Dec 31 Mar del Plata, Argentina
Starting Ceremony

Commencement of Ceremonies Held at Mar Del Plata.
Yoshimasa Sugawara is Recognized on the Podium for the Most Consecutive Entries in the Race.

On December 31, the commencement of ceremonies for the 2012 Dakar Rally was held at Mar Del Plata in Argentina. The stage was set up on the Starting Ceremony that was built in Colon Plaza located on the coast. At the start of the race, a total of 443 vehicles that have passed vehicle inspections - 178 motorbikes, 30 quads, 161 cars, and 74 trucks - will be introduced one at a time on this podium before they start off on the race.

While the actual race was to begin the following day on January 1, the area was packed with a crowd reportedly numbering in the tens of thousands, creating an atmosphere that was fit for this event which represents the pinnacle of cross country rallies throughout the world. While the ceremony began with the motorbike category at 3:20 pm, introductions for the trucks category - which came after the cars category - began after 8 pm. The introduction for car number 508, the HINO 500 Series truck piloted by Teruhito Sugawara and Seiichi Suzuki, was followed by the introduction for car number 521 piloted by Yoshimasa Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura. In addition to introducing the truck's crew, the organizers recognized Sugawara for the most consecutive entries in this rally, this latest entry being his 30th. Sugawara expressed his gratitude upon receiving his commemorative plaque, and waved to the cheering crowd before leaving the podium. On Day 1, the contestants will race a 57 km SS (Special Stage) between Mar Del Plata and Santa Rosa De La Pampa. While the course has been shortened, it will feature dunes with extreme height differences, presenting the contestants with a tense day of racing.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: I was very pleasantly surprised at the wonderful view from the podium. This will be my 30th consecutive entry in this race. This was not a result of pursuing a record, but achieved one step at a time with the support of all the staff involved over the years, and I am truly grateful for that. Thank you very much.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: Having prepared for this race up to this point, I am excited to be able to actually begin racing. It has been very hectic before the start and I can't wait for the race to start.

Teruhito Sugawara: Things have gone very smoothly up to this point, and I am excited that the race is about to begin. In particular, I am expecting to gain an edge over our competition in the SS on Day 1 as we will be racing through deep sand.

Seiichi Suzuki: Tomorrow, we will be traveling through a 150 km liaison from Mar Del Plata after which we will enter a 57 km SS. While there were rumors that the course would be shortened, the distance remains unchanged, although some changes were made. After the SS, we will head out to the bivouac in Santa Rosa via a 620 km liaison.

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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.