Mitsubishi Ralliart all set to compete at 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally 

Mitsubishi’s Ralliart sub-brand is all set to compete in the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) sanctioned 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR). This cross-country rally will take place on a grueling route from Thailand to Cambodia on November 21 to 26, 2022. This comes after the heels of the said sub-brand's revival. 

The rally-spec Mitsubishi Triton (Strada)

The Japanese marque also released the team roster of their AXCR team. The team then consists of several rally veterans from the ASEAN region specifically from Thailand and Indonesia. 

These are Chayapon Yotha who previously won the Thailand Autocross Championship, as well as Rifat Sungkar who also previously attained victory at the Indonesia Sprint Rally Championship respectively. Supporting the team is Sakchai Hantrakul who himself will pilot a third Mitsubishi Triton (Strada).  

Thai-based motorsports specialist TANT Sport owns the aforementioned team. Then again, they will work in tandem with Mitsubishi Motors. Specifically, Hiroshi Masuoka will be serving as team director. He will likewise be bringing along Mitsubishi Motors engineers and technicians to provide further support. 

Of note, Masuoka himself is quite an accomplished driver. He himself is a former two-time champion of the famed Dakar Rally. 

The team together with their rides

The weapon of choice for the AXCR team as mentioned is a rally-tuned version of the Mitsubishi Triton. This vehicle is known as the Strada locally, and it was built up to withstand the rigors of this 1,100-kilometer race.  

Significant modifications made to these rally pickup trucks include new dampers, and weight reduction. The stock 2.4-liter turbodiesel mill on the AXCR Strada Ralliart was then tuned to produce more power, and its chassis was also made to be more rigid as well. To deal with the jungles and hills of the rally locale, the said rally truck units were also given a set of strong but lightweight wheels, wrapped in beefy all-terrain tires.  

At the 2022 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), a replica of the Mitsubishi Strada Ralliart that will compete at the AXCR was also displayed. From that, we also saw that it also gained a snorkel and a Ralliart livery.  

The 2023 Mitsubishi Strada Ralliart Edition at the 2022 PIMS

If one wants to get a taste of Mitsubishi Ralliart, be aware that Mitsubishi Philippines has also released the Ralliart editions of the Montero Sport and the Strada at PIMS. While they don’t have the rally credentials of the Stradas that will be competing at AXCR, they are dressed up with Ralliart exterior pieces such as stickers and garnishes.  

The Strada Ralliart Edition comes with a Ralliart bedliner, Ralliart mudflaps, front and rear bumper garnishes, etc. It is now available from Mitsubishi dealerships for Php 1,429,000. 

The Montero Sport Ralliart Edition in turn, also gets front and rear bumper garnishes, and it also gets Ralliart mudflaps, fender arc moldings, among others. In turn, this variant of the Mitsubishi SUV can be had for Php 2,122,000. 

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