“I am going to leave 2018 behind me”

Years go by and the old-timer is still well present on the Dakar. Maybe not as a contender for top positions but at the age of 77, Yoshimasa Sugawara is still eager to see his Hino trucks shine on the toughest of all rallies. A living legend, the Japanese competitor first read about the event in the 1980s in a motorcycle magazine. While his first participation in the motorcycle category in 1983 finished prematurely, he has more than made up for that since, with only four retirements in over 30 Dakar rallies in the bike, auto and truck divisions! Sugarawa is the record holder in terms of Dakar finishes with 20 consecutive rallies completed between 1989 and 2009. Last year, the native of Hokkaido got trapped in the dunes of Peru while his son Teruhito achieved the goal they had once again set: to conquer the Under 10L class with Junior finishing in a fine 6th position. And there’s no stopping Yoshimasa. Last August, he indeed finished 9th of the Silk Way Rally with new navigator Ahito Sakurai and there’s no way his 36th appearance on the Dakar isn’t a successful one.

Y.S.: “I appeared on the Dakar on a motorcycle for the first time in 1983. I didn’t understand the regulation at the time. I even showed up at the prologue carrying a spare tyre on my back. I started competing in a truck back in 1992. For me the truck class is the most interesting due to all the modifications that have occurred and because the driving is more interesting. My schedule for the entire year revolves around this race. Last year we were going up a dune that was way to big and we got trapped. Help never arrived and we ended up spending the next 11 hours digging through sand to get the truck to stand straight up. I am going to leave all of that behind and get to work to put on a good race this year. The course design in 2018 was quite challenging and I think Teruhito did a great job.” A.S.: “I was intrigued with everything I experienced at the Silk Way Rally. I was just relieved that we were able to finish without any problems. I was also able to identify some of my weaknesses as a navigator, so I intend to work in those areas leading up to the Dakar Rally”.