Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Takes on Asia Cross Country Rally 2024 with Four All-New Triton Rally Cars

AXCR Special Website
https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/brand/ralliart/axcr/

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart is owned by Tant Sport (Thailand) and helmed by Hiroshi Masuoka, a team director from Mitsubishi Motors who claimed two consecutive victories in the Dakar Rally. Mitsubishi Motors engineers will develop the rally cars and accompany the team to provide technical support during the competition.

As with last year, the drivers and co-drivers will be Chayapon Yotha (Thailand) and Peerapong Sombutwong (Thailand), who took the overall victory in AXCR 2022, and Japanese duo Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui, who came in eighth place, the highest of any team of Japanese drivers, in the AXCR 2023. They will be joined by the team of Sakchai Hantrakul (Thailand) and Jumpol Doungthip (Thailand), highly experienced rally drivers with a deep knowledge of Mitsubishi vehicles, and Mitsubishi Motors' test driver Kazuto Koide (Japan), and co-driver Eiji Chiba (Japan), who has achieved a podium finish in the past AXCR. Together, the team will be aiming to claim the championship with the T1 prototype, a modified cross-country model, of the all-new Triton.

Reflecting on last year's results, the Triton's driving performance has been greatly increased to enable it to compete against vehicles with high-displacement engines in high-speed stages. A new racing transmission with a high torque capacity has also been selected to improve both durability and maneuverability. Further, the tread size has been increased, and the rear suspension has been switched from rigid/leaf springs to rigid/4-link coil springs. This will allow the vehicle to absorb major shocks on rough roads and improve its traction on extremely bumpy road surfaces, significantly enhancing its road handling on rough roads.

From June 21 to 27, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart conducted high-stress endurance tests of the Triton rally cars, envisioning actual rally conditions, on an off-road course near Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. The reliability and durability of the rally cars' bodies, chassis, and engines, which acceleration performance has been further improved, were confirmed by driving roughly 800 kilometers (km) over the course of the seven-day endurance test, and adjustments were made in preparation for the actual competition.

"Last year, we tried for a second consecutive victory with the all-new Triton, which had just gone on sale, but we were unable to bring out its full potential, ending in third place," said Hiroshi Masuoka, team director of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart. "With this year's Triton, we have made major improvements primarily to driving performance and rough road handling, further enhancing our four-vehicle team as we aim to reclaim our position as champions. This year's drivers will also include Kazuto Koide, a test driver who I have worked with in developing Mitsubishi vehicles for over two decades. At Mitsubishi Motors, we leverage our experience in grueling motor sports for vehicle development, so I hope to pass on this tradition to the next generation."

Profile of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart

Team Director: Hiroshi Masuoka (Mitsubishi Motors)
Team Principal: Chayut Yangpichit (Tant Sport)
Technical Director: Kopong Amatayakul (Tant Sport)
Technical Support (body, chassis): Noriyoshi Aiba (Mitsubishi Motors)
Technical Support (engine): Tetsuya Makita, Masataka Tsuiki (Mitsubishi Motors)

Drivers and co-drivers:

Chayapon Yotha
From: Udon Thani Province, Thailand
Born: August 16, 1987 (36)
Career: Chayapon Yotha competes in numerous rallies and races in Thailand. He led Team Mitsubishi Ralliart to its first victory when it competed in the AXCR for the first time in 2022 and took third place in last year's competition.
Co-driver: Peerapong Sombutwong (Thailand)

Katsuhiko Taguchi
From: Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Born: February 7, 1972 (52)
Career: In 2007, Katsuhiko Taguchi won the Rally Japan in Group N. He has also competed overseas, winning the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) twice.
Co-driver: Takahiro Yasui (Japan)

Sakchai Hantrakul
From: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Born: November 29, 1962 (61)
Career: Sakchai Hantrakul has over 30 years of rally experience, and he is well-versed with Mitsubishi vehicles, with a track record that includes driving the Mitsubishi Pajero in the 1996 Dakar Rally.
Co-driver: Jumpol Doungthip (Thailand)

Kazuto Koide
From: Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Born: June 19, 1979 (45)
Career: Kazuto Koide joined Mitsubishi Motors in April 1998. As a Mitsubishi test driver, he has experience driving vehicles such as the Pajero and the Lancer Evolution. He also now serves as a driving instructor for Mitsubishi Motors employees and a demonstration driver at events in Japan and abroad.
Co-driver: Eiji Chiba (Japan)

Partners (in alphabetical order, current as of July 4, 2024)

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will compete in AXCR 2024 with the support of the following partners.

Overview of AXCR 2024

AXCR is the ASEAN region's largest cross-country rally. This year's rally, the 29th in its history, will begin with a ceremonial start held in Surat Thani, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand in the south of Thailand, on August 11th. The competition will begin the next day, on the 12th. The course has been changed since its initial announcement, and after starting, it will work its way up the border between Thailand and Myanmar, on the Thailand side. It will pass through Hua Hin District, a resort area famous as being a vacation destination of the Thai royal family. On the 17th, the rally will finish in Kanchanaburi, located roughly 130 km west of Bangkok. Covering approximately 2,400 km, over 1,000 km of which will be special stages, the course this year is expected to be even more grueling than ever, with a wide range of terrain such as mountains, jungle, and river crossings that will demand exceptional road handling, durability, and, this year in particular, speed.