Hino team pulls together for the longest SS of the rally to be held tomorrow on January 4.

January 3, although trucks were scheduled to race on a 258km SS between Rosario and Villa Carlos Paz, the area was met with heavy rainfall which flooded many sections of the course, creating extremely difficult driving conditions. As if that was not enough, the Cordoba Airport nearby had to cancel all arriving and departing flights for a period of time due to thick rain clouds. So at 10:00am, the organizers made the decision to cancel all competition for the day.

Bikes and cars, which had already arrived at the SS start point by then, drove on the SS to CP1 and then made their way to paved road. Trucks―which departed later and were on a liaison segment leading up to the SS at the time―were rerouted and headed for the bivouac in Villa Carlos Paz. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's two HINO500 Series were both at the bivouac by the time the 3:30pm mark had come and gone. While the trucks were dirty from splashed mud, they were―as would be expected―free of any problems.

This was the second consecutive day for the Trucks category to have their racing canceled following the prologue run yesterday which was canceled due to an accident in the Cars category. This made for a highly unusual situation where the trucks had not seen any racing in the two days since the start of the race.

January 4 is scheduled to feature a 510km SS, the longest SS in this year's rally, heading northward toward Termas de Río Hondo. Although weather forecasts call for possible inclement weather again tomorrow, the crews are keeping their focus, and the team's mechanics are making sure that all inspections and servicing work are completed to a tee.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: The rain was unbelievably intense today. So intense that even the wipers had no effect. I think that two straight days of cancelation is quite a rare occurrence in the Dakar Rally. This rally is quite difficult unless the hosting region is stable in terms of political situation, safety, and weather. I'm hoping we can race tomorrow.

Mitsugu Takahashi: Today was a disappointment as I was quite psyched as we headed out from Rosario. I am feeling a bit of nervousness as we will be running a 510km SS without much of a lead up.

Teruhito Sugawara: There was nothing anybody could do about this. The course today would get very slippery when wet, perhaps due to the soil's characteristics, and can be quite dangerous. Right now, I'm focused on tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is become impatient or numb out.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: Today's cancelation was a letdown. We left at 10:00 and were already at the bivouac by 3:30pm. I do feel a bit of apprehension in terms of navigation among other things for the 500km we will be running tomorrow.