Hino has announced that it will once again run the gauntlet of the toughest cross country really in the world be again backing a campaign to tackle the Dakar Rally, where the Japanese truck maker’s Sugawara team will attempt to complete 35 finishes from 35 starts in the gruelling two week marathon across the demanding deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Team Sugawara has already notched 34 finishes from 34 starts in the event and will be going again, but only so long as the dire political situation in the Middle East as a result of the Iran USA conflict doesn’t stop the Dakar from going ahead on New Years Day next year.
Hino’s Team Sugawara will again campaign in an improved version of the four-wheel drive, bonneted 600 Series that is a model that is only sold in North America.
The team finished 15th in the truck division of the 2026 Dakar and while theHino 600 model is built for the North American market it is still mechanically similar to the 500 Series Hino sold in South Africa.
Hino has been the sole Japanese truck industry representative of the in the Dakar for more than three decades and of course this will be the first time that Hino will be representing the new Hino-Fuso joint venture, the Archion Group, which came into existence on the 1st April this year o.
Teruhito Sugawara, who is the son of the founder of Hino Team Sugawara, will once again be the driver in a race he has now finished 20 times consecutively.
Hino Motors Japan has once again recruited technicians from dealerships in Japan to provide back-up support on the event, as well as being involved in the pre-race preparation of the truck. This system has been used since 1995 and has already brought 67 technicians from 32 countries to the rally, with huge benefits in upskilling their ability under arduous conditions.
The 2027 Dakar Rally will take place between the 1st and 15th January and will start and finish in King Abdullah Economic City on the west coast of Saudi Arabia on the shores of the Red Sea, with competitors following a route of around 8000 km over 14 days with strictly limited supplies and equipment allowed for the competing vehicles..
