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Hino warms up for Dakar 2015

Japanese truck manufacturer Hino is already preparing for the 2015 Dakar Rally, partnered with truck- maker Team Sugawara, to enter two all-wheel drive Hino 500-Series trucks.

The rally will again be run in South America, from January 4-17 2015.

Hino has had 23 consecutive ????? in the Dakar since entering for the first time in 1991. In 2014 both trucks completed the course and finished 1-2 in the under 10-litre category.

In 2015 the team will aims for its sixth successive win and hopes to improve its overall classification as both trucks will be powered by a nine-litre A09C engine. In 2014 one truck used the same engine, the other and eight-litre J08C engine.

FATHER AND SON DUO

Driving Hino’s trucks will be the father and son combination of Yoshimasa and Teruhito Sugawara. Yoshimasa - racing at the amazing age of 73, is set to start his 33rd Dakar. He is one of few participants who have raced on a motorcycle, a quad and a car before switching to a Hino truck in 1991.

Hino is rebuilding Truck No.1 driven by Yoshimasa during the 2014 rally. A number of improvements will be made and the truck will compete in the 2014 Mongolia Rally in August.

Teruhito, who will be entering for the 17th time, will have a new truck with a narrower cab to improve aerodynamics. It will also be lighter, stronger and have upgraded suspension: the A09C engines will have more power and torque than the J08C units.

THE DAKAR

The 2015 Dakar will start and finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and follow a loop through Bolivia and Chile as in 2014.

Drivers will tackle a two-day marathon stage during the event with no overnight assistance from mechanics or support crew. All tools and parts for servicing must be carried in the truck and the crew must handle any repairs.

South Africa’s Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Hilux) attended a Dakar Rally event in Tokyo, Japan, earlier in 2014 along with Hino’s Team Sugawara. De Villiers was the highest-placed driver of a Japanese vehicle in the Dakar Rally for the past several years.
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