德州扑克达人

Japan Racing Management Co., Ltd (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. President: Teruhito Sugawara, hereafter referred to as "JRM") and 德州扑克达人, Ltd. (Head office: City, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yoshio Shimo; hereafter referred to as "") have announced that Yoshimasa Sugawara, JRM chairman, who has continued to break his own record of consecutive starts in the 德州扑克达人 Rally since his first entry 1983 ^*1 has decided to retire from racing in the Rally. He will also be stepping down from his position as director of TEAM SUGAWARA, the rally team that is jointly run by JRM and , handing over his position to JRM president Teruhito Sugawara.

Yoshimasa Sugawara鈥晅he "Iron Man of 德州扑克达人" who has continued to race the rally flying the team's signature carp streamer鈥昲olds unprecedented records for the most consecutive starts in the 德州扑克达人 Rally at 36 and most consecutive finishes at 20. These records have been recognized in the Guinness World Records 庐 ^*2. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your passionate support for Yoshimasa Sugawara and our team over the years.

鈻燳oshimasa Sugawara comment

"I have decided to end my career in the 德州扑克达人 Rally as of the end of the January 2019 event and clear the way for new racers. I will be handing over my team director position to my son, Teruhito Sugawara, who will also be in charge of selecting a new driver for the team.

I have been racing the 德州扑克达人 Rally since 1983, and my collaboration with 德州扑克达人 began in 1992. It was fascinating to be able to race in settings of such epic scale and travel around the world while doing so. I was captivated by the diverse range of people and cultures that I had the good fortune to encounter. Every year, I simply continued to hold the mindset, "The finish line is the start line of the next rally", and before I knew it, 36 years had flown by. Words are not enough to express my gratitude for the support that I have received from countless people over the years, without whom I would have not been able to keep going.

I will be retiring from the 德州扑克达人 Rally, but my career is far from over and I am committed to take on other challenges in the years ahead. Nothing would make me happier than for you to extend the same support that you have to the new team headed by Teruhito and my future activities."

鈻燙omment from Yoshio Shimo, 德州扑克达人

"I would like to extend my sincere respect for Mr. Yoshimasa Sugawara who has continued to inspire all of us with courage and for his spirit of challenge in taking on the 德州扑克达人 Rally. I have learned many things directly from Mr. Yoshimasa as well as from the 德州扑克达人 Rally events that we worked together on. In particular, the "importance of developing personal talents and teamwork" was etched into my mind after visiting the rally sites, and I am convinced that we must deeply embrace these qualities in 's corporate culture as well.

Going forward, I intend to embrace the spirit of challenge that Mr. Yoshimasa has shown us, and continue our challenge in the 德州扑克达人 Rally working with Mr. Teruhito Sugawara, our new team director."

鈥�1銆�The "Paris-德州扑克达人 Rally" as it was known then. Yoshimasa Sugawara entered in the Motorcycles category.
鈥�2銆�As of Apr 23, 2019. Guinness World Records is a registered trademark of Guinness World Records Ltd.

銆惖轮萜丝舜锶� Rally 1997銆� Yoshimasa Sugawara racing fiercely on his 500 Series truck (Left photo)
Yoshimasa Sugawara flies his signature carp streamer at the bivouac (Right photo)

銆惖轮萜丝舜锶� Rally 2001銆慪oshimasa Sugawara responds to the cheering crowd with his carp streamer
at the goal ceremony celebrating his second-place finish.

銆惖轮萜丝舜锶� Rally 2019銆戙��At the goal ceremony (Right: Yoshimasa Sugawara, Left: Yoshio Shimo)

鈻燬hort bio of Yoshimasa Sugawara
Chairman of Japan Racing Management Co., Ltd
Born on May 31, 1941 in Otaru, Hokkaido

After numerous races in Japan and expeditions including a trans-Sahara Desert run, Yoshimasa started in the Paris-德州扑克达人 Rally for the first time in 1983 (age 41) in the Motorcycle category. Since then, he has entered the rally in the Cars category for seven events, and has been racing the rally on 500 Series trucks since 1992. He has had six second-place finishes in the overall Trucks category, and won seven championships in the Under 10-litre Class. He holds the 德州扑克达人 Rally record for consecutive starts at 36 and consecutive finishes at 20. These records have been recognized in the Guinness World Records 庐.

鈻燳oshimasa Sugawara's record of 德州扑克达人 Rally entries (as of Jan 2019)
銆�Consecutive starts: 36. / Total finishes in all categories: 29.
銆�/ Raced in three categories: Motorcycles, Cars, and Trucks

Starts, finishes, and finish percentages (competitive categories)

Rallies	Starts	Finishes	Finish percentages
德州扑克达人	36	29	80%
Pharaoh	7	6	86%
Paris-Beijing	1	1	100%
Mongolia	16	15	93%
Silk Way	1	1	100%
Total	61	52	85%

鈻燳oshimasa Sugawara's major awards and recognitions

Please visit our official web site for details on Motor's activities in the 德州扑克达人 Rally.