Team Mitsubishi Ralliart won the team championship award at the grueling 2023 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) with all three 2024 Mitsubishi Triton T1 cross-country prototypes finishing the race. The motorsport event was held in Thailand and Laos from August 13 to 19, and it covered a distance of 2,033 km.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Triton T1 cross-country prototype
Despite not winning the AXCR championship for the second year in a row, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart won the Team Award, which is awarded to the team with two or more rally car finishers. It’s also based on the total time of the top two entries. Of note, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart entered three all-new Triton pickup trucks at the 2023 AXCR.
For the individual Team Mitsubishi Ralliart’s race results, former AXCR Champion Chayapon Yotha only managed to finish 3rd overall. He likewise finished 3rd in the Special Stage 4 in Khu Mueang, Thailand.
Katsuhiko Taguchi from Japan, who is racing the AXCR using a Mitsubishi Triton for the first time, managed to finish in eighth place. Rifat Sungkar from Indonesia meanwhile, wrapped up the race in 32nd place after losing a lot of time in the first special stage due to cooling system troubles when his Triton’s front grille got blocked by tall weeds.
According to Team Mitsubishi Ralliart team director Hiroshi Masuoka, this year’s AXCR was particularly difficult. The road conditions were tough, and this was further exacerbated by intense heat. Note that no drop of rain was seen during the event, despite the fact that is currently the rainy season in the ASEAN region.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart wins the 2023 AXCR Team Award
“Unfortunately, we did not win the championship for the second year in a row, but we were able to complete the rally with all three Tirsons without losing a single car, using almost the same specifications as mass-produced cars and using parts from production cars, which convinced us that our direction in car manufacturing was on the right track.”
Regarding the other teams, Takuma Aoki who drove a Toyota Fortuner for Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Indonesia secured first place. Tubagus Moerinsyahdi, who also drives for TGR Indonesia using a Fortuner, then came in second place.
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