Team Sugawara Hino has recorded its 35th consecutive finish at the gruelling Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, finishing in 15th place in the truck category.
Furthermore, by completing this event, team director and driver Teruhito Sugawara extended his record of consecutive finishes to 21, surpassing the previous record of 20 held by his father, Yoshimasa Sugawara, who retired from Hino Team Sugawara in 2019.
Teruhito Sugawara was accompanied in the Hino 600 Series by navigator Hirokazu Somemiya and navigator/mechanic Yuji Mochizuki, with additional support from a team of Hino mechanics.
The truck ran smoothly in the first half of the race without any major issues, maintaining 8th place in the truck category.
A variety of problems struck in the second half including a crash in the dune stage, issues with the drivers’ intercom system impacting their communication to each other, damage to the transfer case, and a burst tyre 15 kilometres from the end on the final day.
“Once again, the team’s ability to overcome issues to record yet another consecutive finish is a testament to the quality, durability and reliability that Hino is renowned for,” said Richard Emery, President & CEO of Hino Australia.
“As a sponsor of Hino Team Sugawara for the last 13 years, we would like to congratulate the team on their result with a particular commendation to Teruhito Sugawara’s record of consecutive finishes,” he said.
Held over 15 days, the 2026 Dakar Rally consisted of 13 gruelling stages over a total distance of almost 8,000 kilometres with 5,000 kilometres worth of special stages.
In 2026, the Marathon and 48-Chrono stages were replaced by two Marathon-Refuge stages, which provided an extreme challenge as participants were only allowed to receive assistance from their fellow competitors.
The Hino Dakar Rally 600 Series is equipped with full-time four-wheel drive and powered by a 9-litre, direct-injection A09C engine featuring turbocharging and intercooling.
Delivering an impressive 588kW at 2,800rpm and peak torque of 2,430Nm at 1,600rpm, the powertrain is engineered for exceptional performance in the most demanding conditions.
