Bold driving and completes the difficult stage before the final day in 6th place. The truck and the crew are in good condition heading into the final stage.
Jan 19, 2024
HINO 600 arrives at the bivouac in Yanbu.
Teruhito Sugawara looks back on the tough course.
On January 18, the 11th stage of the Dakar Rally 2024 was held from Alula to Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.
This day's SS (competition section) started in the valley 6km south of the bivouac in Alula.
The course was mainly through valleys, wadis (the bottoms of dry rivers), and gravel roads with rocks rolling around.It was a tough stage where drivers were unable to increase their speed to avoid punctures and vehicle damage caused by rocks.
HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, which had improved their cumulative ranking to 7th place in the previous day's stage, continued to put up a strong effort on this day.
They completed the race with a bold drive while taking care of their tires.There were no troubles, and the team finished 6th in the trucks category against large-vehicle rivals, maintaining their 7th place in the cumulative standings.
The team then traveled a 103km liaison to Yanbu, located on the coast of the Red Sea.
When the car arrived at the bivouac set up along the coast on the east side of town, the mechanics who were on standby immediately began the final inspection and maintenance.
Yanbu is a port town located approximately 350km north of Jeddah.
On January 19th, the 12th and final stage will be held on a loop-shaped course starting from this town, followed by the goal ceremony on the podium in the bivouac.
Teruhito Sugawara:
Today's SS was the same route as last year in the opposite direction, but it was set up to be harder.
The distance was 60km shorter than originally planned, so I was glad it was short.
Hirokazu Somemiya:
Today again, the navigation was hectic and the vibrations from the bumpy road made my neck hurt.
I think my brain lost half its volume because my head was being shaken all day.
Yuji Mochizuki:
As the road continued to be bumpy, we adjusted the internal pressure of the tires to a high level to avoid punctures.
Although a slow puncture occurred in the right front tire, we were able to maintain the internal pressure by using the air pressure regulator and were able to cross the finish line successfully.
Hirokazu Somemiya looks tired.
Yuji Mochizuki being encouraged by CTO Wakimura.
