Hino Team Sugawara will aim for their thirty-third completed Dakar Rally in a row in 2024. The lone Japanese manufacturer to compete in the T5 category for trucks will retain their Hino 600 hybrid truck that they used in the 2023 edition, though with various reliability upgrades. Team director Teruhito Sugawara will drive as he has done since 2005.
The team nearly missed the 2023 race, which would have snapped a streak of starts dating back to 1991, when their parent company Hino Motors was marred by a falsified emissions scandal that ruined its image in the Japanese motoring realm. Despite uncertainty that led to months of silence, the team eventually committed to the Dakar.
The Rally began on an inauspicious note when problems with the fuel system in the Prologue relegated them to the back, followed by two days plagued by tyre punctures and electrical issues. They ran as high as eighth at the halfway mark but rising water temperatures, a damaged fuel line, and even an accident forced them to settle for tenth in class.
“Despite the extremely difficult circumstances surrounding Hino Motors at the time, we were able to continue our participation in the 2023 event with the support and encouragement of many people,” said Sugawara. “Once again, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone on behalf of the team.
“The 2024 event, which will take us into the deepest parts of the Empty Quarter—often described as the ‘Desert of Death’—will be more gruelling than ever before and face us with dramatically higher degrees of difficulty. Against this backdrop, we invite you to expect great things as we are steadily preparing for the 2024 event working with the development staff at Hino Motors, aiming for a truck that is not only faster but also tougher and stronger than ever to surpass our 2023 results.
The 2024 challenger features a four-stroke, straight-six diesel engine capable of 800 PS (789.05 horsepower). It is a four-wheel-drive with a six-gear transmission, and weighs in at 8,290 kilograms. The 600 also features a new livery inspired by kumadori, a type of makeup used in Japanese kabuki theatre.
In May, the team recruited Takeshi Fukuta and Akinobu Saito from Aichi Hino Motor and Tochigi Hino Motor, respectively, to serve as mechanics for the Dakar. Development of the truck took place over the summer and fall, culminating in the engine being installed by early October.
Sugawara’s best career finish is a sixth in 2018. His father Yoshimasa holds the record for most consecutive Dakar Rallies completed with thirty-six, while Teruhito made his Dakar début as his co-driver in 1999.
The 2024 Dakar Rally begins on 5 January.
