-American team, NASCAR veteran Robby Gordon's Team Dakar USA. Bailey and
Gordon joined together in part to highlight American innovation, determination
and international goodwill.
"The organizers of the race made the right decision. The Dakar is the
second most watched sporting event overseas, after the World Cup. It is a high
profile target and the remote terrain the race covers isn't very secure,"
Bailey explains. "Despite the danger, you can imagine hundreds of drivers and
support teams that were like horses in a starting gate waiting for a bell that
now won't ring. We hope circumstances are different next year as we plan to be
back."
The 16-day race, scheduled to start tomorrow and cover more than 6,000 km
(3,600 miles) of punishing African terrain, had a route from Lisbon, through
Portugal, Morocco and Mauritania with the finish in Dakar, Senegal. In 2007,
245 motorcycles, 180 cars and 85 trucks started the race, while only one-third
finished.
Bailey's company signed a three-year deal to sponsor Robby Gordon's Team
Dakar USA. Bailey plans to enter other off-road races in the U.S. and abroad.
About Robby Gordon and Team Dakar USA
Gordon, owner of Team Dakar USA, would have made his fourth appearance in
the Dakar Rally in 2008. A three-time Dakar stage winner and the only American
to do so, Gordon has been competing in off-road endurance races since the
early 1980's. A three-time winner of the esteemed Baja 1000 along with
numerous other victories within North American borders, Gordon, along with his
teammate, Ronn Bailey, were attempting to be the first Americans to get the
overall win in the race's history.
About Ronn Bailey
For more than three decades, Bailey has been a recognized leader in
information security technology. He has worked closely with governmental
agencies and Global 1000 companies worldwide to solve security issues at the
highest levels. In addition, Bailey, 58, is a gutsy adventurer who decided his
first off-road race ever should be the 2005 Dakar. Since then, Bailey has
raced in the 2005 Rallye Maroc race in Africa, the Dakar in 2006 and 2007, and
has been a first through third place finisher in six North American and
Mexican races. Dakar 2008 would have been Bailey's 11th race.
About Vanguard Integrity Professionals
Vanguard Integrity Professionals provides enterprise security software for
large enterprises and government agencies that need to solve complex security
challenges and meet regulatory compliance requirements. Vanguard's security
management, identity authentication, and auditing and compliance solutions are
easy to use, automate processes and provide a rapid return on investment. With
Vanguard's solutions, IT, security and auditing professionals can save time,
be more productive and focus their attention on situations where human
judgment is required. For more information, visit http://www.go2vanguard.com.
SOURCE Vanguard Integrity Professionals
Andrew Lavin of A. Lavin Communications, +1-212-290-9540, alc@alavin.com, for
Vanguard Integrity Professionals
