[DAY 1: Start ceremony] Sunday, Jan 6, 2019 The Dakar Rally is Finally On.

Jan 17, 2019
No.PD19-07

Car 1 heads out to the podium where a swarm of spectators wait."

Cavoli Xavier, ASO vice-president, and driver Teruhito Sugawara shake hands beside Car 2 at the podium.

Sunday, Jan 6 local time, Dakar Rally 2019 celebrated its start ceremony in Lima, Peru. Both HINO500 Series trucks fielded by HINO TEAM SUGAWARA were present, and team members rolled up their sleeves in preparation for competition to kick off on Monday, Jan 7.

The team arrived in Peru late in December and has been busy preparing for the race ever since. Both trucks passed the organizers' vehicle and document inspections on Friday, Jan 4 without any problems. The two racing trucks are now at the parc-fermes (vehicle storage area) adjacent to the start ceremony venue and waiting for the race to kick off.

The start podium was set up in a park by the sea, and being a Sunday, a huge crowd had gathered, engulfing the area in a festive atmosphere. But this day was for ceremonies only. Contestants would make their podium appearance and then drive their racing vehicles back to the parc-fermes. They will be racing the first stage of the rally to Pisco on Monday morning, Jan 7.

A total of 334 racing vehicles―a number comparable to that of 2018 event―appeared at the podium, including 137 bikes, 26 four-wheeled bikes (quads), 130 cars, and 41 trucks. The two HINO500 Series trucks were greeted by wild cheers as they arrived beside the podium and organizers introduced the team as one of the greats in the trucks category―trucks drive up beside the podium because the podium cannot take their weight. It was already past 6:30 pm by the time the team left for the parc-fermes.

This year's event will be raced entirely in one country, Peru. And although the general scale may seem to be rather compact for a Dakar Rally, what with only ten stages, there will still be 2,959 km of racing (trucks category) and a total travel distance of 5,601 km, which is comparable to pervious events. In fact, this could very well turn out to be one of the more intense Dakar's, particularly with the main battleground being set in the dunes in the deserts of southern Peru. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA are determined to give it all they have to achieve their dual goal of clinching their tenth win in the Under 10-litre Class and finishing in the top group in the trucks category overall.

Yoshimasa Sugawara (Driver, Car 1)
These starting ceremonies are always festive and that's great, but I just want to get racing. This will be my 36th straight start in the Dakar Rally, and my first goal is to make a solid finish. My new navigator, Ahito Sakurai, gave us error-free navigation in the Silk Way Rally, our real-world testing grounds, so I'm sure he will do well here too.

Ahito Sakurai (Navigator, Car 1)
This is my first Dakar Rally so I'm a bit nervous. I have experience racing bike rallies and I've familiarized myself with GPS-based road books in the Silk Way Rally. My goal in this rally is to make sure Mr. Yoshimasa (Sugawara) is able to drive comfortably. We are determined to make it to the finish line in Lima.

Teruhito Sugawara (Driver, Car 2)
So here we are. The setup on our new truck is great. It's a truck that we can fight our way to the top five on without having to wait for our rivals to drop out. While it is true that the top group has a bit of an advantage over us, I'm sure there will be breaks along the way because dunes will be a major part of this year's stages.

Katsumi Hamura (Navigator, Car 2)
This will be first time since Rally Mongolia in 2009 that I'll be navigating for Mr. Teruhito (Sugawara). Navigation in recent Dakar Rallies has become quite complex but I'll give it my best to communicate accurate information so that we can finish with good results.

Hideaki Takatori (Mechanic leader)
This will be my first time in 21 years to be on the team, this time as a mechanic leader. We've got a fairly big group here with nine mechanics so we'll stick to our "safety first" motto as we aim for the finish line. Rallies are not at all what they used to be way back when, so I'm excited. I'll give it my best, working with our other team members.

Seiichi Suzuki (Technical advisor)
Vehicle inspections went smoothly because one of the organizer's reps visited our servicing area and checked things up for us. Car 2 is a new truck and we've made many changes, but that shouldn't be a problem because it did fine in the Silk Way Rally.

Fuminori Ishizaki (Mechanic, Ibaraki Hino Motor)
I didn't feel it so much while we were making preparations at the shop, but now that we're here, it's starting to sink in that the Dakar Rally is about to start. I'm excited. I'm from Ibaraki Hino and my mechanic colleagues will be working hard while I'm away, so I will give it my best for their sake too.

Yu Honda (Mechanic, Aichi Hino Motor)
I've been assigned to Car 1. I've heard how tough the Dakar Rally is from one of my senior mechanics at Aichi Hino who's been on the Dakar team before, but one thing about this year is that there isn't going to be a lot of traveling for the assisting crew. I will make sure to manage my health and give it the best I can in the rally.

Daisuke Nawa (Mechanic, Gifu Hino Motor)
I'm the first mechanic from Gifu Hino to make the team. I've always wanted to join the Dakar team so I think the people at my company caught on to my enthusiasm. All my colleagues have given me their support so I intend to deliver solid performance. I'm looking forward to the camping too because I'm involved with the boy scouts.

Hironobu Oda (Mechanic, Mie Hino Motor)
The Dakar Rally is on a different scale from the Silk Way Rally. I'm a bit nervous but I understand my responsibilities as one of the mechanics assigned to Car 1. So I will make sure to put in a good performance.

Kazuki Ishida (Mechanic, Hino Motors)
I work at the Aftersales Service Div. at Hino Motors, and I've never been stationed abroad for work. I've been assigned to Car 1 in this rally, and I'm also learning a lot from the dealership mechanics. I will give it my best.

Shinji Kitagawa (Mechanic, Hino Motors)
I work on evaluating the strength of frames and suspensions at the Vehicle & Module Evaluation & Engineering Div. at Hino. I raised my hand to join the team as a mechanic for this Dakar Rally. The work we do here is very different from what we do on a daily basis so it's very interesting and there are lots to learn. We also plan to gather stress data from Car 2 that I've been assigned to.

Yuji Mochizuki (Mechanic, Hino Motors)
My regular job is engine testing at the Power Train Evaluation & Engineering Div. at Hino. I've been assigned the role of mechanic leader for Car 2. I will make sure that we all work together to achieve good results.