On October 16, Hino Motors (Hino) held a press conference at the company’s headquarters in Hino City, announcing their intention to team up with Team Sugawara, led by Yoshimasa Sugawara, as HINO TEAM SUGAWARA to enter two HINO 500 Series trucks in the Trucks category of the Dakar Rally 2013 which is scheduled for January 5-20, traversing Peru, Argentina, and Chile in South America.

Present at the announcement, alongside members of the HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, were Hino chairman Kazuo Okamoto, and president Yoshio Shirai.

After the press conference, a team supporters’ rally was held during lunch hours inside the Hino headquarters building. This event was attended by about 200 individuals, including representatives from sponsors as well as Hino Motors’ directors and employees. The party featured a speech by Mr. Shirai, statements of commitment from Yoshimasa and Teruhito Sugawara, an overview of the trucks and racecourse, and a speech of encouragement from Mr. Okamoto. In closing, the crowd joined in a rally cry of "Let’s give it our all as HINO TEAM SUGAWARA!" and "Ei ei oh!" which was led by Mr. Enomoto, section chief at the Technical Research Center and the new CE for truck fabrication from this fiscal year.

The following are the contents of speeches given by those who were present at the press conference and team supporters’ rally.

Ever since Hino first entered the Dakar Rally in 1991 as a Japanese truck maker, we have continued to take on the challenges posed by this race, known as the most grueling in the world. The upcoming race in 2013 will mark the company’s 22nd entry in the event. For Hino, the Dakar Rally is not only a venue where we can confirm and globally showcase our technological prowess and excellent servicing capabilities, but also a symbol of the "HINO spirit" of constantly setting high goals, retaining a burning passion to make excellent products, and remaining always ready to take on new challenges. Thanks to all of you, Hino celebrated its 70th anniversary this year.

In 2012, we launched a 3-year development project for a new racing truck that will eventually be able to target a spot in the top 5 in the Trucks category, and entered a new truck - for the first time in 8 years - in the modified category. In 2012, the first year of the project, we relocated the engine to a mid-ship position as well as the intercooler, to enhance the cooling performance. We also reduced the truck’s weight by 300kg via modifications, such as the use of canvas on the sides of the rear body. Thanks to these efforts, we could improve many aspects of the truck’s racing performance, including a 10% improvement in time, which allowed us to win our 3rd straight class championship, and come in at 9th place in the overall Trucks category, representing solid progress in terms of narrowing the difference with the top contenders in the overall category.

The 2013 race will start from Lima, Peru, traverse the Andes Mountains into Argentina, and after a rest day, cross back over the Andes entering Chile, and head for Santiago on a course spanning a total of about 8,000km. Soon after the start, we will enter the Atacama Desert in Peru, one of the more challenging stretches. We will then traverse the Andes Mountains into Argentina, driving through areas at elevations of up to 4,900m according to organizers, which will be the highest in the history of the Dakar Rally. Once in Chile, we will be racing over huge dunes in Copiapo just before the goal, and we believe this will be the key segment for the latter half of the race. As Hino trucks handle dunes well, we plan to complete the Atacama Desert segment at the first half of the race carefully, and go all out on the large dunes in Copiapo towards the end of the race. I would like to thank you in advance for your support.

I have been racing in the Dakar Rally since I was 41 years old, and this upcoming race will be the 31st consecutive entry for me. The other day, I had the opportunity to get together with about 30 people from Hino dealers who took part in past Dakar Rallies as mechanics, some of whom have advanced to become directors at their dealers. Moreover, I was delighted to learn that they were using their experience in Dakar to help their work as executives. I’m often asked what my motivation is for continuing to enter the race as a racer. Once you race in the Dakar, you notice how very challenging it is and how difficult it is to graduate, so to speak. Over the years, I have developed the habit of taking notes towards the end of the race to prepare for the next. It’s akin to the feeling a student may have, when eager to begin the new school year with a renewed sense of conviction.

Hino celebrated its 70th anniversary this year. This was a great opportunity to renew our sense of gratitude to those who have supported us, and a time to reflect on the importance of the ties between all of us here at Hino. I wish to say “Thank you” to the people of the world as it is with their support that we have been able to continue entering and finishing in the Dakar Rally for as long as we have. Motor sport teams face extreme challenges in that circumstances can change instantly and no-one knows what will happen until one crosses the finish line. This is no doubt also challenging for mechanics. I am confident the team will maintain its focus to the end and deliver the kind of teamwork that comes from the close ties forged between the team members. I will also be traveling to Chile to cheer on the team, and will meet them at the goal. I would like to thank all of you in Japan in advance for your support.

I joined the team for the first time in 2009 as a mechanic, and this will be the second time I join the team. In 2009, my attitude was somewhat naive in that I thought finishing the race was a given. However, upon actually experiencing the race, I realized how difficult it was to finish. Of the 4 mechanics that were chosen from Hino dealers nationwide, the 3 other than myself will be experiencing it for the first time. Therefore, I would like to communicate the challenges involved in finishing the race, and take a step back in our actual work to create an environment that will allow us to perform servicing tasks with greater efficiency. We are fully committed. While finishing the race is our primary goal, we will also aim to finish with a high ranking.