Support HINO TEAM SUGAWARA from your living room as it competes on the world stage!
-- Organizers feature Hino and Yoshimasa Sugawara in a report on what to expect from the race and drivers to keep an eye on. --

1. Getting to know the Dakar Rally 2011

(Source: "Press Kit" https://www.dakar.com/)

1) What to expect from the race as reported by rally director E. Lavigne.

(1) Bikes

According to new regulations, the riders featured in A.S.O.'s Elite list will all be obliged to ride on vehicles whose power does not exceed 450cc. A broad range of manufacturers will be entering the race including Aprilia, KTM, Yamaha, Honda, and Sherco. Along with the magnificent scenery, these riders promise to deliver a fascinating race.

(2) Cars

BMW will be entering a further evolved version of their X3 in an effort to oust previous champion, Carlos Sainz of Volkswagen (former WRC champion) and runner up, Nasser Al-Attiyah (former PWC champion and former sharpshooting athlete for the Qatari Olympic team). The BMW will be piloted by veteran driver Stephane Peterhansel who has won several championships in this rally on motorcycles and during his stint on the Mitsubishi team. Other racers include Robby Gordon driving a Hummer, as well as Matthias Kahle who has raced in the WRC on a Skoda and will be driving an SMG buggy for this rally.

(3) Trucks

Vehicles that will be racing in this division include the champion car from last year, Kamaz, as well as Ginaf, Hino and Tatra. Returning to the race this year is the Veka Man with Mission team, which had been a regular in top spots in the Dakar Rally. We expect the race to be one of the most fiercely competitive to date.

2) Rally topics

• Racers, of which 13 are female, come from 51 countries (40 countries last year).
• Six alternative fuel vehicles will be entering the race. (2 vehicles from Toyota Autobody running on 100% biodiesel, and four vehicles developed by a French project which includes vehicles powered by hydrogen diesel and liquid gas engines)
• First time entrants include 64 motorcycles, 50 four-wheel vehicles, and 1 truck.
• The youngest racer is a 20 year old rider in the motorcycle division who will be racing in this rally for the second time.
• At age 69, Yoshimasa Sugawara will be extending his streak of entries in this rally to 28.

3) Race Overview

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*():the number at the previous rally

2. Watch on the Hino Dakar Website

1) "Daily Race Report" flash news from HINO TEAM SUGAWARA *

Reports will be transmitted daily from the press center at the camp. These reports will center on comments from drivers Yoshimasa and Teruhito Sugawara to communicate what team members at the camp actually have to say. This will be a valuable source of information as flash news on the truck division from the organizers is relatively scarce due to the fact the division starts late and arrives at the camp later than the vehicles of other divisions.

https://www.hino-global.com/corp/dakar/latest_news/

2) "Daily Highlight Videos" highlight the day's topics of the race *

Starting this race, we plan to carry Daily Highlight Videos of the race in the Latest News section of the Hino Dakar Website.

https://www.hino-global.com/corp/dakar/latest_news/

* Please note that news and video postings may be delayed due to the time difference (12 hours) and conditions at the press center.

3. Watch on the official website

During the race, you will see a "LIVE" tab on the Dakar official website where you can access daily race information. The following is a list of race information that the organizers have provided in past races.

1) "Video of the day"

Visitors can view race videos of the latest stages of the race for each division.

https://www.dakar.com/2011/DAK/presentation/us/r10_videos.html

2) "Photo gallery"

Dynamic shots over the majestic natural backdrop of South America will be a sight to behold.

https://www.dakar.com/2011/DAK/presentation/us/r10_la-galerie-photos.html

3) "Breaking news"

This section introduces the latest information on the fast-changing race throughout the day.

https://www.dakar.com/

4) "Standings"

Click "Overall" for overall standings, and "Stage" for standings for the day. Vehicles that have withdrawn are shown in the "Withdrawals" list.

https://www.dakar.com/

5) Racer tracking system: the "iriTrack Tracking System"

Details on how to use this system will be provided shortly in the Latest News section of the Hino Dakar Website.

iriTrack Tracking System: https://www.dakar.com/
Hino Dakar Website: https://www.hino-global.com/corp/dakar/

* These viewing options are what we expect will be available based on previous implementations. As such, they may be revised without notice. Languages: English, French, and Spanish

4. Watch on TV or Internet media (Japanese only)

1) J Sports

J Sports is a Japanese paid cable TV station and will air programs daily throughout the duration of the race. The station also offers extensive repeat broadcast options. In the past, J Sports hosted a talk show featuring Japanese drivers. Please see the below for broadcast times. For detailed listing information, please visit the J Sports website.

http://www.jsports.co.jp

2) Tochu F1 Express

This is a website hosted by the Tokyo Chunichi Sports Shimbun. Registration is required to access in-depth information (subscription fee applies).

http://f1express.cnc.ne.jp/

5. Send supporting messages to the team

Support message page for HINO TEAM SUGAWARA

Messages of support that fans send the team daily are a huge motivator for them. All of the members read all of the messages everyday, so please send in your messages and cheer them on.

http://www.teamsugawara.jp/cgi-bin/tsbbs11.cgi

Press coverage information

On December 8, 2010, Yoshimasa Sugawara was featured in an article titled "At 69, Sugawara continues to carry his fighting spirit" in the evening and web editions of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Web edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Japanese only): http://www.nikkei.com/sports/ (Article access expiration date due to updates is unknown)

* 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.

(FYI) J Sports ESPN program listing

(Japanese only): http://www.jsports.co.jp/

Just before the Dakar Rally 2011 (Japan time)

Dec 23, 2010 22:45-23:00
Dec 25, 2010 23:15-23:30
Jan 1, 2011 25:40-25:55

Dakar Rally 2011, the Daily Highlight Air (2011, Japan time)

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* This information was current at the time of writing and may be revised.