Trucks-only SS is Held Near Iquique
Car 2 climbs to 19th position, and Car 1 maintains a solid 2nd in the Under 10-litre Class

January 10, the Trucks category raced on a 335km SS that was set between Iquique and the marathon bivouac on the outskirts of Iquique. This year, for January 10 thru 12, each category -- Bikes, Cars, and Trucks -- has been given different race itineraries. The Bikes category rested for day, and the Cars headed out for Uyuni, Bolivia. The Trucks were the only ones racing to the marathon bivouac in Iquique.

The trucks traveled 101km northeast to a plateau where they launched out of the SS's start gate and raced through the eastern foothills near the Iquique bivouac and headed for the marathon bivouac which was situated about 60km southeast of the Iquique bivouac. There were many segments where contestants were required to drive the previous day's SS in the opposite direction, including the 30km dune section where the trucks traced back their course of the previous day. As a matter of course, the bivouac was absent of all assistant staff and only racing trucks were to be seen there. The crews were allowed to service and repair their trucks using only the parts and tools loaded on their racing trucks. This meant that any serious damage to the truck or multiple flat tires incurred in the SS could have a direct impact on their race for January 11.

HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, which fields two HINO500 Series trucks in this rally, maintained their composure as they completed the day's SS. Neither truck suffered flats nor got stuck along the way. Car 2 crewed by Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura came in at 19th overall and top in the Under 10-litre Class, and Car 1 piloted by Yoshimasa Sugawara, Yoko Wakabayashi, and Katsumi Hamura finished the day's SS at 29th and 2nd in the Class. Based on these results, Car 2 climbs to 19th position in accumulated overall rankings in the Trucks category, and Car 1 to 31st. There is a whopping 20hr 52m 35s time difference between Car 1, currently positioned at 2nd place in the Under 10-litre Class, and the M. Piana crew (Mercedes Benz Unimog) at 3rd place in accumulated Class rankings. As such, the Hino team continues to solidify its prospects of winning a 1-2 victory in its Class.

Neither crew found any major damage or problems upon inspecting and servicing the trucks themselves at the bivouac, and they were making every preparation to take on the race for January 11. The itinerary for the day will again include only Trucks and will take them on a 271km SS to Iquique where their assistant teams await.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: There were a lot of segments today where we were tracing our tracks in the opposite direction from yesterday. It was a long day but we were able to finish before sundown. I'm doing well.

Yoko Wakabayashi: Just as yesterday, the dunes were quite tough for me. I haven't reached the point where I'm "enjoying" the rally but I feel a bit more relaxed now.

Katsumi Hamura: Today's was a tough course but we were able to overcome its challenges to complete it. Tomorrow (January 11), I believe we will be going down the sand cliff facing the Iquique bivouac.

Teruhito Sugawara: Once we were out of the piste at the coal mine, we headed in the opposite direction from yesterday's SS. The dunes segment was a complete reversal of yesterday. The bivouac is near CP4 of yesterday's race. We're not having any problems with our trucks.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: The course took us around and around yesterday's course, and the exit to the dunes in the first part of the race was quite challenging. There were many tricky areas that could've easily invited navigation errors.

* 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.

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Route Map