With a "consecutive win in the Series Production Trucks category" and a "one-two finish in the Under 10-liter category " in what was the 20th entry by Hino in the Dakar Rally 2011, the HINO 500 Series added another page to Hino's celebrated history in this rally. We would like to thank all of our supporters and other associates as these victories would not have been possible without your generous support.

The next Dakar Rally 2012 will also be held in South America. Hino Motors has decided to continue racing in this rally as HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, working closely with our best partner, Team Sugawara. Here is what Yoshimasa Sugawara, team director and driver, has to say:

1. Overview of the Dakar 2012 (announced by the organizer) "The Ultimate Adventure"

The race will start from Mar del Plata, the largest, most famous resort in Argentina, located 400km south of the country's capital city, Buenos Aires. From there, the contestants will head west toward the Andes Mountains, go north along the mountains, and enter Chile. Again, the main battleground for this rally is expected to be in the area near the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. In 2012, the course will also journey into Peru, bringing a new level of adventure to the rally.

Name of event	Dakar Rally 2012
Organizer	Amaury Sport Organisation
Countries	Argentina, Chile, and Peru
Distance	Approx. 10,000km
Schedule	Start/January 1, 2012 Rest Day/January 8, 2012 Finish/ January 15, 2012
Official website	https://www.dakar.com

2. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's racing readiness "First new model in 8 years. We will take on monster trucks."

Competing on series production trucks in the Under-10 liter category, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA has constantly taken on monster trucks that are powered by engines with more than twice the displacement and have been modified to racing specs. While the team has always been considered a worthy rival to these monster trucks, the battle has always been uphill, particularly after the race was relocated to South America where the competition was able to take more advantage of their power and speed.

In 2011, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA faced this challenge with a truck that was 200kg lighter and powered by a more powerful engine. As a result, the team posed a serious threat to the top 5 contestants in various stages of the race, assuring the team that they were headed on the right path.

In 2012, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA will be entering its first new model in 8 years since the 2004 rally as part of its efforts to reach the top 5 in the Trucks category 3 years from now in 2014.
In its 3-year plan of entering the new model, team will this year modify chassis and body mainly. The HINO 500 Series GT will be the new base car, taking over from the HINO 500 Series FT. The HINO 500 Series GT is fully capable of delivering the durability and reliability that the HINO 500 Series has become known for and is more suited to modifications as it has a wider frame assembly. It will be equipped with an engine with enhanced accelerating performance that will be mounted mid-ship to improve overall weight balance. Additionally, the team will be drawing on their know-how that was developed for the previous race to replace the aluminum rear body with a carbon one―allowing the team to reduce body weight by 200kg―to achieve an additional 200kg reduction. Overall, the truck will have vastly enhanced racing performance, and will be entering this race not as a production series truck but as a truck with racing specs in the Modified Trucks category. The team will also be making improvements to suspension and power train performance in phases. The best and brightest have once again come together, primarily from various development functions, to fabricate a truck that will become testimony to the excellent durability and reliability of HINO trucks and fulfill the expectations of our supporters.

Team Sugawara's drivers are Yoshimasa Sugawara, "Japanese Legend in Dakar," who continues to rewrite his record 28 consecutive Dakar Rally entries and holds the record for the most consecutive finishes at 20, and Teruhito Sugawara, the team's ace driver. These two drivers, who both know Hino trucks inside and out, will be co-developing the "Little Monsters" with engineers at Hino and various part manufacturers to provide serious competition to the larger-displacement monster trucks.

The organizer has implemented new regulations that require the installation of roof roll bars (to protect the crew in the event of a turnover) since there has been a rising number of turnover accidents due to the steep inclines encountered in the Andes Mountains, and that the speed of the vehicles has increased with the rising number of modified vehicles. Also, the team has taken steps to reduce weight to the order of grams such as cutting the cab to a bed-less configuration, and making small holes in some body parts, while mounting the roll bar from the rear area. The team plans to have a complete car ready by the end of June for the test run in Mongolia.

