We are finally into the last month leading up to the Dakar Rally 2014. European teams completed their vehicle inspections in France and have shipped their racing vehicles to Argentina. In this section, we would like to introduce our readers to the members of HINO TEAM SUGAWARA who have completed all setups on the vehicle and are now in the process of preparing themselves in their respective areas of responsibility.

Team director and driver of Car 1, Yoshimasa Sugawara:
"Our trucks are en route to Argentina as scheduled. I am currently in the process of formulating strategies for myself based on the roster of entrants and course distance published by the organizers. Every year, I am kept busy with multiple projects including setups for motorcycles we enter in rallies in late April and May, and setups for vehicles that we enter in Rally Mongolia in August. I plan to fly to Argentina ahead of the rest of the team to prepare myself physically. Car 1 gets a new engine this year so I am already very excited. I will give it my best as a Japanese entrant so please expect great things."

Navigator of Car 1, Katsumi Hamura:
"The year flew by after the conclusion of the 2013 race and we are now only a month away from the 2014 race. I am looking after my physical condition and making detailed preparations for the rally. I would like to bring more power to the race personally to match the power upgrade that Car 1 has received!"

Driver of Car 2, Teruhito Sugawara:
"The next race will be the third and culminating race in the 3-year plan that we initiated in the 2012 race. It represents the "jump" year in our "hop, step, and jump" sequence of progress. In addition to delivering renowned stability, our HINO500 Series truck is now faster than ever thanks to progressive upgrades it has received such as weight reductions, improvements to suspension, and power upgrades to its engine. We have had great results from preliminary test runs, and I am just itching to begin racing. Additionally, Car 1 now runs on a new, more powerful engine and we definitely think that this truck will become a top-5 contender in the near future. Long story short, please expect great things from our HINO500 Series trucks!"

Navigator of Car 2, Hiroyuki Sugiura:
"We are finally into the last month leading up to the race, and I am preparing for the rally as well as for my navigation tasks one step at a time. Each year, I get very nervous before we leave Japan, second guessing myself whether I might have forgotten to load or do something. I even have dreams of having forgotten to pack something. Rallies are 90% preparation. My current focus is to do what I can do now, here in Japan, to make sure that we are fully prepared for the race."

Mechanic leader, Seiichi Suzuki:
"The J08C engine mounted on Car 2 received a common rail injection upgrade last year and has received a power upgrade this year bringing its output to 485hp. Our new Car 1 now runs on a new A09C engine that delivers 600hp coupled with a new transmission and transfer, giving it greater racing performance than Car 2! Right now, I am both excited and anxious with Car 1. It's a new truck so it goes without saying that we will encounter some problems, so we will be giving it our all!"

Mechanic sub-leader, Takeshi Suenaga:
"I am currently organizing materials relating to vehicle construction and handling instructions prepared by each mechanic during the truck fabrication process, and making preparations for servicing simulations we will be carrying out before the race. I am also in the process of handing over tasks to my colleagues at work, and on the weekends, I spend quality time with my family that has been very supportive of me in this endeavor.

Mechanic, Hiroaki Tamura:
"The sense of tension is getting higher the closer we get to the race. I am taking care of day to day tasks with a renewed sense of the huge responsibility I bear as a mechanic. I intend to draw on everything I have experienced and learned as a mechanic over the last 20 years as I head out to Argentina for the Dakar Rally.

Mechanic, Norishiro Senuma:
"I am moved by the many gestures of support that I have received including customers and people I know at other distributors calling me with words of support, and the many messages that we received on the carp streamer at the Tokyo Motor Show 2013. I have been jogging in between work hours to prepare myself physically and make sure that I will be able to live up to expectations.

Mechanic, Tadahiko Fuke:
"At the Tokyo Motor Show 2013, where we were invited to a talk show segment, I was struck by the amount of attention our team is receiving from the public and this was a real boost to my resolve. I am filled with a great sense of gratitude for my family, my superiors, and colleagues at work as I carry out my daily tasks, as well as relearn the spare parts list, one of the many preparations I must make for the rally.

Engineer, Katsuyuki Nagoshi:
"Right now, I am making preparations in my area of responsibility, which is engine control. I am going over the software program that controls the engines, as well as preparing the tool we use to create the software. Although I am both excited and anxious in terms of the mission I have been entrusted with, I firmly believe that this is a task that only I can perform. I will give it my all in the race so I would like to thank all of you in advance for your support.

Support leader and support car driver, Mitsugu Takahashi:
"We are all fully prepared to break the previous records established by the team and Iron Man Sugawara. This race will be a great opportunity to prove the performance of the new Car 1 racing truck and the new support truck. I am very excited.

Support car driver, Koji Tanaka:
"This is the first time I will be joining the team as a support car driver. I intend to give it my all as a member of HINO TEAM SUGAWARA so that we can break the team's record and finish at high position rankings.

Support truck driver, Bayarchuluun:
"I transported the new support truck that was made for the 2014 race from Mongolia to France. Although I encountered some difficulties en route to France, I am relieved now that we have completed the vehicle inspection successfully. I am excited to see how our new support truck performs in the race with its enhanced servicing and transport capabilities.

Organizers announce roster of entrants!
Organizers of the Dakar Rally have announced the roster of entrants for the 2014 race. There are 4 fewer trucks in the Trucks category for a total of 71 trucks. There are 175 entrants in the Bikes category, 41 in the Quad category, and 151 in the Cars category for a total of 438 vehicles and 718 crew members that will be taking on the challenge of the Dakar Rally, which is considered to be the worlds' most extreme rally. Please look forward to exciting battles for top positions!

Car 1: Yoshimasa Sugawara/Katsumi Hamura, car number 518
Car 2: Teruhito Sugawara/Hiroyuki Sugiura, car number 532

"Latest Dakar Rally News" on the official Hino Motors website.

We will be giving daily reports for the duration of the race from our on-site press center*. These reports will include commentary from drivers Yoshimasa Sugawara and Teruhito Sugawara as well as other team members who are actually engaged in the race. This site is an important source of information as the organizers provide relatively little information on the Trucks category because trucks reach the camp sites later in the day due to their later start times compared to other categories.

* Daily reports may be delayed due to the time difference (about 12 hours from Japan) and depending on press center conditions.

Updates from HINO TEAM SUGAWARA: "Daily Reports"

URL (English):https://www.hino-global.com/corp/dakar/latest_news/2013/

URL (Japanese):http://www.hino.co.jp/dakar/latest_news/