Having arrived in Moscow on July 1st, on the following day the dealership mechanics of HINO TEAM SUGAWARA carried out their final settings on the truck at a local servicing location to prepare for vehicle inspections. After overcoming some minor confusions that came from working under conditions that were different from what they were accustomed to at home, the mechanics appear to have gradually familiarized themselves with the pace of work. Having thoroughly checked the servicing procedures which were designed to address servicing tasks for the HINO500 Series truck upon its daily arrival at the camps during the actual race, the mechanics are fully prepared.

July 5th, the team loaded the HINO700 Series ZS support truck with parts in preparation for the race. With the two Hi-Lux support cars also arriving from France, the team now has all of its vehicles in Moscow. Team members also finished applying the stickers to the vehicles, concluding their preparation for vehicle inspections that was scheduled for the following day.

July 6th, document reviews and vehicle inspections were conducted at Luzhniki Stadium where the Moscow Olympics were held. The team’s HINO500 Series truck passed without any incidents. The following day, the team will be at the Red Square for the starting ceremony. This will be the first race for the dealer mechanics who joined the team in early June. With mixed emotions of excitement and tension, the Silk Way Rally is finally about to kick off.

Teruhito Sugawara, Driver: A broad range of competing truck teams with be participating in the Silk Way Rally, and we had a little bit of time to exchange information with competing teams on truck upgrades and what not. This will be a great experience for the dealer mechanics as a real-world testing ground leading up to the Dakar Rally.

Hiroyuki Sugiura, Navigator:I’m happy that we passed vehicle inspections without any problems. There will be a starting ceremony tomorrow where all the racing vehicles that have passed inspections will be lined up, so I think it will sink in at that point that the race is finally about to kick off. Looking at how everyone worked on servicing the truck in Moscow, I was reassured by the reliable way that our mechanics worked. That being said, everything in the rallies will be about getting things done quickly so I hope they will be able to get a feel for that in the actual race. While Stage 1 is set to be a prologue run, it is still 60km long, and from what I see in the course details, it will be a tough one for navigators so I will make sure not make any course errors.

Seiichi Suzuki, Mechanic Leader:We passed vehicle inspections without any problems and we’re all waiting for the start. I will give it my best in this rally.

Yoichi Okabe, Mechanic Sub-Leader: We were faced with the major task of having to replace the transfer during our servicing work here in Moscow and I was a bit anxious of how things would turn out, but I’m relieved now that we passed inspections without any issues and we are all set to enter the race. I got a chance to see some of the other team's’ vehicles in the waiting park while we waited for our turn at inspections. I saw how they all had many interesting features and that was a great learning experience for me. Our Hino truck is also very unique, so I would like to incorporate the advantages in other trucks into our trucks and prepare for the Dakar Rally. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach now that we are approaching the starting date, but once the race starts, we will be working as a solid, coherent team. Thank you in advance for your support.

Yuki Takano, Mechanic (Hino Motors Gunma):I was nervous of the fact that we wouldn’t be able to touch the truck once it was parked in the Parc-Fermes after inspections, so I gave it a thorough look over, walking around it many times. The race is about to start. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I’m really excited more than anything.

Hiroki Kinoshita, Mechanic (Hino Motors Yokohama):Russia is much less humid compared to Japan, so I found it to be very comfortable. The food is great too. I am relieved now that we’ve passed the document reviews and vehicle inspections. It really dawned on me that we were now in a foreign country especially looking at the document reviews,. We saw a lot of vehicles from competing teams in the waiting park and that was very interesting.

Aiichiro Yamauchi, Mechanic (Hino Motors Toyama): At the waiting park, we got to see a lot of vehicles from top contenders up close, and that was a great learning experience for me. The race will be kicking off the day after tomorrow so I will give it my best.

Ryota Shibutani, Mechanic (Hino Motors Kobe):It has been very comfortable and easy to work in Moscow as the climate here suits me. I had a bit of an issue with the time difference on the first day, but my body got used to it as I worked on the truck, and I’m feeling very good physically. When I arrived, I was surprised at the massive scale of this race. The trucks from competing teams were just huge, and I renewed my amazement for how our HINO500 Series trucks have been competing neck and neck with these trucks. Having completed our inspections, I’m finally starting to get a feel that the race is actually about to start. We will be facing very different conditions in the race, so I will keep up my fighting spirit and give it all I’ve got.

Koji Tanaka, Support Car Driver: I’m finally over my jetlag. I’ve been out shopping for various items a few times so I’ve been able to familiarized myself with the feel of this town. I’m looking forward to the start. We had some unplanned glitches during our preparation, but we got help from our local staff which was really assuring. I am a bit nervous that it will be only us once the race starts, but I will give it my best.

Bayarchuluun, Support Car Driver: I will give it my best, and I would like to thank everyone in advance.

Sanchir, Support Car Driver:You can count on me for driving the support car!