Successfully completed the high-speed course in 19th place No problem with the AT malfunction by careful driving
Jan 12, 2024
Stage 4 on January 9 was from Al Salamiya to Al-Hofuf. The 299 km stage was held in the mountains south of Riyadh as the second day of the new marathon stage that limits the maintenance time after the SS of the first day to two hours.
HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, which has entered HINO 600 Series truck in the trucks category, continued to perform well. The automatic transmission had been experiencing clutch slippage the previous day, but they could handle without problems by easing off the accelerator pedal during gear shifting.
The team completed the SS (competition segment) in 19th place, 54 minutes and 39 seconds behind the leader in the trucks category, and achieved a cumulative ranking of 13th in the trucks category. (Rankings are provisional).
The day started with a 198 km liaison from the marathon bivouac in Al Salamiya to the mountains south of the capital city of Riyadh.The SS (competition section) was a high-speed course with sandy pistes and gravel surfaces.
Along the way, there were rocky wadi (dry river bed) and rough, rickety roads, and visibility was often obstructed by the dust kicked up by vehicles ahead.And finally, it was deemed dangerous due to the large number of spectators, so only the trucks category ended at the 25km point before the finish line.
After finishing the SS, they headed east on a 201km liaison to Al-Hofuf near the Persian Gulf.The Hino team arrived at the bivouac around 7:00 pm, just after sunset.
On January 10, the race will finally enter the "Empty Quarter," a desert area in southern Saudi Arabia, where the 118 km race will be held near Shubaytah in the eastern part of the country.
The distance is short, but the sand is soft, and the dunes, that are difficult to cross, stretch on and on.The three days in the Empty Quarter, which ends on January 12, are expected to be the biggest stage of this year's competition.
Teruhito Sugawara:
It was the dustiest stage of this year's rally. There was no wind so it felt like the dust was just sitting there. So far, we have been able to come this far without having to stop due to problems during the race. After all, it's fast if we don't stop. My driving is going well, so I'd like to keep going.
Hirokazu Somemiya:
The dust was so bad. Navigation was difficult in situations where the cups (directions) changed frequently, and even if I told the driver the direction, we sometimes couldn't see the ruts and get there quickly.
Yuji Mochizuki:
The AT seems to have clutch slippage in 4th gear and a delay in lock-up, I don't really notice it unless I'm driving. However, I decided to have it replaced tonight just to be safe. Everything else is fine.
Yuji Mochizuki is relieved that everything is going well.
Hirokazu Somemiya looks tired after a day of dust.
