Car 2 finishes at 13th overall, showcasing the HINO500 Series truck's outstanding capabilities.

On January 16, the final stage of Dakar Rally 2016, teams competed on a 180km special between Villa Carlos Paz and Rosario and then traveled on a liaison before reaching the finish line in Rosario. The goal ceremony was carried out beside one of the city's historic sites "Monumento a la Bandera."

HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, the only team that entered in the Trucks category from Japan, fielded two HINO500 Series trucks in the rally. The team's Car 2 crewed by Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura finished at an accumulated ranking of 13th place in the overall Trucks category, and top in the Under 10-litre Class. Car 1 crewed by Yoshimasa Sugawara and Mitsugu Takahashi finished at 31st in the same, and 2nd in its class, crowning the team's seventh straight championship in the class with a one-two finish. With Car 2 finishing at 13th overall in its category, the team has been able to prove once again the outstanding potential of the HINO500 Series trucks.

This day, contestants traveled on a 131km liaison from the Villa Carlos Paz near Cordoba which took them to the start line of an 180km SS in an intermountain area. The stage was primarily set on mountain roads and featured many twisty sections that were hardly accommodating of trucks. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's Car 2 was able to finish at 16th place and 1st in its class, but Car 1 was not so fortunate as it suffered lost time at the 110km point where a number of vehicles ahead of it became unable to move forward in a deeply rutted section of the road. Car 1 eventually finished the special at 40th overall and 3rd in its class before arriving at Rosario at the end of a 387km liaison.

The goal podium was set up by the Monumento a la Bandera facing the Paraná River, the starting point of Dakar Rally 2014. Although the trucks arrived late in the afternoon, the crowd exploded into cheers as the HINO500 Series trucks and mechanics riding atop their roofs arrived by the podium. Crews firmly shook hands with Hino Motors chairman, Masakazu Ichikawa, who flew in from Japan, concluding the 13 stages of racing over 15 days in this year's Dakar.

Masakazu Ichikawa, Chairman, Hino Motors: I'd like to acknowledge the team for delivering a solid performance this year again. I get the feeling that Mr. Teruhito can climb even higher, but in any case, I'm very grateful to the entire team and for all the support that we've received. Twenty-five years of racing in the Dakar is quite a long history when you think about it, and I'm amazed at how Mr. Sugawara and his team have come together to achieve these results.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: I'm happy to have finished in what ended up being a very challenging rally this year, and I'm also very happy to see so many people cheering us on at the goal. One of the memorable things for me this year was that, for the first time in a long while, we got bogged down and stuck. I'll continue to race on. I'd like to thank everyone who has supported us.

Mitsugu Takahashi: The road was deeply rutted at the 110km point in today's SS, keeping us from getting through. There was a line of vehicles that couldn't move forward and we lost about an hour and 20 minutes. Fortunately, we managed to finish the special thanks to locals who guided us to an alternate route. This was the first Dakar for me and the fact that it's all over hasn't sunk in yet. I feel like we're going to be racing again tomorrow.

Teruhito Sugawara: This was the 25th anniversary of Hino Motors' first entry in the Dakar Rally, so I took that to heart as we raced. The truck upgrades that we made have had a definite impact and I feel that we've got our rivals by their tails now. We know what we need to do next, so I think this was a great race also in terms of development going forward.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: The course today was made up of twisty piste in the mountains, with almost no high-speed segments. There were areas that were slippery from the rain, and we did have one spin out. We wanted to finish in the top ten this year but regrettably we were a few positions short. That said, we've proven that we're capable of fighting close battles with the top contenders so we have a lot to look forward to.

Seiichi Suzuki: Our times in the specials are generally getting better, and this was confirmation of the trucks' improved performance. Repairs for some minor weld cracks were about the only repairs that we needed to do on our suspensions and supporting members, so I'm happy about that.

Masaki Tagoku: Time just flew by and I had a lot of fun. It was tough when things got so hectic that we didn't even have time to sleep, but I'm very happy that I was able to work with this group of people. I'm very grateful that we were able to bring both HINO500 Series trucks to the finish line.

Masato Kondo: What I learned is that anything can happen in Dakar. It was critical for us to deal with them one by one as they arose. In the past, I had been servicing trucks for myself. In the Dakar Rally, I experienced servicing the vehicle for the driver, and I think that has helped me grow in many ways.

Nozomi Tonoike: A lot of things are going through my mind as I see the goal podium today and realize that it is all over. It was tough but it was well worth it. I really wanted to experience the Dakar Rally first-hand, so I'm very grateful for having been given this opportunity.

Hideyuki Sakaguchi: It was a long two weeks, but it also feels like it just went by in a blink of an eye. Things got really tough at times, but we worked together as a team to overcome any problems. Seeing the goal podium today, I'm just left speechless.