Hino Team Sugawara has recorded victory in the under-10 litre truck class at the 2012 Dakar Rally in South America, finishing ninth overall in the truck division.
The Hino 500 Series driven by Teruhito Sugawara and Seiichi Suzuki put in a particularly strong performance in stage 13 – the last of the fully-blown special stages – from Nazca to Pisco in Peru.
Commenting after the win, Sugawara San said he wished there were more special stages like stage 13, as the sandy conditions suited the 500 Series beautifully.
“We did well and pulled through without getting stuck – the truck performed brilliantly,” he said.
Significantly, the win marks the 21st consecutive year that a Hino truck has entered and finished Dakarand the 12th time Hino has won the under-10 litre class. It was the second consecutive top-10 result for Team Sugawara after also finishing ninth in the 2011 event.
A second Hino piloted by Teruhito’s father and Dakar legend Yoshimasa Sugawara and co-driver Hiroyuki Sugiura, secured third position in the under-10 litre class and 24th overall in the truck division.