Hino wins the third consecutive "Under 10-liter" championship in the Dakar Rally 2012

Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) competed in the Argentina-Chile-Peru Dakar Rally 2012 that was held from January 1 to 15, 2012 (local time). Hino won the third consecutive championship in the “Under 10-liter” category, and also achieved 21^*1 finishes in as many years, setting a new record for the number of consecutive finishes.

Hino entered this rally for the first time in 1991 - the first Japanese truck manufacturer to do so - and in 1994 and 1995, came 2nd place overall in the Trucks category. In 1997, Hino entered three trucks and became the first in the history of this rally to achieve a 1-2-3 clean sweep in this category. In subsequent years, Hino has won three 2nd place titles in the Trucks category as well as eleven championships in the Under 10-liter category over the twelve races since the category was first introduced in 1996, making it a force to be reckoned with in the truck division.

Continuing from last year, Hino has teamed up with Team Sugawara - headed by Yoshimasa Sugawara who holds the record for the most consecutive entries in the Dakar Rally at 30^*2 entries, and his son Teruhito Sugawara - and took part in this rally as the HINO TEAM SUGAWARA. Hino dispatched four mechanics that were chosen from Hino distributors to meet the challenges of this rally and reflecting the concerted effort of the entire Hino group.

As a result, amidst the 76 entries in the Trucks category - many of which were either specially developed for racing or so-called monster trucks that boasted nearly twice the engine displacement of the HINO 500 Series - Teruhito Sugawara won the championship in the Under 10-liter category, and 9th place in the Trucks category overall. Yoshimasa Sugawara won 3rd and 24th places in these respective categories.

Hino is committed to continuing to deliver products and services that meet our customers' needs by leveraging the fighting spirit and technological capabilities which have been accumulated over the two decades since first entering the rally.

*1 21 consecutive finishes since our first entry in 1991, excepting 2008 when the rally was canceled due to political unrest.
*2 It has been recognized as an entry in 2008 by the organizer.

Please read more information on daily race reports at the official web site.
URL: http://www.hino-global.com/dakar/index.html

(Reference Material) Hino in the Dakar Rally

Hino participated in the Dakar Rally for the first time in 1991, as the first entrant from among all the Japanese truck manufacturers. Its truck achieved 2nd position in the overall Truck Division in 1994 and 1995. In 1997, after undergoing reinforcement to aim at an overall victory, Hino became the first to dominate the top three positions in the overall Truck Division, an unprecedented finish in Dakar Rally history.

The team has continuously participated in the rally as one of the top teams in its division; for example, it has come in 2nd position in the overall Truck Division 3 times. Moreover, it achieved 7 victories in the under 10-liters category between 1996 and 2002, since this class was established. This class was abolished in 2003, 2004, and 2006. Hino won victories in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011 rally.

No. of Entries	Rally Year	Route	Total Distance(km)	Vehicle	Result of Truck Division (under 10-liter class)
21	2012	Buenos Aires - Copiapó - Lima	8,333*	Hino 500 series	Car 2: 9th (Winner) Car 1: 24th (3rd)
20	2011	Buenos Aires - Alica - Buenos Aires	9,458		Car 2: 9th (Winner) Car 1: 13th (2nd)
19	2010	Buenos Aires - Antofagasta - Buenos Aires	9,026		Car 2: 7th (Winner) Car 1: Sidelined due to regulations
18	2009	Buenos Aires - Valparaiso - Buenos Aires	9,579		14th (2nd), 26th
Canceled	2008	-	-	-	-
17	2007	Lisbon - Dakar	7,915	Hino 500 series	9th (Winner), 13th
16	2006	Lisbon - Dakar	9,043		5th, 7th (n.a.)
15	2005	Barcelona - Dakar	8,956		2nd (Winner), 6th
14	2004	Clermont-Ferrand - Dakar	10,411		5th (n.a.)
13	2003	Marseille - Sharm El Sheikh	8,602		5th (n.a.)
12	2002	Arras - Madrid - Dakar	9,440		3rd (Winner) 7th consecutive victory in this class
11	2001	Paris - Dakar	10,873		2nd (Winner)
10	2000	Paris - Dakar - Cairo	7,880		5th (Winner)
9	1999	Granada - Dakar	9,441		4th (Winner)
8	1998	Paris - Granada - Dakar	10,570		2nd (Winner)
7	1997	Dakar - Agades - Dakar	8,051		Winner (Winner), 2nd (2nd), 3rd (3rd) First dominant victory recorded in the Truck Division
6	1996	Granada - Dakar	7,579		6th (Winner), 11th (2nd)
5	1995	Granada - Dakar	10,067		2nd (n.a.)
4	1994	Paris - Dakar	13,398		2nd (n.a.)
3	1993	Paris - Dakar	8,877		6th (n.a.)
2	1992	Paris - Sirte - Cape Town	13,015		4th, 5th, 6th, 10th (n.a.)
1	1991	Paris - Tripoli - Dakar	9,186		7th, 10th, 14th (n.a.) The first entrant from among all the Japanese truck manufacturers

* It may differ from actual distance because a part of the route was changed during the rally.
  (The figure is announced by the organizer before the rally.)