Dakar Rally 2012, the team undergoing fine-tuning in Argentina.
Dec 28, 2011
HINO 500 Series trucks given car numbers #508 and #521
HINO TEAM SUGAWARA has been undergoing final preparations in the Toyota Argentina (TASA) plant facility in Zarate, Argentina since 2009 when the Dakar Rally moved to South America. Yoshimasa Sugawara, the team representative and the driver of Car 1, test-drove the HINO 500 Series racing trucks for Dakar Rally 2012. He said with satisfaction, "Our team did a good finishing job!!"
Team schedule
Dec 28 Combined press conference held by TASA (Zarate, Argentina)
Dec 29 Vehicle inspections (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Dec 31 Starting ceremony (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Jan 1 Race start (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Jan 15 Race finish (Lima, Peru)
We get and fix the car number plate which is a sign of the Dakar competitor, after pusses the vehicle inspections in Dec 29. The car numbers in the Dakar Rally are grouped for different divisions. Numbers 500 and above were given to the Truck Division. Hino's Car 1, piloted by the Yoshimasa Sugawara, was given #521, and Car 2, piloted by the Teruhito Sugawara, was given #508. Organizers announced the route information along with the list of entrants. There were a total of 465 vehicles entered in all divisions, up 15% from last year. Among these different divisions, the Truck Division in which Hino will be racing, saw an increase to 76 trucks.
Photo:Assistance cars, HINO 700 Series (left) and Land cruisers (right)
Watch the Data about Dakar Rally 2012
The organizer announced characteristic data about Dakar Rally 2012. The information is introduced selectively on this news.
| 4 | the number of titles up for grabs at the Dakar, including the motorcycle, quad, car and truck categories |
|---|---|
| 9 | the record number of victories at the rally, held by Stéphane Peterhansel with six wins on motorcycles and three in cars. Vladimir Chagin holds the record for the most victories in a single category, with seven wins in trucks. |
| 14 | the number of racing days at the 2012 Dakar. Timed specials will be contested on each stage, from January 1 to January 15. |
| 27 | the number of countries visited by the Dakar since its inception, with Peru making its debut this year |
| 20, 3, 5 | the age in years, months and days of the youngest competitor in the rally, Argentinean Lucas Bonetto (quads) |
| 50 | the number of nationalities present at the rally |
| 71, 3, 19 | the age in years, months and days of the oldest competitor in the rally, Francisco Claudio Regunaschi (cars) |
| 190 | the number of countries where pictures of the Dakar will be broadcast, by a total of 70 TV broadcasters |
| 742 | the number of competitors taking part in the race (pilots, co-pilots and mechanics) |
| 980 | the number of competitors participating as members of assistance teams |
| 1,200 | the estimated total hours of Dakar footage broadcast by TV channels from all over the world (based on 2011 data) |
| 1978 | the 1st edition, dated 1979, kicked off on December 26 of that year |
| 8,373 | the number of kilometres covered between Mar del Plata and Lima, with 4,406 kilometres' worth of special stages for motorcycles and 4,191 for cars |
| 5 million | the number of spectators who came to see the Dakar start, finish or pass by in 2011, in Argentina and Chile |
| 280 million | in dollars, the direct and indirect economic windfall generated by the Dakar for Argentina, as estimated by a study conducted by this country's government in 2011 |
| 1 billion | the number of TV viewers who watched pictures of the Dakar in 2011 |
Reference: Dakar Rally Official Website
https://www.dakar.com/dakar/2012/us/out-of-race/news-page-1.html
* 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.
