Hino Motors to Enter Dakar Rally 2026

Others

Jun 30, 2025

　Hino Motors, Ltd. (Head office: Hino, Tokyo; President: Satoshi Ogiso. Hereinafter "Hino") will be competing as "HINO TEAM SUGAWARA" (Director: Teruhito Sugawara, General Manager: Satoshi Ogiso) in Dakar Rally 2026 to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 3rd to 17th, 2026.

　Three mechanics selected from Hino Motors dealerships across the country--Masakazu Tazawa from Nishi Tohoku Hino Motors, Hiroki Imagawa from Minami Kanto Hino Motors, and Takumi Kikuchi from Hiroshima Hino Motors--joined the team. These mechanics have honed their skills at their workplace to provide extensive support for their customers' operations, and now, with limited supplies and equipment, they will be leveraging their skills to support the team to keep their truck running until it crosses the finish line of this grueling race which covers approximately 8,000 km of rough roads over 14 days.

　In the 2026 event, the team will be entering a truck based on the one they entered in the 2025 competition (HINO600 series), and aims to come off with a high ranking finish with the truck's improved off-road driving performance, which helps raise its average speed throughout the race. In order to develop a truck that would be more competitive than ever before, team members, based on analysis data obtained during the previous race and feedback from the crew, held repeated discussions and implemented measures including upgrading the suspension and addressing the damage the transfer* suffered in the previous race.

　Hino is determined to cross the finish line of what is known as the "world's most grueling rally," bolstered by a carefully selected roster of mechanics from around the country, a truck that has been refined through repeated upgrades, and by achieving the highest level of total quality (total support quality x product quality). We will be taking on the challenge of the 35th Dakar Rally with the aim of achieving further growth and success for all involved in this event.

*Transfer: A device in four-wheel drive vehicles that distributes driving force transmitted from the engine via the transmission to the front and rear wheels.

■ Team Director and Driver: Teruhito Sugawara
While we did get the sense that we could compete on equal terms with the leading group in the 2025 event, we also suffered a serious problem that could have directly led to our retirement from the race altogether. Overcoming this difficult situation as a team helped us boost our strength as a team even further.
For the 2026 event, we will not only continue to make upgrades to address these problems, but also aim to reach even greater heights by creating an aggressive machine.
Please look forward to Hino Motors' performance in its 35th entry in the Dakar Rally.

■ Mechanic: Masakazu Tazawa, Nishi Tohoku Hino Motors
I am grateful for this opportunity to join the team as a representative of Nishi Tohoku Hino Motors. I am ready to support the team with all I've got, carrying with me the hopes of all Hino employees and colleagues who I competed with in the selection process. I am determined to make sure that our truck makes Hino's 35th consecutive finish in this rally so that we can pass on the baton that we took over from dealership mechanics on the team last year.

■ Mechanic: Hiroki Imagawa, Minami Kanto Hino Motors
I am very happy to be able to take part in the rally as a mechanic for HINO TEAM SUGAWARA. This has been my dream.We know that this rally is called the "world's most grueling," and we are committed to put what we have learned so far to good use, learn new things, and do our utmost to overcome any difficulties as a team and make a high ranking finish.

■ Mechanic: Takumi Kikuchi, Hiroshima Hino Motors
I am proud to be able to take on the challenge of working as a mechanic on the Dakar Rally team. This has been a goal of mine for a long time. I will keep up the fight with humility so that my teammates can have confidence in me.Although we are going to be working in a harsh setting, I am committed to fully support the team with accurate judgment calls and precise maintenance, no matter what kind of trouble we face.