Hino set for Dakar assault

Hino Team Sugawara is readying itself for yet another tilt at the Dakar Rally, its sights set on a sixth consecutive class victory

With the days counting down to the start of the 2015 Dakar Rally, due to be run in South America over January 4-17, Hino Team Sugawara is focussing on yet another victory in the Under 10-litre class in which it claimed first and second in the 2014 event.

The team comprises two trucks, each based on Hino's 500 Series model and affectionately referred to as 'Little Monsters'.

One will be driven by veteran campaigner Yoshimasa Sugawara with navigator Yoko Wakabayashi, while the other will be driven by Yoshimasa's son, Teruhito, with navigator Hiroyuki Sugiura. Both will be supported by an expert crew of Hino dealer technicians and support personnel.

The 2015 Dakar, also the 25th year since Hino became the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the gruelling event, will see Team Hino Sugawara use a new suspension system. The set-up adopts alternative leaf springs with softer settings and a torque rod to better locate the axles.

Both drivers have praised the change, saying it allows them to get each truck's power down to the ground even more effectively.

Truck number two, which claimed second in the 2014 Dakar, will retain its 8.9-litre engine with direct injection, while truck number one – an all-new build – will use an identical powerplant.

After extensive testing and development at Hino's proving ground in Gozenyama, Japan, and a successful shakedown at the recent Rally Mongolia, the team says it's ready to take on the rigours of Dakar.

"In our next race it goes without saying that we will be aiming for our sixth straight championship in the Under 10-litre class," Teruhito Sugawara said.

"But in addition, we will also be aiming to finish with high rankings in the overall Trucks category to let the world know Hino Japan is a force to be reckoned with."

The 2015 Dakar Rally will follow a 9000-kilometre course through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, with the event starting and ending in Buenos Aires.

Visit www.dakar.com for more information.

Hino set for Dakar assault

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