Hino’s Dakar Rally racing trucks, the “Little Monsters”
Hino’s Dakar Rally truck was developed based on the “HINO 600 Series” truck, a medium-duty truck model that serves logistics businesses worldwide. In the context of the Dakar Rally, medium-duty trucks deliver excellent mobility but hardly have an advantage over their rival heavy-duty trucks in terms of absolute power. Against these odds, Hino has consistently braved this rally with its lightweight and agile medium-duty trucks since the company first entered the race. And these trucks have come to be known as the “Little Monsters” for the intense competition that they put up against their larger rival trucks that are powered by larger-displacement engines.
In the Dakar Rally 2023, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA will take on its rivals with a truck equipped with a racing hybrid system.
| Base vehicle | HINO 600 Series |
| Engine | |
|---|---|
| Engine model | A09C-TI (mounted with a turbo intercooler) |
| Engine type | Four-stroke straight-six diesel engine |
| Engine displacement | 8.866L |
| Maximum engine output | 800 PS (588 kW)/2800 rpm |
| Maximum engine torque | 248kgm (2430 Nm)/1600 rpm |
| Maximum HV output | 280 PS (206 kW) |
| Maximum system output | 1080 PS (794 kW) |
| Power train | |
| Drive system | Full-time 4WD |
| Transmission | AT (6 gears for forward driving and 1 gear for backward driving) |
| Transfer | Mounted with a Hi-Lo range switch and a center differential lock |
| Tires | XZL 14.00R20 |
| Chassis | |
| Vehicle weight | 8,910 kg |
| Overall length | 6,700 mm |
| Overall width | 2,500 mm |
| Overall height | 3,320 mm |
| Wheel base | 4,170 mm |
| Fuel tank | 800L |
HINO700 Series ZS Assistance Trucks
Supporting the team’s racing trucks are HINO700 Series ZS heavy-duty trucks―Hino’s pride―that shoulder the bulk of the work in transporting essential spare parts and mechanics during the rally. To travel from bivouac to bivouac, mechanics split up into groups and ride on the support vehicles that they are in charge of. How these mechanics perform during the rally will also be something to keep an eye out for.
