Iveco rocks Dakar, Hino hits 25

Fifty-five trucks tackled the 9 000 km of off-road terrain through Argentina and Bolivia during this year’s Dakar rally, but only one could take top honors in Rosario, Argentina, on January 16 …

Dutch driver Gerard de Rooy, leader of Team PETRONAS De Rooy Iveco, placed first this year, claiming his second victory in the Dakar’s Truck Category.

The Ivecos put in an impressive performance at Dakar 2016; four of them placed in the top ten, three of which were in the top five. Following De Rooy in second place was Russian driver Ayrat Mardeev in his Kamaz, while Argentinian driver Federico Villagra placed third in his Iveco Powerstar.

“This is a resounding success and recognition, after the Iveco Eurocargo being named ‘International Truck of the Year 2016’ and the Magelys from Iveco Bus winning ‘International Coach of the Year 2016’,” said Pierre Lahutte, Iveco brand president.

“Iveco puts the excellent reliability of its trucks on the trails of the Dakar rally, enabling the team’s outstanding drivers to give their best performance in the race,” he added.

Twenty five on the trot for Hino
Hino, meanwhile, registered its 25th consecutive finish in the 2016 edition of this gruelling, annual cross-country race.

The only Japanese truck manufacturer to take part, Hino Team Sugawara finished 13th (Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura) and 31st (Yoshimasa Sugawara and Takahashi Mitsugo).

Hino Team Sugawara also scored a 1-2 in the Dakar Challenge for trucks with engines of less than ten litres capacity, making it seven consecutive class wins and the third year in a row with them being first and second in the class.

This was the 16th time Hino has won this engine capacity award in the 17 times it has been contested since 1996.

Chairman of Hino Motors Limited, Masakazu Ichikawa, was at the finish of the Dakar to welcome the two crews. “Twenty-five years of racing in the Dakar is quite a long history when you think about it. I’m amazed at how Yoshimasa Sugawara and his team have come together to achieve these excellent results over so many years,” he said.

Now 73 years of age, Yoshimasa Sugawara holds the record for the most consecutive finishes in the Dakar Rally at 25. He has entered a record 33 consecutive times.

Teruhito Sugawara, his son, contested the Dakar Rally for the 18th time this year. This was the fifth time he has finished outside the top ten.

Dakar 2016: Top 12 truck ranking
1. DE ROOY (NLD), IVECO
2. MARDEEV (RUS), KAMAZ
3. VILLAGRA (ARG), IVECO
4. STACEY (NLD), MAN
5. VAN GENUGTEN (NLD), IVECO
6. DE BAAR (NLD), RENAULT
7. NIKOLAEV (RUS), KAMAZ
8. VALTR (CZE), TATRA
9. VERSLUIS (NLD), MAN
10. PEP VILA (SPAIN), IVECO
11. ARDAVICHUS (KAZ), TATRA
12. VAN DEL HEUVEL (NDL), SCANIA