Hino Team Sugawara entered two Hino 500 Series trucks in the Truck Division of Dakar Rally 2019 which was held in Peru from January 6 to 17, 2019. Driver Teruhito Sugawara won the Under 10-litre Class championship in the Truck Division for a tenth straight Class win, rewriting the team's record. This year's event featured more sandy stages than usual and course plans that were exceedingly demanding, making it a tougher race than conventional Dakar events. Thanks to the excellent mobility of the HINO 500 Series truck, and driver Teruhito Sugawara’s astute driving skills and extensive rally experience, Car 2 wedged its way into the ranks of its larger rivals for a 9th place finish overall in the Division.

First entering in the Bike Division of the Paris-Dakar Rally (as it was known then) in 1983, Yoshimasa Sugawara, the “Iron Man of Dakar,” updated the world record of consecutive entries to 36, the highest number ever in the history of the rally. This year, his truck was met with a problem in its steering system early in Stage 2 and was forced to retire much to the chagrin of all involved. Yoshimasa Sugawara commented, “I am very grateful for all the support that I have received and I am sorry to have let down those who have supported our efforts.” And as disappointed as he was for having to retire for the second consecutive year, he praised Car 2’s performance saying, “On the other hand, I am glad that Car 2 won its 10th straight victory in the Under 10-litre Class.”

This event was held entirely in one country, Peru, and while it was three days shorter than last year, the finish rate in the Truck Division came to 34% with only 14 out of 41 trucks finishing the race. This was roughly 10% lower than last year, which tells us how tough this last event was. Hino Motors, the first Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer to enter the race in 1991, achieved its 28th consecutive finish in the “world's most grueling rally” to reaffirm its presence in front of the eyes of the world.

Result of the truck division

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*(): Under 10-litre Class positions in parentheses

※Brochure PDF posted on the web

“HINO TEAM SUGAWARA” Dakar Rally 2019 members

Car 1
Driver: Yoshimasa SUGAWARA
Navigator: Ahito Sakurai

Car 2
Driver: Teruhito SUGAWARA
Navigator: Katsumi Hamura

Mechanic Leader: Hideaki Takatori (Vehicle Planning & Production Engineering Div. Hino Motors)
Technical Advisor: Seiichi Suzuki (Japan Racing Management)
Mechanics:
Fuminori Ishizaki (Ibaraki Hino Motors, Ltd.)
Daisuke Nawa (Gihu Hino Motors, Ltd.)
Yu Honda (Aichi Hino Motors, Ltd.)
Hironobu Oda (Mie Hino Motors, Ltd.)
Kazuki Ishida (Aftersales service Div. Hino Motors)
Yuji Mochizuki (Power Train Evaluation & Engineering Div. Hino Motors)
Shinji Kitagawa (Vehicle & Module Evaluation & Engineering Div. Hino Motors)
Wataru Takahashi (Vehicle Evaluation & Engineering Div. Hino Motors)

Support Member:
Koji Tanaka (Japan Racing Management)
Mayumi Kezuka (Japan Racing Management)
Rumi Ando (Japan Racing Management)

PR Staff: Miho Okada (Public Affairs Div. Hino Motors)

Coordinator: Atsushi Ishikawa (Aftersales service Div. Hino Motors)

Assistant drivers:
DUINKHARJAV BAYARCHULUUN
YURA MUNKHBAATAR

Route Map

Dakar Rally 2019 Drive Distances

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Vehicles entered and finished

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