Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will be joining this year’s Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), which will be held from Thailand to Laos in August. The team will be using rally cars that are based on the all-new 2024 Mitsubishi Strada/Triton that recently made its debut in Bangkok, Thailand.
The all-new Strada rally car that will be pitted on the 2023 AXCR is based on the Thai-spec double cab model. It is modified in accordance with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Group T1 restrictions. The modified Strada comes with a red and black exterior paint, which Mitsubishi said that it represents “the energy of gushing lava.”
The modifications fitted on the 2024 Mitsubishi Strada rally car include a roll cage and a bumper guard. It’s also integrated with carbon fiber parts on the hood, front and rear doors, and cargo bed. Mitsubishi shared that the new Strada rally car also prioritized weight reductions in the vehicle’s interior components, resulting in an overall weight that is equivalent to the previous Strada rally car. Of note, Team Ralliart is the defending AXCR champion.
The new Mitsubishi Strada that will enter AXCR also comes with rally-specific front and rear suspensions. The chassis, on the other hand, is further reinforced with front and rear twin dampers along with bump stops to absorb severe shocks from road surfaces. The 2024 Mitsubishi Strada AXCR car comes with a set of 235/80R17 Yokohama Geolandar off-road tires.
The AXCR features special stages that include river crossings. As such, Mitsubishi claims that the Strada’s sealing has been improved and the truck has been fitted with a snorkel.
Under the hood, you’ll find the same 2.4-liter turbodiesel 4N16 engine that’s fitted on the newly launched Mitsubishi Strada. The said diesel engine delivers 201 horsepower and 470 Nm of torque. The Strada rally car that will compete in this year’s AXCR comes with a six-speed manual transmission and 4x4 drivetrain.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will be taking on the 2023 AXCR with three Strada trucks driven by the following:
- Chayapon Yotha (Thailand), champion driver of last year's AXCR
- Rifat Sungkar (Indonesia), who placed 5th overall last year
- Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan), who won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1999 and 2010
Mitsubishi Motors will also provide a total of four Delica D:5 support cars to assist Team Mitsubishi Ralliart. The 2023 AXCR will be held from Thailand to Laos, which will start on August 13.
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