Jan 15, 2012, Pisco-Lima
Connection: 254 Special Stage: 29 Total: 283 (km)

Car 2 Wins its Third Consecutive Championship in the Under 10-litre Class.
Car 1 Finishes at Lima at Third in the Class.

On January 15, contestants of the 2012 Dakar Rally competed for 29 km on the final SS, and arrived at the finish line in Lima. A podium was set up in Plaza de Armas where a ceremony was held to conclude the 15 days of competition. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA entered two HINO 500 Series trucks in the Trucks category, with Car 2 piloted by Teruhito Sugawara and Seiichi Suzuki coming in at 9th overall and 1st in the Under 10-litre class, and Car 1 piloted by Yoshimasa Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura coming in at 24th overall and 3rd in the class. This meant that the team was able to achieve their initial goal of winning a championship in the Under 10-litre class and finishing at high rankings in the Trucks category overall. Teruhito Sugawara, finished the race in a single-digit ranking and also won his third straight championship in this class. And Yoshimasa Sugawara, for which this rally was his 30th consecutive entry, recorded a total of 24 finishes in the Dakar Rally.

This was the fourth year that this rally was held in South America, and the first time it crossed into Peru. Contestants traveled for a total distance of 8336 km (of which SSs made up 4120 km) from Mar del Plata in Argentina to Lima in Peru. With Car 2 being the first new racing truck for the team in 8 years, and Car 1 having undergone modifications, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA maintained their pace from day one and continued to steadily improve their rankings. On January 3, Car 2 moved up to top position in the Under 10-litre class with Car 1 following close behind, and the team consistently maintained this positioning throughout the race. While Car 2 had been consistently racing in the top spot, on January 12, the first day the rally crossed over into Peru, the truck encountered a problem with its transfer and became immobile. They were towed to the neutral zone, where servicing is allowed, by Car 1 which had been behind them, and the four Hino mechanics who had arrived on the scene replaced the transfer on the spot. With the kind of teamwork displayed on this day, the team continued to make solid advances in the race. Towards the end of the race, both trucks improved their rankings in segments that were riddled with challenging dunes. In the final SS on January 15, Car 2 came in at 19th, and Car 1, whose driver Yoshimasa Sugawara took no chances, came in at 30th. The trucks then traveled on the liaison section to make their ecstatic arrival at the podium. The goal ceremony, which was held in a plaza in the older section of Lima, was packed with spectators, creating a boisterous atmosphere that was undeniably South American. When the two HINO 500 Series trucks arrived at the podium, Yoshio Shirai, president of Hino Motors who was visiting from Japan, and the crew of both trucks firmly shook each other's hands, and responded to the cheering crowd.

Yoshio Shirai: Yoshimasa Sugawara's record of 30 consecutive entries in this rally is truly amazing. Teruhito Sugawara's performance this year was also outstanding, and I would like to congratulate the team for their hard work from the bottom of my heart. While we had a lot of heated discussions soon after the Lehman shock, I am glad that we decided then to continue racing in the Dakar Rally. We look forward to continue racing in this rally moving forward.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: While there were some dramatic moments, such as being thrown a stone in the early stages of the race, and having to tow Car 2 in the latter half, I'm truly glad that both of our trucks were able to finish the race. For me personally, my 30th consecutive entry and 24th finish in this race has been a milestone. Thank you very much. And I'm also amazed at the enthusiasm of the people of Peru.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: The dune segments in the latter part of the race felt really good, but we did come across some problems in the first half, and it was hard because we weren't able to maintain a consistent pace. I'm relieved that we've finally crossed the finish line.

Teruhito Sugawara: While 9th in the Trucks category and the winning of the championship in the Under 10-litre class are unchanged from last year, I think this is a very valuable result as our rivals have obviously become quicker. Another good thing was that we were able to work really well as a team when we got into trouble. I am grateful to all of the mechanics on our team.

Seiichi Suzuki: Having raced the Dakar Rally on our new racing truck, I truly realize that our aim was spot on. While the sand in Peru was quite different, we were able to get good traction, and go over the dunes without much fuss. I look forward to continue making further improvements to develop this truck further.

Naoya Nakano: I am very happy that I've been able to be a part of this race in a leadership role for the mechanics team, and also that we've been able to fulfill what I've taken on as my personal goal, which was for both trucks to finish the race, something that we were not able to do the last time I was on the team. I was tired, but all of that blew over the moment I saw the trucks cross the finish line. I'm left with only good memories now, and I'm feeling a true sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

Seiji Maeda: The past two weeks went by in a blink of an eye. It was tough work, but we had great teamwork, and it was great that we were able to do our job as a cohesive unit.

Yuya Inaba: It was one eventful race, and I'm very happy that we were able to come this far. When the transfer broke down, we were very rushed but able to make the replacement on the road. I'm truly relieved that the trucks have made it back.

Masahiro Nakata: We had very little time to sleep, and I was having a hard time physically, but all of that has blown over now that we are here (at the podium). This atmosphere here at the goal is amazing.

(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.