On the 12th, Dakar 2022 entered Stage 10, a 374.58 km competition in the mountainous region between Wadi ad-Dawasir and Bisha in southern Saudi Arabia. HINO TEAM SUGAWARA, which is competing in the Trucks category with the HINO 600 Series equipped with a hybrid system, stopped midway through the SS due to electrical problems. It took approximately two hours to repair the damage, and the team came in at 38th overall in the SS.

The SS started in the mountainous area of Najran, 223.21 km south of Wadi ad-Dawasir in a liaison (moving section). The route headed westward while stitching through the surrounding mountains, and the road surface was mainly sand, but there were few dunes. From the middle part of the course, the elevation fluctuated between 1,000m and 1,500m, with hard soil, wadi (dry river bed), and rocky terrain alternating with sand.

The HINO 600 Series truck piloted by Teruhito Sugawara, Hirokazu Somemiya, and Yuji Mochizuki was running smoothly at around 16th place overall when the engine suddenly stalled while driving through the neutral zone (a non-competitive section of the SS, which must be passed in a certain amount of time). Although the crew tried various measures to fix the problem, the engine stalled again after a while. The team managed to finish the SS, but due to the time loss of about 2 hours, they were ranked 38th. Due to some vehicles dropping out of the top rankings, despite the delay in the SS, the team’s accumulated ranking up to this day has risen to 14th overall.

Tomorrow, on the 13th, the 346 km race will be held on a loop course based in Bisha. When the car returned home, the mechanics immediately set to work to find the cause and repair the damage.

Teruhito Sugawara
The engine stopped and we were stuck, so with the help of other trucks, we managed to get home. There are many other problems with the engine heat, but first I want to fix it and run tomorrow’s stage comfortably.

Hirokazu Somemiya
From a navigation point of view, the wadding was well attached and not too difficult. The exhaust temperature sensor was missing and the leaked exhaust hit the floor panel, making the seat hot and difficult to sit on.

Yuji Mochizuki
Since this was the first time I installed a new mechanism, I was prepared for some trouble, but today it exceeded my expectations. I can think of several possible causes, but I can’t be sure, so I feel bewildered. I am not alone, but it was a frustrating day.