Car 2―which was forced to stop due to a problem in stage 2 the previous day―did not start in stage 3 so that the team can focus on repairing the truck and have it rejoin competition.

Stage 3, the first loop course of the event, was based out of Neom and featured a 427 km SS (timed section). HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's Car 1 piloted by the Teruhito Sugawara/Hirokazu Somemiya/Yuji Mochizuki crew finished 14th overall in the trucks category. The truck climbed to 13th place in accumulated overall rankings as of this day and maintained its top position in the Under 10-litre Class.
Meanwhile, Car 2, which had to stop on the course due to damage to its rear body (cargo deck) in stage 2 on Jan 6, received emergency repairs from team mechanics who rushed from the bivouac, and arrived back at Neom around 1:00 am. Although the three crew members are doing fine, the truck did not start in stage 3 and the team concentrated on repairing the truck. The plan is to rejoin the competition on or after Jan 8.

The SS of the day started from the goal point of the previous day about 2 km away from bivouac. The course took contestants in a counterclockwise direction in the intermountain areas near Neom and the road surface mainly consisted of sandy ground shifting to rocky areas and hard ground. Because there were no dunes on the course, racers were generally able to pick up speed. Once across the finish line, contestants drove on a 77 km liaison to reach the bivouac where their assistance squads waited. Skirting the Jordanian border, this was the northernmost route of the event. Partly because it was still early in the race, the Car 1 crew ran at a slightly reduced pace to avoid excessive stresses on the truck's body. That being said, thanks to the absence of any major problems and smooth navigation, the truck clocked a finish time that was on par with the middle pack of racers in the cars category.
On Jan 8, teams will head inland from Neom along the Red Sea and race an intermountain stage again. This will be a long 672 km stage to Al Ula featuring a 453 km SS.

Teruhito Sugawara (Driver, Car 1)
I don't know if the organizers are selecting stages that are similar to Africa, but today sure felt like racing in Morocco or Mauritania. The first part took us through high-speed areas and the roads got rougher later in the day. We came across areas that were tricky for navigation but we were able to recover quickly. Other than a minor flat on our front-right tire, we didn't have any major problems. We will continue to race cautiously tomorrow.

Hirokazu Somemiya (Navigator, Car 1)
It was another tough course today. The surfaces in the second half were bumpy and caused non-stop strain for the crew. It felt like the hardest parts hit us at the very end. I misled the truck towards the rocks at one point, but we managed to get back on course because I had a picture in my mind of what the course was like. We did end up losing 7-8 minutes though, so it was a frustrating day. This is my first Dakar Rally, and I'm getting used to it little by little. I will aim for an error-free race tomorrow.

Yuji Mochizuki (Navigator, Car 1)
Today's course was long and the road got worse in the latter half, so it was quite difficult. We resolved the turbo problem from the day before, but we had a slow puncture in one of our tires today, so we started up the CTIS (Central Tire Inflation System) with 20 km to go in the SS and continued to inflate the tire all the way back to the bivouac. It was unfortunate that Car 2 has had this problem, and we intend to stay on the ball servicing Car 1 and aim to climb to the leading group. It will be a long course again tomorrow, but I will keep going and do my best.

Ikuo Hanawa (Driver, Car 2)
We were doing fine out of the SS start line on Jan 6. As time went by, we noticed that the vibration from the cargo deck was getting more intense, so we pulled over into a neutral zone between the 236-237 km points to check it. We found a crack but we continued racing because we didn't have much time, and soon after that, the rear gate supporting the structure above the cargo deck broke and this made the rear fender hit the rear wheel so we had to stop. We called for assistance as we saw that it would be difficult for us to repair it on our own. It's very disappointing, but I intend to run the rest of the rally to the finish line so that we can collect useful data.

Yudai Hanawa (Navigator, Car 2)
Navigation was complicated, but I don't feel any difficulty in getting the road book in the morning. This was a disappointing outcome because we had been doing well so far without making any errors.

Mayumi Kezuka (Navigator, Car 2)
It was disappointing that we were not able to finish the SS. It's frustrating. Since this wasn't a problem that we could've fixed on the spot, we made the right decision in contacting the organizers and our team immediately. We had to wait for about 6 hours until our assistance truck arrived, but I am physically doing fine. I'm glad that we were able to return safely.

Teruhito Sugawara arrives at the bivouac after the SS.

Navigator Hirokazu Somemiya is frustrated with his navigation error.

Car 1 is being serviced in preparation for the next day's stage.

Car 2 was forced to stop due to a problem in stage 2 and returned to the bivouac under its own power after receiving temporary repairs. The truck did not start in stage 3 so that the team can focus on repairs and have it rejoin competition.