Race Report 1999

4th place overall and 4th straight victory in the Camion category!
1999 - GRANADA-DAKAR

1999

The Hino Ranger, which participated in a private outfit led by the TEAM SUGAWARA, was assigned the number 400, the top number in the Camion category, again in the event that year. The Dakar Rally, the ninth for the Hino Ranger, was undertaken with the smallest organization yet, including driver Yoshimasa Sugawara and navigators Naoko Matsumoto and Teruhito Sugawara together with air mechanic Seiichi Suzuki. The course this time started in Granada, Spain, and crossed the Sahara Desert, reaching Dakar, Senegal, after a total running distance of 9,403km. Besides Kamaz and Tatra works teams, an Iveco entry was driven by past WRC champion Miki Biasion, leaving the Ranger to face off against a lineup of powerful rivals.

It was the Ranger that started off at the top of the class on January 1 but it gave up the lead to the high-displacement Tatras, Kamazes and Iveco in the same class. In its own element in the troublesome desert area, however, the Ranger steadily rose in the ranking. It recorded the best time in the longest SS of the event encountered on January 5, putting it in the lead in its class and jumping up to fifth in the class. It subsequently continued to charge ahead unhindered, finishing the first half of the event in fourth place in the Camion class.

The Ranger remained evenly matched as it contended with the large-displacement monster camions again after entering the latter half. It again recorded the top time in the stage on the 13th day and moved ahead fiercely to make gains while expanding the gap between itself and class rival Iveco. Though the Ranger battled boldly to the end, it ultimately arrived in Dakar with no change in its positioning. It succeeded in achieving its fourth victory in a row since Class 1 was first established but ended in 4th place overall in the Camion class.

"TEAM SUGAWARA"

1st truck: Yoshimasa Sugawara, Teruhito Sugawara, Naoko Matsumoto
Air mechanic: Seiich Suzuki

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Rank Number Driver Vehicle
1 407 Loprais Tatra
2 409 Moskovski Kamaz
3 425 De Azevedo Tatra
4 400 Yoshimasa Sugawara Hino Ranger
5 401 Biasion Iveco
6 410 Barbier Mitsubishi
7 414 Kabirov Kamaz
8 432 Reif MAN

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