On the 8th, Dakar Rally 2022 celebrated its midway rest day in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. There will be no competition on this day, so it will be a busy day for drivers and navigators to rest and prepare for the second half of the race, and for mechanics to check and maintain their vehicles. The bivouac was set up on the grounds of a university near the airfield, and since we had arrived from Al Qahma on the 5th and competed on the loop course there on the 6th and 7th, this was a rare bivouac in Dakar where we stayed for four consecutive days.

　After the trucks arrived at the bivouac in the evening of the 7th, the mechanics of HINO TEAM SUGAWARA worked until midnight. They started work early this morning and finished at dawn on the 9th. Thanks to the hard work of the five mechanics, the car was completely refreshed and ready for the second half of the season.

　Competing in the Dakar Rally for the first time with the HINO 600 Series equipped with a hybrid system, the Hino team initially experienced problems with the shaking of the capacitor case, which had not been confirmed in tests conducted in Japan, adversely affecting the handling stability of the vehicle. They recorded the 12th place overall SS ranking for three consecutive stages from the competition on the 4th, and their accumulated ranking rose to 17th overall. For the second half of the season, the team will continue to fine-tune each part of the vehicle and aim for even higher rankings.

Teruhito Sugawara

Now that we are able to drive at a solid pace, we would like to continue to refine and perfect the vehicle in the second half of the race. The course is expected to have more difficult sand dunes. Navigation will become even more difficult.

Yuji Mochizuki

The vehicle has been thoroughly refreshed. The hybrid system regenerates energy, i.e., generates electricity, when the gas pedal is off. To increase the amount of electricity generated in this state, tomorrow we will try a control that injects enough fuel to generate the torque needed for power generation. The objective is not to increase the amount of power generated, but rather to prevent the turbocharger from dropping rpm by continuing combustion when the gas pedal is off. We are hoping that this will promote a quick increase in boost pressure when re-accelerating and eliminate the so-called turbo lag. Now that the vehicle is in better condition, we can try these things.

Hirokazu Somemiya

I'd like to thank the mechanics who spend a lot of time to keep the car in good condition. The second half of the race starting tomorrow is going to be a series of tough stages, so we'll take care and do our best.

Seiichi Suzuki

The intermediate day's work was the same as before, but it took more time because we had to replace the transfer. The transfer receives input from both the gearbox and the hybrid motor, which places a heavy load on it. In addition, the floating capacitor case was changed so that it would have less movement.