3. Support activities for the Great East Japan Earthquake through the know-how the team has gained and ties it has forged through rally competition and other activities related to the race

SSER, the organizer of the Mongolia Rally, and Teruhito Sugawara, carry out support activities on the HINO 500 Series.

We would like to introduce you to a report from SSER.

SSER is an organizer of rallies in Japan and overseas, such as the Rally Mongolia. In addition to warm food, we provide a range of hospitality services to rally participants in the extreme environment of the Gobi Desert where there is no water or power. As such, immediately after hearing the news of this major earthquake that hit northern Japan, we were able to prepare and dispatch our support service team.

Our destination was Ishinomaki*. We loaded a large number of equipment including medical oxygen tanks, large tents, power generators, gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, LPG, kitchen equipment, 10 tons of rice and other food as well as a rally catering system onto our 4-wheel drive HINO FT (HINO 500 Series) truck. We also registered this truck as an emergency vehicle, attached a hazardous cargo plate to it, and included a hazardous item handling manager in our crew.
* Ishinomaki is one of the largely affected areas by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

At the time, the roads were still closed, repair work on the expressways leading into the region had not even begun, and some of the roads were still under water. Only because of the excellent mobility of our HINO FT truck were we able to transport large amounts of equipment to these areas under these conditions. Actually, the very first vehicle to reach the Onagawa nuclear power plant via land route one week after the earthquake was also a HINO FT truck dispatched by SSER. The people at Onagawa*, evacuees, and other people were very happy to see us saying, "This was the first warm meal I've had in a week." At the time, a warm meal was a true symbol of hope. Teruhito Sugawara, who drives Hino trucks in the Dakar Rally, also took part in these efforts.

We are committed to continuing our relief efforts, and are also planning to keep a reserve of equipment in readiness for any future disasters that may strike.
* Onagawa nuclear power plant was declared as a evacuation center, because it was not affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Tetsu Yamada, SSER Organisation

HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's base in France conducts relief support activities near Le Mans.

Naoko Matsumoto runs a restaurant in a town called Chahaignes, 20km south of Le Mans in France (she was Yoshimasa Sugawara's navigator from 1997 through 1999). Up until 2008, when the rally was still held in Africa, Mr. and Mrs. Matsumoto were great supporters of the team's activities and were the driving force behind parades and send-off parties that the town organized each year as the start date approached.

In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of Eastern Japan, concerned citizens of Chahaignes formed the "Action Solidarité Japon" and installed 100 donation boxes, that were printed free of charge by a local printer, in shops in the southern area of Sarthe prefecture where Le Mans is located. The group also held dance events, concerts, and auctions featuring works donated by local painters, and donated a part of their proceeds to relief efforts. As you can see, the ties the team has built through its activities in the Dakar Rally are spreading.

The Tokyo Chunichi Sports Shimbun newspaper reported these activities. The group has also been contacted by organizers of the Le Mans 24-hour race regarding the details of their activities and contacts, indicating that the impact of these activities is spreading.

4. (Topics) Koki (70 years of age) celebration for Yoshimasa Sugawara

Yoshimasa Sugawara celebrated koki on May 31. He was presented with assorted Japanese sweets that were formed into the various race vehicles (including HINO 500 Series) on which he has entered his races. These sweets were specially made for this occasion through a collaboration between Japan Racing Management Co., Ltd., the company of which Mr. Sugawara is chairman, and Kanshundo, a Japanese confectioner which has been in business since 1865.

"I'm finally 70. So much has happened in my life, but overall, I am very grateful for everything." said Mr. Sugawara. While making modifications to his Hino trucks, he will be taking part in off road bike and car races in Shikoku (May), Hokkaido (July), and Mongolia (August) to prepare for the Dakar Rally, which will be his 29th consecutive entry in the race, the most in the history of this race. The Iron Man is alive and well.

* The information included in this news article was up to date as of its time of publishing, and may be revised without notice.

* The HINO vehicle referred in this news in relation to the rally is specially designed, tuned and modified for the Dakar Rally, and most of its specifications are different from those of the HINO vehicles sold in the market unless otherwise specifically mentioned.