Hino Holds Dakar Rally 2017 Report Conference

Mar 23, 2017

On March 13, the HINO TEAM SUGAWARA Dakar Rally 2017 Report Conference was held at Hino Motors headquarters in Hino, Tokyo. The team members who battled through Dakar Rally 2017 were present at the conference, looking rested and refreshed.

HINO TEAM SUGAWARA finished in eighth place in the overall trucks category at Dakar Rally 2017, and the father-son duo achieved a one-two finish in the Under 10-litre Class. The team also celebrated its 26th consecutive finish since it first entered the rally.

Present at the conference were HINO TEAM SUGAWARA members - and father-son driver duo - Yoshimasa and Teruhito Sugawara, as well as navigators and team mechanics. The team members looked back on their 13 days of grueling racing in a talk show format, describing the conditions under which they competed and carried out their servicing work in the high altitudes of Bolivia. As in previous years, the conference was attended by numerous Hino employees and representatives from sponsors, who listened intently to firsthand experiences from the Dakar Rally that went far beyond what photos could convey.

Hiroyuki Sugiura, navigator
Hiroyuki Sugiura, navigator

Navigator Hiroyuki Sugiura had been plagued by altitude sickness in previous years. He was visibly happy as he remarked, "Thanks to the oxygen concentrator unit we installed this year, I was able to fulfill my role as navigator all the way to the finish line without being troubled by altitude sickness, so that was a great relief."

Mitsugu Takahashi, navigator
Mitsugu Takahashi, navigator

Navigator Mitsugu Takahashi had this to say about the effects of the rain, which was so heavy at times that it forced organizers to cancel a number of stages: "This year, the very heavy rain created muddy conditions, and at one point in the race, we had all four wheels bogged down. Our towing rope broke as we were trying to pull ourselves out of the deep mud, so that was quite an ordeal."

Seiichi Suzuki, mechanic leader
Seiichi Suzuki, mechanic leader

Regarding the critical role mechanics played on the rest day, mechanic leader Seiichi Suzuki reflected, "On the rest day, we checked the trucks' condition and serviced them back to their state at the starting line."

Masaki Nakamura, mechanic sub-leader
Masaki Nakamura, mechanic sub-leader

Mechanic sub-leader Masaki Nakamura praised the mechanics, who came from various different dealerships: "The camp on the rest day was set at an altitude of 3,600 meters, which was essentially like working at the summit of Mount Fuji. At these altitudes, you can get headaches, and even light movement was enough to give you shortness of breath. The rest day is always the busiest day for mechanics, so they did a great job putting in their best efforts even under these harsh conditions."

Teruhito Sugawara, driver
Teruhito Sugawara, driver

Driver Teruhito Sugawara reflected on some of the factors that enabled the team to finish in the top 10. "The biggest factor was the upgrades we made to the trucks," he explained. "Mind you, this is a 13-day race, so doing well on just one day doesn't mean a thing. We need to be tenacious in our driving every day to keep up with the leaders. Our tenacity and strategies came together very well, enabling us to finish in the top 10 this year." He further added, "Competition for the top spots is becoming increasingly intense, so we will continue working to maintain our solid winning streak in the Under 10-litre Class, and also finish in the top rankings overall."

Yoshimasa Sugawara, driver
Yoshimasa Sugawara, driver

Yoshimasa Sugawara rewrote his own record for the most entries in the Dakar Rally, setting it at 34 this year. True to his "Iron Man" moniker, he remarked, "Under Dakar Rally regulations, teams are allowed to switch drivers. Some drivers have someone else drive on the liaison segments to make it easier for themselves, but I drive all the way, including the liaisons. My schedule for the entire year revolves around this race, so very soon I will start racing in other rallies (on motorbike) as part of my training."

Next, the mechanics, who joined from dealerships around the country, were asked to reflect on whether they had been able to actualize the "personal specialties" they had announced at the Dakar Rally send-off event during the nationwide dealership service contest in October last year.

Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the conference, introduces the panel by Hiroyuki Azuma, mechanic.
Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the conference, introduces the panel by Hiroyuki Azuma, mechanic.
Hiroyuki Azuma, mechanic
Hiroyuki Azuma, mechanic

Hiroyuki Azuma had written down "early riser" as his personal specialty. "At the Dakar Rally, it was more like we hardly ever slept and kept working on the trucks than ever rising early."

Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the conference, introduces the panel by Koji Nakamura, mechanic.
Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the conference, introduces the panel by Koji Nakamura, mechanic.
Koji Nakamura, mechanic
Koji Nakamura, mechanic

Koji Nakamura had written down "physical training." "I jogged and did push-ups and other physical training to build up my fitness right up to the start of the Dakar Rally."

Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the for conference, introduces the panel by Junya Inoue, mechanic.
Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the for conference, introduces the panel by Junya Inoue, mechanic.
Junya Inoue, mechanic
Junya Inoue, mechanic

Drawing on his experience at the Silk Way Rally in summer last year, where he came down with stomach problems, Junya Inoue had written down "physical condition management." "At the Dakar Rally, I was able to complete my job to the end without any physical problems."

Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the for conference, introduces the panel by Kenji Kunimoto, mechanic.
Ms. Yuikawa, the emcee for the for conference, introduces the panel by Kenji Kunimoto, mechanic.
Kenji Kunimoto, mechanic
Kenji Kunimoto, mechanic

Kenji Kunimoto had written down "heavy physical work." "Tire changes were pretty much the only heavy physical work once the race was on. But there was a lot of heavy work leading up to and after the race, including packing the parts and loading them on the support cars, so I worked hard in those situations, too."

Masakazu Ichikawa, Chairman of the Board, Hino Motors, Ltd.
Masakazu Ichikawa, Chairman of the Board, Hino Motors, Ltd.

In closing, Hino Motors Chairman of the Board Masakazu Ichikawa had this message for the sponsors and employees who have long been supporters of this endeavor: When we entered the Dakar Rally for the first time in 1991, we had a very simplistic game plan. Our aim would be to see how things went in the first year, finish the rally in the second year, and win in the third year. But we were able to finish in the very first year. We have finished every year since then, and we now have an unbroken streak of 26 finishes. I truly feel that this owes to the heartfelt support that we receive from all of you. We entered the Dakar Rally based on our conviction that companies must have a culture, and I feel now this culture has developed into one where we dare to take on truly daunting challenges, and as such, it has gained much greater depth. We are committed to continuing to race in the Dakar Rally in a way that is both down to earth and substantial."

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