HINO500 Series Car 1 Receives Racing Number 528, Car 2 Receives 519

The vehicles and crews entering in all categories have been finalized, and their racing numbers announced by Dakar Rally organizers.

Each category is allotted a specific range of numbers, and individual entrants are assigned a specific number based on the ranking at which they finished the previous rally (smaller numbers for higher rankings). Entrants in the Bikes category were assigned numbers 1 to 249, the Quads category 250 to 299, the Cars category 300 to 499, and the Trucks category 500 and up. Officiating vehicles and support vehicles from all teams were also assigned racing numbers.

The HINO500 Series Car 1 received number 528, and Car 2 received 519. The roster of entrants shrunk in all categories for a total of 355 vehicles. The number of entrants in the Trucks category declined by 12 percent from the previous year, for a total of 56 participating vehicles.

Vehicles based out of Europe underwent vehicle inspections in France toward the end of November, and were then shipped to Argentina.

Number of Trucks category entrants by manufacturer

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Course Details Finalized―First Course to be Designed by Marc Coma

Marc Coma of Spain, who boasts five overall championships in the Bikes category―a category that places more demands on the riders' driving and navigating skills relative to other categories as they must drive alone―joined the organizers as their sport director, taking charge of designing the course for the first time.

Chile and Peru have declined to host the rally this year, which means there will be no racing in the vast deserts of these countries, and the primary battlegrounds will be in the Andes Mountains and the Pampas. As such, contestants will be challenged by twisting, winding roads in the mountain regions, as well as fesh-fesh (powder sand) on narrow roads that offer very little in the way of maneuvering space.

Driving distances for the Trucks category

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