Team Mitsubishi Ralliart wins 2022 Asian Rally with modified Strada

The Strada rally car is powered by the same engine you'll find in Mitsubishi showrooms.

Ralliart has been ticking all the right boxes since its return last year. From introducing cosmetic packages on some of its models to now winning the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR).

Mitsubishi Ralliart finished at the top

The impressive rally return is delivered by a modified Mitsubishi Triton, also known as Strada in our market. It gets the usual rally equipment to bear gruesome off-road conditions such as a roll cage, under guards, and Yokohama Geolandar M/T G003 265/70R17 tires.

Driver Chayapon Yotha in #105 Triton is hailed as the overall champion with a total time of 8:22:42. To make it more interesting, Yotha managed to finish with a commanding 8-minute lead over his rivals in his first attempt at the AXCR.

Mitsubishi Ralliart at the AXCR

Ralliart makes a strong comeback to the motorsport scene

Meanwhile, Rifat Sungkar in #118 Triton ended the rally stage in fifth place overall, with a total time of 8:39:56. As for the team's driver Sakchai Hantrakul in #119 Triton, he had to retire after testing positive for COVID-19.

Powering the rally cars is still the same 2.4-liter 4N15 inline-4 turbodiesel MIVEC engine you will find in the road-going production model. It makes 178 horsepower and 430 Nm of torque. But the power unit is said to be slightly tuned for better mid-range responsiveness and reduced friction.

Mitsubishi Strada at the AXCR

Mitsubishi Triton rally car

"It was a very tough battle over six days, but I am very happy to take the overall victory," said 2022 AXCR Overall Champion Yotha. "We were able to achieve good results in this rally because of the excellent handling performance of the Triton.

"This was our first attempt to return to the motorsports scene under the name of Ralliart, and it was a very important rally for Mitsubishi Motors. I thought that it would be good enough for us to finish in upper rankings, but I am very happy that the team have taken an overall victory," said Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Team Director Hiroshi Masuoka.

Get more motorsport updates at Philkotse.com.

Rex Sanchez

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Rex Sanchez grew up in Saudi Arabia where he saw and got into the automotive scene. He started his career for an aviation company in the said region, writing about turbines and rotors which are later distributed for educational purposes. And now, he joined Philkotse.com as a staff writer. Currently, he is the youngest on the team and is more than ready to grow in the field.

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