＜Stage 2＞ (DAY 3)
Car 1 has trouble on its power steering system.
Unable to proceed, stops on the course.

＜Stage 3＞ (DAY 4)
Car 2 steadily climbs up in rankings.

Stage 2 held on Tuesday, Jan 8 took contestants on a 342 km SS (Special Stage) in the deserts near Pisco before traveling southward on a 203 km liaison to the finish line in Marcona. This day's SS was longer than in Stage 1, impressing on the teams that full-scale racing had finally begun. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's Car 2 crewed by Teruhito Sugawara and Katsumi Hamura experienced problems with its center differential lock early in the stage so the crew stayed extra cautious for the rest of the day. Starting out of the gate at 19th position, they climbed to 16th by the time they hit CP (checkpoint) 1. They raced the soft sand dunes towards the end of the stage without any problems, finishing at 14th overall and top in the Under 10-litre Class. This brings the truck to a cumulative ranking position of 15th overall and top in the Under 10-litre Class.

Meanwhile, the Yoshimasa Sugawara and Ahito Sakurai duo on Car 1 raced at a careful pace out of the gate. However, they suffered problems with their steering system early in the day which forced them to stop on the course. The crew had to drive their truck off course onto paved road and meet up with their mechanics to have the problem repaired. They arrived at the Marcona bivouac past 11 pm without further problems but, much to their frustration, were forced to retire from the race as they were not able to pass the checkpoints or cross the finish line as dictated by regulation.

The following day, Wednesday Jan 9, contestants raced a 331 km SS in the deserts near Marcona, followed by a 462 km liaison segment before reaching the finish line in Arequipa.
The first part of the SS featured roughly 60 km of towering dunes that ranked high up on the scale for driving difficulty, followed by terrain that alternated between dunes and fesh-fesh (sedimentation of extremely soft and powdery soil). The day also tested racers with rough rock-strewn road surfaces as well as tough hill climbs. On a related note, trucks were designated the same starting orders as the cars category starting this day so there was a mixture of cars and trucks racing on the same course.

The Teruhito Sugawara and Katsumi Hamura crew on Car 2 delivered another day of brilliant racing. They completed the dunes in the early parts of the day without any issues, finishing at 10th place overall. These results brought the truck's cumulative standing to 12th overall as it wedged its way into the ranks of some of its larger rivals such as Kamaz and Tatra. The truck also held on to its top position in the Under 10-litre Class.

Thursday, Jan 10 will take racers on this event's only marathon stage, a stage where the bivouac at their destination in Tacna will be a marathon bivouac. This means that they will not be able to receive support from their mechanics. The crews have only themselves to rely on for inspections and repairs, so depending on how things turn out, this could create a situation that could potentially affect their race on the 11th. Given the challenges that their crew faced the following day, Hino team mechanics were extra thorough in performing their preventive servicing.

Yoshimasa Sugawara (Driver, Car 1)
Our power steering gave out all of sudden in the dunes early in Stage 1. We tried making first aid repairs on the course, but nothing worked so we had our mechanics come down. Anything can happen in the Dakar Rally. While It's very regrettable that we had to pull out of the race, I'm going to switch my mindset as there isn't anything we can do about that at this point.

Ahito Sakurai (Navigator, Car 1)
It was frustrating for it to end just like that. I suppose this is what they mean when they say Dakar is a tough rally. I will continue helping out with the team at the bivouac and build my experience for my next opportunity here.

Teruhito Sugawara (Driver, Car 2)
Stage 3 turned out to be a long day. The dunes early in the stage were very challenging, and these were followed by languid hills that sapped our power. The rock strewn surfaces kept us from picking up speed so the stage proved to be a real test of patience. Our truck is doing just fine. In the upcoming marathon stage, we will do our best to drive it fast without breaking it.

Katsumi Hamura (Navigator, Car 2)
It was very unfortunate that Car 1 had to retire. The truck I was on last year had to pull out of the race, but I now realize that the pressure to deliver on the ones that are still in the race becomes that much greater. Stage 3 was a technical course and it was very difficult to find surfaces that we could drive on.

＜Stage 2＞ (DAY 3)
Support trucks wait for the HINO500 Series trucks to arrive at the Marcona bivouac. .

＜Stage 2＞ (DAY 3)
Yoshimasa Sugawara describes what went wrong with the truck.

＜Stage 3＞ (DAY 4)
Teruhito Sugawara crossed the long stage's finish line at 10th place overall.

＜Stage 3＞ (DAY 4)
Back in Arequipa, Navigator Katsumi Hamura is going straight to studying his road book.