The grueling "48h Chrono Stage", which runs a long stage of 967 km over two days, was held from Bhisha in central western Saudi Arabia on 5~6th, and Hino Team Sugawara's HINO600 series finished 60th overall on all four wheels and 6th in the track division. The cumulative standings up to this date were 63rd overall in the four-wheel race and 6th in the truck category.

The SS (competition section) of this route, which is considered to be one of the biggest peaks of this year's competition, starts from the west side of the bivouac, which has traveled 45 km by liaison (moving section). The course is a large loop, with the first half going north and the second half going south to finish at the same point as the start. Much of the route was considered separate from the two-wheeled division.

In order to curb the risk of running after sunset, the organizers set up six bivouacs on the course, ranging from A to F. Each point has a deadline for transit, and participants who reach the point after this time will not be able to proceed and will stay overnight at the destination. On the 6th, the team will restart from each point in the order of arrival of the previous day, aiming for the goal. After the finish, the 46km liaison will return to the bivouac in Bisha. The road surface of the SS varies from dirt and sand to rocky and sand dunes. There were many sections where navigation was complicated.

On the morning of the 5th, the HINO600 series of Hino Team Sugawara, ridden by Teruhito Sugawara, Hirokazu Somemiya, and Yuji Mochizuki, started the SS in 108th position in the four-wheel class and 12th place in the truck division. Making full use of the low range of the automatic transmission, he drove smoothly to maintain mid-high revs, and gradually climbed the rankings from the beginning. The Hino team, which moved up to eighth in the track category in the mid-dune section, refueled in the neutral zone at 413 km, where a 50-minute stop was required, and then crossed the bivouac A at 491 km more than an hour before the 7 p.m. deadline. The next stop at 521km Bivouac B had already passed the deadline, so that was the end of the day. He finished the day in 80th place in the overall four-wheel position and 7th place in the track division.

On the 6th, we departed Bivouac B at 7:32:30 in the morning. In addition to two large sand dunes, there were a series of stressful sections such as low undulating dunes where the pace could not be increased, but there were no punctures or problems, and by the end of the race, he had moved up to 60th place in the four-wheeled class and 6th place in the track division.

The 7-day journey is scheduled to include a 327km race between Bhisha ~ Al Henakiya.

Teruhito Sugawara

Now the vehicle is in good condition, and I feel like I can step on the accelerator with peace of mind. Using the low range, I can run at a pace that is comparable to a large-displacement car even in the sand dunes. We started late, so it was early sunset, but we were lucky because we had crossed the dunes.

Hirokazu Somemiya

Navigation was not difficult, but there were sections of the dunes with complicated instructions. After all, the two-day long stage is tiring, but I'm doing well.

Yuji Mochizuki

It is a relief to cross one mountain. I did a full inspection at the bivouac last night and there was no problem with the vehicle. While driving, the tire pressure was adjusted well in response to changes in the road surface, and I think that the driver was able to run comfortably.

Takayuki Monma

On the first day, I went to the service point on the way to the SS, but there were no problems. After that, things went well, and I'm glad that I was able to finish before the sun went down. Tonight, the mechanics will do their best to refresh the car and prepare it for tomorrow's stage.