On January 3rd, the 2026 Dakar Rally held a 22km prologue run near the city of Yanbu on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, and the competition finally started. Hino Team Sugawara, competing in the Truck class of the four-wheel category with the HINO600 Series (Teruhito Sugawara/Hirokazu Somemiya/Yuji Mochizuki crew), finished this section in 148th place overall in the four-wheel category and 13th place in the Truck class, 2 minutes 1 second behind the top, resulting in a smooth start.

The prologue run determines the starting order for Stage 1 to be held on the 4th, and the running time is not added to the results. Although it is a short warm-up section with a short distance, Hino Team Sugawara approached it with heightened concentration as an opportunity to make final confirmation of the vehicle's finish and the crew's combination during competition. The SS (Special Stage) started from a point 44km north of Yanbu town via liaison (transit section). The course was a clockwise loop, mostly consisting of high-speed piste on flat sandy terrain, but varied diversely with twisty winding sections and rocky climbs along the way.

Hino Team Sugawara kept a stable pace while checking the effects of the suspension settings that had been repeatedly reviewed for this competition. Although the road surface had deep ruts carved by many preceding vehicles and there were sections with severe dust, they ran steadily and reached the goal. After that, they returned to Yanbu via a 33km liaison again and proceeded to the start ceremony. They mounted the podium set up in the bivouac and the day's schedule was completed.

The vehicles that started the prologue run were a total of 317 units that passed vehicle inspection on January 1-2: 115 in the motorcycle category, and in the four-wheel category, 72 in the Ultimate (modified vehicles) class, 7 in the Stock class (production vehicles), 37 in the Challenger (small buggy prototype) class, 41 in the SSV (production small buggy) class, and 45 in the Truck class. Of the trucks, 19 are racing trucks purely for competition purposes, and 26 are vehicles entering for assistance purposes. The rival racing trucks are virtually all large vehicles with 13,000cc-class displacement, but Hino Team Sugawara has consistently continued to challenge with medium-duty trucks since its first participation in 1991, and the current HINO600 is also equipped with an 8,866cc A09C engine. Although medium-duty trucks cannot match large vehicles in absolute power (torque), Hino Team Sugawara aims for top finishes in the Truck class, leveraging their high maneuverability and the team's comprehensive strength of continuous completion over 35 years.

The team structure has Teruhito Sugawara, who also serves as representative, as driver, Hirokazu Somemiya as navigator, and Yuji Mochizuki (Hino Motors employee) as onboard mechanic, the same formation since the 2020 competition. Additionally, the support team includes staff from Japan Racing Management, led by representative Teruhito Sugawara, along with mechanics selected from dealerships nationwide who play central roles in maintenance work. Three people were dispatched to this competition: Masakazu Tazawa (Nishi-Tohoku Hino Motors), Hiroki Imagawa (Minami-Kanto Hino Motors), and Takumi Kikuchi (Hiroshima Hino Motors).

The team, which went to Saudi Arabia in early December, conducted final adjustments including test participation in the local Jeddah Rally on December 4-6 as training. After entering the start bivouac in Yanbu at the end of December, they passed vehicle inspection without problems, and having safely completed the prologue run on this day, preparations for full-scale competition are completely ready. On the 4th, a 304km SS is set on a loop course based in Yanbu as Stage 1 competition.

Teruhito Sugawara
Today's course was set with high-speed sections as the main feature and winding sections here and there. The vehicle is running smoothly, and the suspension with refined settings firmly absorbs gaps at high speed and provides good ride comfort even at low speed. We have also taken measures against the troubles from the previous competition, and I believe that if we can run through the entire competition without stopping, the ranking will follow.

Hirokazu Somemiya
I regained my sense of cross-country rally navigation through the Jeddah Rally and today's prologue run. This roadbook has tulip diagrams written with detailed numbers, making it complicated and difficult to read. The organizers may have intended to make navigation easier, but since important information may be included, I'm thinking we must be careful.

Yuji Mochizuki
I am in charge of onboard mechanic following the previous time. While running, I adjust tire pressure according to road surface conditions and confirm the distance and direction of GPS waypoints as an assistant to Navigator Somemiya. The vehicle is running smoothly, but there is a problem that the service brake temperature is high, and in addition to adjusting the front-rear balance, we are attempting to cool it by applying air to the caliper section. My physical condition is perfect.

Takayuki Monma
In the previous competition, we dropped in ranking due to troubles in the latter half, but I feel that the team's strength has increased further through the response at that time. The vehicle is also in the mature stage, and in this competition, we want to aim for single digits in the Truck class again. In any case, the goal is for everyone to be safe, finish without injury, and leave results.

Hiroki Imagawa
I felt attracted to competition in the desert and applied because I definitely wanted to try it. It doesn't feel like desert yet, and I haven't experienced the continuous all-night work I heard about from seniors, but with the start finally here, I want to challenge various things. I'm very much looking forward to it.

Masakazu Tazawa
Nishi-Tohoku Hino had no precedent for mechanic dispatch, but it was realized with people in the department pushing my back. Coming to the site, I really feel the importance of teamwork. Even among the dealership mechanics, Kikuchi-san is the type who takes the initiative, and Imagawa-san excels in cooperation--each has their own characteristics. While making use of that, everyone is efficiently advancing the work.

Takumi Kikuchi
I've been told by senior mechanics who were dispatched before that it's tough, but I don't feel anxious. Even at work, I like going on business trips to do work, and now the feeling of excitement is stronger. Since the temperature difference is also large, I want to take care of physical condition and everyone do our best together.

Ryoko Makita
This time, as a support member of the team, I am in charge of driving the support car and public relations. Having done dirt trial and rally since my student days, a Dakar truck driver is a goal for me. I want to learn a lot at the Dakar site that I'm experiencing for the first time. Also, as the person in charge of public relations, I will do my best with photography so that many people can see everyone on the team's achievements.