Race Report 2013

HINO 500 Series Wins 4th Straight Championship in Under 10-litre Class!
Teamwork and technological prowess showcased in 22nd consecutive finish.

2013, 34th Dakar Rally 2013 Peru-Argentina-Chile

2013

HINO TEAM SUGAWARA entered two HINO 500 Series trucks in the Trucks Category of Dakar Rally 2013, the 5th Dakar Rally since its relocation to South America. Veterans Yoshimasa Sugawara and Katsumi Hamura piloted the new Car 1, which the team entered to test its new electronically controlled engine. Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura piloted Car 2 which was an updated version of the previous truck. Supporting these two trucks were highly skilled mechanics, handpicked from Hino dealerships throughout Japan. The four mechanics were Mitsuhiro Urabe (from Kagawa), who joined the team as mechanic leader in his second stint on the team since 2009, Takahiro Kikuchi (from Hokkaido), Takeshi Koiso (from Yokohama), and Yoshiaki Sakai (from Tokushima).

In addition, Seiichi Suzuki from Japan Racing Management—the parent organization of the team—joined the team as engineer/mechanic. The rally kicked off on January 5 at Lima, the capital city of Peru, and took the contestants through Chile, Argentina, and then back to Chile over a distance of 7901km (of which timed segments (SS) made up 3195km), reaching the goal in Santiago on January 20. Soon after the race began in the desert areas of southern Peru, Car 2 moved to the top position in the Under 10-litre Class and commanded a steady lead. Meanwhile, Car 1 suffered a series of problems including a bent tie rod and a damaged rear body sustained by a collision with another contestant.

Meanwhile, Car 2 consistently posted top times in its class in the SS to extend its lead over the chasing pack, and competed shoulder to shoulder with trucks with larger engine displacements. While it was unfortunate that this year's race presented few highly challenging courses where the HINO 500 Series trucks would have been able to shine, Car 2 was still able to finish at 19th place in the Trucks Category overall and secure its 4th straight class championship with an 8 hour 13 minute lead over the runner up. Car 1 also finished without major issues at 31st overall and 4th in its class, fulfilling the team's original objective to gather data for further development and the future prospect of another class victory.

2013

Members of "HINO TEAM SUGAWARA" in Dakar Rally 2013

Car 1
Driver: Yoshimasa SUGAWARA
Navigator: Katsumi Hamura

Car 2
Driver: Teruhito SUGAWARA
Navigator: Hiroyuki Sugiura

Mechanic:
Seiichi Suzuki
Mitsuhiro Urabe, Kagawa Hino Motors, Ltd.
Takahiro Kikuchi, Hokkaido Hino Motors, Ltd.
Takeshi Koiso , Yokohama Hino Motors, Ltd.
Yoshiaki Sakai , Tokushima Hino Motors, Ltd.

Route Map

Route Map

Special Stage: 3,195km
Connection: 4,706km
Total Distance: 7,901km

Number of Entrants

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Entrants Finish Percentage
Moto 183 125 68%
Quad 39 26 67%
Auto 156 134 86%
Truck 75 60 80%
Total 453 342 75%

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