HINO'S DAKAR PREPARATIONS BEGIN AT RALLY MONGOLIA

The roar of high-powered diesels will shatter the silence of Mongolia's Gobi Desert next month as Hino Team Sugawara contests the eight-day Rally Mongolia event in one of the world's toughest motorsport environments. 

Rally veteran and Hino Team Sugawara Director Yoshimasa Sugawara will use the 3000-kilometre round trip from Mongolian capital Ulan Bator to the middle of the Gobi Desert to test a raft of new features fitted to his Dakar-reigning Hino 500 Series truck, destined to hit Dakar's dunes in early 2014. 

Conditions in the Gobi Desert closely match those found in the South American Dakar race, making it the ideal environment to test the newest additions and revisions to their legendary Hino 500 Series-based racer.

After collecting a plethora of race data from the class-winning effort at Dakar earlier this year, Hino Team Sugawara found room for improvement by fine-tuning the truck's aerodynamics, cooling, steering stability and suspension damping.

A new, aerodynamic visor across the top of the windscreen reduces drag by smoothing the airflow over the top of the truck.

This airflow is now harnessed by air scoops that direct it into the intercooler and oil cooler, both of which are located at the top of the truck body, just behind the cabin.

To control a vast truck body over rough terrain is a difficult enough job for any suspension system, but the push for ever-greater speed has ushered in a new level of suspension prowess.

Hino Team Sugawara will use Rally Mongolia as a test-bed for their new chassis system based around tapered leaf springs and Reiger double-piston dampers, as opposed to the traditional set-up of multi-leaf springs.

The 500 Series' eight-litre engine now pumps out 450 horsepower and 1350Nm of torque, harnessed by a new set of super-sticky Michelin tyres and reined in by uprated Brembo brakes with four-pot callipers.

The modified truck was tested on Hino's Hamura test course in mid-July before being shipped to Mongolia. 

Yoshimasa's son Teruhito, who will drive the truck in Rally Mongolia, said he was pleased with both the performance and reliability of the newly fettled truck.

"I've been able to see for myself that braking and cornering performance has improved; there's more rolling resistance in the tyres, but a lot more grip, too," he said.

"I think we'll be in top shape to test it out at Rally Mongolia."

At the 2014 Dakar rally Teruhito will attempt a fifth consecutive Dakar Under 10-litre class win for the Hino 500 Series. 

Yoshimasa will still be competing at Rally Mongolia, only this time he'll be in something slightly more diminutive than the eight-litre, 450-horsepower diesel truck - a Suzuki Jimny. 

Rally Mongolia 2013 runs from August 11 to 18.

Hino 500 Series Car 2 specifications