Both trucks return safely to their last bivouac in Villa Carlos Paz.

With only two more days to go in Dakar Rally 2016, the trucks raced on a 267km SS en route from San Juan to their last bivouac in Villa Carlos Paz. The SS was set in the intermountain areas on the outskirts of Cordoba and consisted primarily of twisty mountain roads. Many parts of the course were narrow, and whereas the SS for motorbikes and cars was 481km long, the course for trucks branched off midway making for a shorter course that finished at 267km. Nonetheless, the liaison leading to the start of the SS was 414km long, and adds to that the 185km liaison that came after the SS, the total distance of 866km was the longest traveled by the trucks in a single day in this year's rally.

During the second half of the rally, Car 2 has consistently delivered outstanding performance in the specials clocking at 9th, 14th, and 13th overall, proving that it was a force to reckon with even among its rivals with larger engine displacements. Leveraging its speed in what was a very challenging stage this day, the Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura crew pushed HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's Car 2 aggressively, finishing the SS at 20th in the overall trucks category and top in the Under 10-litre Class. This brings Car 2 to 13th place in accumulated rankings overall and top in its class.

Meanwhile, veteran driver Yoshimasa Sugawara and the younger Mitsugu Takahashi who piloted Car 1 delivered another solid day of racing, finishing at 35th overall and 3rd in the class. This brings Car 1's accumulated rankings to 30th place overall and 2nd in its class.

The bivouac at Villa Carlos Paz was set on the same camping grounds where the teams camped on January 3. Tomorrow, contestants will be racing on a 180km SS―the last special of this year's the rally―before they reach the finish line in Rosario. Fully aware that nothing can be taken for granted in the Dakar, Hino team mechanics paid extra attention in servicing their trucks for the last time in this rally.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: We were prepared for a long day, but our trip to Villa Carlos Paz went smoother than we had thought. Actually, the hardest parts for us were the intense traffic jams in the urban areas of the last liaison. We will drive carefully again tomorrow to make sure that we finish.

Mitsugu Takahashi: As we were down to two more days, I was extra careful to avoid any accidents or problems with the truck that might flush the results we have racked up so far down the drain. I know I will be nervous tomorrow as we head for the finish line, so I will give it my best.

Teruhito Sugawara: The dust just wouldn't settle on the mountain roads and that affected our visibility. The roads were narrow and, contrary to expectations, it was not a high-speed course. Nonetheless, we feel good because we were able to race neck and neck with our larger rivals.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: Navigation was not so difficult per se, but there were many areas that had speed restrictions as we passed through small towns, so I had to be extra vigilant. One concern for tomorrow's SS is that organizers have made a lot of course modifications because of the rain.