Mitsubishi Team Ralliart Finishes AXCR in Fifth Place Overall

August 22nd, 2024 by

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The 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally (hereafter, AXCR) wrapped up last weekend, August 17, 2024. Like NASCAR, it’s another chance for automakers to test out their vehicles in professional settings that aren’t just the street or the track. The AXCR is the ASEAN region’s largest cross-country rally, covering a span of 1250 miles of challenging terrain. Drivers and navigators need to make their way through jungles, between mountains, and across rivers for about half of that time. Mitsubishi Motors was one of the automakers to enter the race with a modified version of their Triton pickup truck. There were plenty of upgrades, and this year, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart landed in fifth place.

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart is the driving team for Mitsubishi Motors, whereas the automaker provides the vehicle, modifications, and technical support for the driver and navigator. The Triton, known as the T1 modified cross-country vehicle, drove from Thailand to Malaysia with a total time of 15 hours, 34 minutes and 52 seconds this year, and that led to its final standing in fifth place. A lot of major improvements were made primarily to increase driving performance and rough road handling as well as enhanced durability and maneuverability. To keep a drive that long from being miserable with all the off-road bumps, the rear suspension was switched out from rigid/leaf springs to rigid/4-link coil springs. Powering it all was a high-displacement engine that can generate some serious torque for all that off-road action.

“This year’s Triton was perfected with enhanced performance, showing powerful driving that covered the displacement gap with our rivals and even took the overall lead at one point. It is unfortunate that we were unable to win, but the Triton was able to fully demonstrate its excellent off-road capabilities that Mitsubishi vehicles have honed over the decades…We will undergo rigorous tests again, and Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will make a comeback next year. We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support and our fans around the world for their enthusiastic cheering.” – Hiroshi Masuoka, team director of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart

There were three Ralliart vehicles entered into the AXCR this year, and the drivers all ended up in different places. Kazuto Koide competed in the AXCR for the first time this year, and although they ended up in 24th place, the driver was able to adapt to new situations quickly thanks to the high off-road performance of the Triton production car. Koide shared a memento of climbing a nearly 40-degree incline without difficulty in the Triton while towing a teammate’s car. It’s not clear who, but the other drivers were Sakchai​ Hantrakul and Chayapon Yotha. Hantrakul won 27th place in the AXCR. Yotha was in the lead until Leg 5 of the race, the longest special stage in this year’s competition, where the Triton started to break down and Yotha had to retire from the rally, ending in 42nd place. Following the drivers around were technicians in a Delica Mini support car and Kei Takeoka, an automotive journalist, who accompanies Team Mitsubishi Ralliart.

It’s a shame the Mitsubishi Triton didn’t hold up well this year, especially with all the modifications. Every year they try something different, but the first year was probably the best. Maybe Mitsubishi needs to simplify things again and can grab the gold next year. For more news on Mitsubishi Motors, you can follow along with us on Miami Lakes Automall social media.

Photo Source/Copyright: Mitsubishi Media
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