Dec 29, 2011, Vehicle Inspections
Mar del Plata, Argentina

Preparations for the Race Are Now Complete.
Hino Trucks Undergo Vehicle Inspections at Mar Del Plata in Argentina

On December 29, HINO TEAM SUGAWAR, which has been carrying out preparations for the 2012 Dakar Rally, completed vehicle inspections for our trucks that were performed by the organizers and filed the required paperwork for its team members, completing all preparations for the start of the rally. In early December, the two "HINO 500 Series" trucks were transferred to the Zarate factory of Toyota Argentina near the country's capital city, Buenos Aires, where they underwent final adjustments performed by four Hino mechanics, and navigators Seiichi Suzuki and Hiroyuki Sugiura. On the 21st, Yoshimasa and Teruhito Sugawara who had been conditioning in a different location joined up with the team.
With the trucks and team members being fully acclimated by this time to the summer in South America, the team took part in a press announcement held in Argentina for Toyota-affiliated teams on the 28th, after which they traveled to Mar Del Plata, approximately 480 km south of Buenos Aires. Inspections for the team's trucks began at around 9 am at the vehicle inspection station that was set up in the "Base Naval" navy base on the coast. And although this year Car 1, which is a modified version of the model entered in last year's rally and piloted by Yoshimasa Sugawara, and Car 2, a new racing truck which will be piloted by Teruhito Sugawara, will be both racing in the Modified Trucks class, inspections proceeded smoothly as the team had made all necessary declarations regarding the specs and other aspects of the trucks. While some minor changes needed to be made due to differences in the interpretation of technical requirements for the trucks' seatbelts, Car 1 and Car 2 completed inspections shortly after noon and 3 pm, respectively. The trucks were then parked at the adjacent Parc-Fermes. They are now ready for the commencement of ceremonies on the 31st and the start of the race on January 1.

This concludes all preparatory work that has been ongoing since immediately after the finish of the 2011 race. As the 21st times for Hino to compete in this race, the team is committed to give their all to achieve 21 consecutive finishes, as well as finish in top positions in the Trucks category, and achieve a 3-year winning streak in the Under 10-litre class.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: At 70 years of age and on my 30th consecutive entry in this race, my primary goal is for both of our trucks to make it to the finish line without event. We've been informed that the race this year will be replete with dunes that are particularly hard on trucks, so I will not be rushing things and stay focused on racing a solid race. While there were minor issues that came up during the vehicle inspection, I am relieved that we were able to complete the inspections without much event.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: Last year's race was the first race for me as a navigator. And while we didn't make any major course deviations then, numerous small mistakes built up and resulted in some loss. This year, I am committed to provide perfect navigation so that we can make it into the top positions. In that sense, I feel more pressure than I did last year.

Teruhito Sugawara: I am particularly committed to the race this year, partly because of the earthquake disaster that shook the northern part of Japan in March and also owing to the fact that I will be racing a new racing truck. I can't divulge any details now, but we will be using relatively more of our brains in this race. We are planning to overcome the various obstacles based on the experience and data we have accumulated in the previous three races in South America.

Seiichi Suzuki: I've been feeling great after we arrived here. We were able to use the test course at the Zarate factory to check the front and rear balance of our brakes. The only remaining point of concern is the setup of the cab suspension that was newly equipped on Car 2, and we intend to deal with this as the race proceeds. The issue that was cited at the vehicle inspection had to do with changing the number of seatbelt points from five to six, and we were able to resolve this in a short amount of time with parts we had on hand.

Naoya Nakano: This will be the second time I take part in this race since the 2010 race, and I have been giving pointers to first-time mechanics to help them work more efficiently. There is a sense of momentary relief after having carried out preparations up to this point and passing vehicle inspections, but the race will be starting soon. Since it appears that the trucks will be tackling grueling courses from day one, we expect to see challenges in our maintenance operations and I am humbled by that thought.

Yuya Inaba: I will be working on Car 2. It's been two weeks since we arrived here. I haven't had any food related problems and I'm doing well. Vehicle inspections were a bit of challenge but we are now ready to start the race.

Masahiro Nakata: While it was September when I was fully assigned to the Dakar Rally, I still continued my regular work on the side after that. I will be working on Car 1, and my impression is that no matter how much we do, there will still be areas that I get anxious about.

Seiji Maeda: Having carried out preparations up to this point and completed vehicle inspections, it is starting to sink in that the race will actually be starting. While there were a few areas that needed to be corrected, I'm glad that our trucks passed inspections.

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*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.