- 09 Ιαν 2018, 20:13
#472536
The 76-year-old Japanese driver was left out of the Dakar with his Hino truck. Sugawara is the oldest of the great adventure, with 35 races.
The Dakar always amazes for its stories. And its characters. In this case, the longest driver did not have the best of luck, since he abandoned in the third stage. It is the Japanese Yoshimasa Sugawara, the oldest pilot with 76 years and his 35 participations. Driver of a Hiro truck, was marginalized in the dunes of Pisco, when he was traveling to San Juan de Marcona, in southeastern Peru.
Sugawara discovered the Dakar in 1980. He did not compete. He was a journalist, special envoy of a motorcycle magazine. In 1983 he made his debut as a pilot. Today he has completed 20 Dakar achievements. Yesterday he starred in his 4th abandonment.
"You always make mistakes during the race, the only way to correct them is by competing again," said the Japanese, who is already planning his participation in 2019. "I am full of energy. Some pilots let their co-pilot drive on the links to rest, but I drive all the way, including the links. My schedule for the whole year is based on this race ", said the" grandfather of the Dakar ".
Sugawara started running the Dakar on a motorcycle and then went to the cars and finally to the trucks. "The first time I played the Dakar in 1983 I did not understand the regulations and I appeared in the prologue carrying a spare tire on the back, I started competing in a truck in 1992. For me, the category of trucks is the most interesting because of all the modifications that have occurred in recent times and because it is more fun to drive, "he had commented to the newspaper Marca.
On this occasion, the departure of Lima was made along with his son Teruhito, who has been with him since 1999 and who inherited his father's passion for the Dakar, the most veteran driver of this great adventure.
'It has the interior ambience of a tupperware container and the exterior design flair of an Adidas tracksuit. However this is all hiding a godly powertrain - no other car can extract grip from a surface quite like an Evo.'