Choosing the Team Mechanics

This year again, to improve the cohesion of the HINO group, as well as the mechanics' technical servicing abilities and motivation, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA invited application from mechanics in distributors for the positions in the Dakar Rally team. Three mechanics were chosen after a rigorous screening process.

Of the 4,700 mechanics working in various parts of the country, 11 people who met demanding criteria, such as having HS-1 certification-the top qualification for a Hino service technician-applied for the positions. After paper screening, the finalists were interviewed and given skill tests working on the race truck. The jury consisted of team leader, Yoshimasa Sugawara, as well as mechanics who have taken part in previous races, and other individuals associated with the team. The interview focused on the applicants' passion for the Dakar Rally and their work experience. Attributes gauged in skill tests included team play, safety management, time management and work quality. And because the race was relocated from Africa to South America two races ago, subjecting the vehicles to harsher conditions, the jurors also looked for those who could take up the task immediately.

After the screening process, Yoshimasa Sugawara commented, "I got a good feel of how these mechanics were engaged in their daily work with high aspirations and was very impressed. It was also a very motivating experience for me as well."

Here are the chosen mechanics:
Takashi Sanno, Yokohama Hino Motors, Ltd.
Mr. Sanno has over 10 years experience as a mechanic, and received an award for excellence in Hino's Nationwide Service Technicians Contest of 2005. As a child, he dreamed of joining an F1 pit crew. After joining Hino, he honed his skills on assignments such as dispatched services. He is the first mechanic to make the team from Yokohama Hino.
Born in Yokohama in 1979, he works at the Yokohama branch.

Hiroshi Hashiba, Ishikawa Hino Motors, Ltd.
Mr. Hashiba has over 15 years experience as a mechanic. He was on the Dakar Rally team of 2004, and expectations are that he will be able to touch the ground running. Born in Kahoku-gun in 1974, Ishikawa, he works at the head office.

Kennichi Suetsugu, Hiroshima Hino Motors, Ltd.
Mr. Suetsugu has 9 years of experience as a mechanic and is a former member of the Japan Self-Defense Force. He switched jobs because of his passion for motor sports. He is the fourth mechanic to be chosen from Hiroshima Hino. Born in Hiroshima in 1978, he works at the Saka branch.

A total of 24 mechanics from distributors around the country have taken part throughout the 19 races in which Hino has raced so far. The mechanics chosen this year will participate in trainings in Japan and Argentina before the Dakar Rally 2011.

Two people from Hino Motors will also take part in the race as directors of this team of mechanics. Leveraging their previous race experience or work experience overseas, they will provide a variety of support functions, as well as perform maintenance tasks.

Takayuki Monma, Overseas Parts & Service Div., Hino Motors, Ltd.
This will be the third Dakar Rally for Mr. Monma's after 2004 and 2010. He was born in 1972. "In 2010, one of our trucks had to retire mid-race, which was very unfortunate. We don't want a repeat of that experience I will not go through that again. Based on my new experience of having raced the Rally Mongolia 2010 on a motorcycle, my aim is to create a team of mechanics that will meet the drivers' expectations so that both of our trucks can finish. I also hope to contribute to bettering our results."

Masayoshi Yamamoto, Overseas Parts & Service Div., Hino Motors, Ltd.
Mr. Yamamoto was an expat living in Ecuador from 2008 to 2009. This will be his first experience with the Dakar Rally. He was born in 1984. "I hope to contribute to my team with my Spanish language skills."

Report from the Manufacturing Site

In order to improve the performance of the race vehicles and leverage the extensive facilities and technologies that only an automobile manufacturer can provide, in 2009, we relocated our manufacturing site to the head office of Hino Motors, and have been carrying out operations steadily this year as well.

In addition to mechanics Mr. Monma and Mr. Yamamoto, three other mechanics from distributors joined the team in early September, giving a boost to the activities on the site. In the hands of mechanics who continue to hone their skills every day, transmission overhauls and brake maintenance are a breeze as their skilled hands continue to assemble different parts in a carefully planned-out process. The fact that these mechanics were able to accustom themselves to their new environment as quickly as they have after arrival and carry out their given tasks without error are good signs of what we may expect from them at the actual Dakar Rally. And when Car 2 returned from Mongolia on September 7, reinforcements arrived from the Vehicle Planning & Production Engineering Div. (prototyping dept.), who skillfully operated welders and pipe benders to make brake pipes and various brackets that were customized for these trucks. Meanwhile, we were able to witness the amazing skills of a group of "rally craftspeople" led by Seiichi Suzuki of TEAM SUGAWARA who make complex wirings for various controls and measuring instruments as well as fabricate parts to exacting dimensions and assemble these parts onto the truck with no drawings.

These activities will enter the homestretch as mid-October approaches when the team is scheduled to ship out trucks to Argentina. Backed by Hino Motors' resources and TEAM SUGAWARA's know-how, the team will eventually complete two race trucks. Once all of the major work is completed, in early October, the team will conduct their final road test in Japan at the Gozenyama test course, after which they will get down to fine tuning.

Mr. D. Bayarchuluun Visits Hino for the First Time.

Mr. D. Bayarchuluun, who will be supporting the team during the Dakar Rally in the HINO 700 Series assistance car, came to Japan from Mongolia. As a highly trusted and skilled driver, he has more than 10 years experience in a team supporting capacity, but this was his first visit to Hino Motors. He wasted no time in visiting the Hino plant, encouraging people working at the manufacturing site, and personally interacting with mechanics who were new to the team.