Day 2 & Day 3

Full-Blown Competition Begins in the Long SS
Car 2 suffers a radiator problem but arrives at the bivouac after making a recovery.
On January 4, HINO TEAM SUGAWARA's HINO500 Series truck Car 2, piloted by the Teruhito Sugawara and Hiroyuki Sugiura crew, came in at 23rd place in overall rankings in the first SS of the race (1st place in the Under 10-litre Class), arriving at the bivouac in Villa Carlos Paz at around 9:30pm.

January 5 took contestants from Villa Carlos Paz to San Juan, both in Argentina, during which they competed in a 331km long SS. The first part of the race included a mountain-crossing segment at elevations in the 2000m range which was followed by relatively flat terrain. In the latter half, contestants faced a fesh-fesh segment. While the SS on January 4 was a relatively straightforward course set on agricultural roads, this day's course gave racers a taste of challenges that are characteristic of the South American Dakar Rally, and heralded the beginning of full-blown competition.