Gordon takes big financial loss with Dakar cancellation

Robby Gordon said Monday the cancellation of the Dakar Rally cost him approximately $4.5 million, and he disagreed with the decision not to race at least a portion of the event.

Gordon, who won stages of the race the past three years and led the event in 2005, was in Portugal and preparing for the start when organizers canceled it because of “direct" threats of terrorism from al-Qaida-linked militants.

Gordon said his team had built two cars for the event and had more than $1 million invested in each vehicle. I’m extremely disappointed," he said. “I can completely understand their decision not to go to Mauritania or not want to put competitors in an awkward or dangerous situation. That I understand 100 percent, but for them — with as many years as they’ve been doing this rally — not to have a backup plan. They just had no Plan B." ESPN.com