On January 5, Stage4
San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina) - Tupiza (Bolivia)
Liaison: 103km, SS(A): 286km, Neutral Zone: 1km, SS(B): 130km, Liaison: 2km Total: 522km

On Jan. 5, contestants started off from Jujuy before crossing the border into Bolivia. After driving a 103km liaison segment, they raced SSs that traversed the border for a total SS distance of 416km. This was a full-blown highland stage set at altitudes of between 3000m and 4000m+ where contestants faced mountain crossings and numerous off-piste areas, as well as dunes in hilly sandy terrain with grassy outcrops.

Car 2 was the 21st truck to start the SS and delivered a great run which propelled it to 8th place by the first checkpoint (CP1). The truck subsequently maintained its position in 12th place, finishing in high rankings at 13th overall and top in the Under 10-litre Class. Competing neck and neck with the leading group of larger trucks in the overall category, this performance brought Car 2’s accumulated standings as of Jan. 5 to 14th overall and first in the Class in an amazing display of the HINO500 Series truck's potential.

Meanwhile, Car 1 lost some time at one point in the race searching for a waypoint, finishing the SS at 8:22 pm at 34th place overall. The clock was past 9:00 pm by the time the truck arrived at the bivouac.

The itinerary for Jan. 6 will take contestants through highlands from Tupiza to Oruro where they are scheduled to race a total of 438km of SS.

Yoshimasa Sugawara: Rain started to pour down when we were at the bottom of a dry river bed, and we were taken off guard when we saw a large river of water flowing our way. While we made some course errors, we maintained our pre-planned pace to make a solid finish.

Mitsugu Takahashi: It was difficult to find the hidden GPS waypoints that the organizers introduced this year, and we lost some time there. It would be a great help if we could start a bit earlier.

Teruhito Sugawara: Although I think luck had a little bit to do with our 13th place finish in the SS, the truck has been delivering the performance that we were expecting it to. The course for the day was quite tough and the sands were really soft. Tomorrow, we will give it our best again to give the leading group a run for their money.

Hiroyuki Sugiura: Navigation was quite difficult in the off-piste sections early in the day. We also had to run our oxygen enricher as we faced higher altitudes. There were a lot of trucks stopped on the course for one problem or another, perhaps due to the thin oxygen.

Seiichi Suzuki: Last night, we replaced the water pump on Car 1, and the belt tensioner on Car 2. The trucks are doing very well and we haven't had to use our welder so far.

Nakamura Masaki: I'm sure the mechanics' experience in the Silk Way Rally has been a great help, but I'm also sure that getting used to these conditions―including the intense heat on the first day and freezing cold of the highlands at night―is easier said than done. So I commend them for doing a great job.