Jan 14, 2012, Nasca-Pisco
Connection: 100 Special Stage: 275 Total: 375 (km)

Car 2 Advances Strongly to 9th Overall at the End of the Last Full-Blown SS.
The Rally Reaches its Finale Tomorrow, on January 15th.

The stage for January 14 took the contestants from Nazca to Pisco in Peru. The SS began at a point 275 km from Nazca that was reached via a liaison segment. Tomorrow, on the 15th, contestants will race a short 29 km SS, and then arrive at their goal in Lima via a liaison route, so this was essentially to be the final day of competition. The SS was set in a desert area near the coast and consisted of alternating sandy off-roads and dunes. The goal for the SS was set up near the bivouac in Pisco, which was situated on a hill in the desert, where the scorching sunlight created a scenery that was reminiscent of Africa, specifically Morocco and Mauritania.

The two trucks fielded by HINO TEAM SUGAWARA - which exploited the advantage that their trucks have in the dune stages and achieved a one-two finish in the Under 10-litre in yesterday's SS - continued to perform well throughout this SS. Car 2 piloted by Teruhito Sugawara and Seiichi Suzuki came in at 11th overall and 1st in the class. Car 1 piloted by Yoshimasa Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura came in at 15th and 3rd in these respective categories.

These results put Car 2 at 9th overall and 1st in the Under 10-litre class. Car 1 is now ranked 23rd overall and has made more solid its 3rd position in the Under 10-litre class. The team is making sure-footed advances to achieve their goal of winning the Under 10-litre class championship for the third straight year, and achieve high rankings in the Trucks category overall. Having said that, as no one knows what might be awaiting around the corner in the Dakar Rally, one can never let one's guards down until one crosses the finish line. The entire team renewed their commitment at their bivouac in Pisco to complete the final stage, and reach their final destination in Lima tomorrow.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: This was a stage where we could not let our guards down until the finish. There were many dunes that were caved in, probably due to the wind, and these were quite treacherous. We had to go over about five of these difficult dunes. We've been told that the dunes here would be challenging, but I had no idea that they would be this difficult. Having said that, our truck continued to perform perfectly today.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: Just based on what I saw on the map, I didn't think the dunes would pose much of a challenge, but was I ever wrong. We haven't finished the rally yet, but I am relieved that we finished today's SS.

Teruhito Sugawara: The driving today was like driving in Africa. We came across many series of small dunes, and there was lots of fesh-fesh (powder sand). We also came across huge gaps, and the dust was pretty bad too. We did well and pulled through without getting stuck. I do wish there were more of these types of SSs as these work in our favor.

Seiichi Suzuki: We saw numerous trucks that had gotten stuck and turned over in many places. Dunes shouldn't be a problem as long as you know how best to avoid them. At any rate, the sand was very smooth and soft in a lot of places.

(The rankings in parentheses are in the class with an engine displacement of below 10 liters.)
*The rankings at the time when the report was written might be adjusted afterwards.

Refer to the Daily Movies
https://www.hino-global.com/dakar/gallery/video_index.html

*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.