The 2022 Asian Cross-Country Rally (AXCR) has commenced, and so far, one of the fastest vehicles in the said race is the Mitsubishi Ralliart team’s Mitsubishi Strada. Specifically, two of the team’s Stradas posted an identical time of two minutes and eleven seconds (0:02:11) on the Special Stage (SS1) held on November 21, 2022.
Mitsubishi Ralliart team's Strada at the LEG1/SS2 (203.50km) of the 2022 AXCR
For those unfamiliar with rally racing, it is broken down in several stages. The special stage in the AXCR determines the competitor’s positions in the starting grid. With that recorded time, Mitsubishi Ralliart is placed in the fifth and sixth positions in their class.
A third Strada unit under the Mitsubishi Ralliart team also managed a time of two minutes and 21 seconds (0:02:21). This entry in turn, has managed to get the 15th position on the grid.
On the Special Stage 2 held on November 22, 2022, the Mitsubishi Strada started fifth, but eventually finished in first place. It posted a time of two hours and fifty minutes (2:50:18).
The Strada did swimmingly well at the 2022 AXCR's Special Stage 2
Special Stage 2, or SS2, is considered the most grueling part of AXCR as it consists of a 203.50 kilometer course from Khonburi to Nong bon in Thailand. The said Strada that finished first was car #105 driven by Chayapon Yotha. The other Strada, car #118 driven by Rifat Helmy Sungkar, finished sixth in SS2.
Speaking of the ACXR classes, all three Mitsubishi Strada units belong under the Group T1 Modified Cross-Country class. The fastest vehicle in the same class is the Isuzu D-Max, specifically the one driven by the Isuzu Suphan Explorer Rally Team with a posted time of two minutes and three seconds (0:02:03).
Other classes include Group T2 which are the Series Cross Country Cars, T2 or non-homologated Series Cross Country Cars, T3 or Improved Cross-Country Cars, and T4 or the small truck class (2-ton trucks).
These trucks and the team have proven that they have what it takes to win
If you want to see how the Mitsubishi Ralliart team performs, as well as get more updates concerning the 2022 AXCR, keep it here on Philkotse.