Mitsubishi Ralliart wins Asia Cross Country Rally AXCR 2026 – Triton secures team’s second consecutive victory

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart has taken the overall victory at the 2026 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) to secure its second consecutive win after also coming out on top at last year’s edition of the rally. For this year’s competition, which was held in Thailand from August 9 to 15, the team fielded three units of the third-generation Triton pick-up truck in T1 specification.

The competition Tritons covered a total distance of 2,145.19 km, including 921.8 km of special stages (SS), with the pairing of driver Katsuhiko Taguchi and co-driver Takahiro Yasui claiming the top prize with a total time of 12 hours 58 minutes and 20 seconds. Their success also marks the first overall AXCR victory by a Japanese driver and co-driver pairing.

Meanwhile, Kazuto Koide and Eiji Chiba clocked 20 hours 58 minutes and 30 seconds to finish 27th overall, with the Thailand pairing of Chayapon Yotha and Peerapon Sombatwong, the winners of the 2025 AXCR, completing the rally in 34 hours 48 minutes and 43 seconds for 36th.

The 31st edition of the AXCR began with a ceremonial start on Walking Street in Pattaya before the first SS began on August 10. Leg 1 saw participants head north towards Prachin Buri, with Taguchi making a good start by minimising losses when early-starting competitors went off course to finish third overall.

Leg 2 moved west from Prachin Buri to Nakhon Sawan, although the SS distance was significantly shortened from 145.67 km to 67.32 km due to military exercises scheduled at a training ground on the route. Next came Leg 3 that featured a loop route from Nakhon Sawan through plantation areas in northern Thailand before returning to the city, with Taguchi setting the fastest SS time to take the overall lead with an advantage of eight seconds.

The gap would open up after Leg 4 that saw the rally machines continue north from Nakhon Sawan to Kamphaeng Phet, passing through forest and rural communities before entering farm roads that wound through cassava and sugarcane fields.

Leg 5 towards Phitsanulok in northern Thailand was the longest stage of the rally, with Taguchi building a lead of over five minutes by the time he and Yasui crossed the timing marker. On the final day of the rally was Leg six, a 58.62-km route traversing mountainous terrain before returning to the city for the finish.

With a gap already built up, Taguchi adopted a measured approach in order to avoid unnecessary risks and safely reach the finish line with an advantage of two minutes and 25 seconds by the end to take the AXCR title.

As for Taguchi’s teammates, Kazuto Koide, who is a Mitsubishi employee competing in his third AXCR, got off to a difficult start in Leg 1 after getting stuck in a ditch that drew a timeout penalty. Meanwhile, defending champion Chayapon Yotha suffered a puncture in the rock section of Leg 2 and lost valuable time while changing a tyre. Chayapon Yotha and Peerapong Sombutwong were also responsible for the team’s maiden win in the AXCR in 2022, driving the previous-generation Triton T1 at the time.

He did try to gain ground with a sixth overall finish in Leg 3, but Leg 4 saw him face another setback after he struck the right rear of the car and was forced to make a second tyre change. An engine issue did not help when tackling the first half of Leg 5.

“I am extremely proud that a Japanese driver and co-driver pair has won this rally for the first time in the event’s history. As a fellow Japanese, I could not be more proud of this achievement. This year’s rally was a closely fought battle from the very beginning, and it was impossible to predict who would come out on top. I believe this victory was achieved because every member of the team fully committed to teamwork,” said team director Hiroshi Masuoka.

“Mitsubishi Motors has long used the experience gained in motorsports under extreme conditions to support the development of production vehicles. The benefits go beyond driving performance and contribute to the confidence and safety that characterize Mitsubishi Motors vehicles. The same applies to the development of our engineers, whose experiences in this environment will undoubtedly contribute to their everyday work. I’d like to thank everyone for supporting us,” he added.

“I never imagined we would take the overall lead by the third day. It may have looked as though everything was going smoothly from the outside, but Yasui and I were driving at the limit throughout the rally. Once we moved into the lead, our rivals were forced to take greater risks in their pursuit, which worked in our favor,” commented Taguchi.

“The AXCR offers a unique combination of difficulty and excitement because drivers must constantly make split-second decisions on unpaved roads. Thanks to the significant improvements made to the Triton’s handling performance before the event, I was able to follow my intended line and avoid punctures. I am delighted to have won, although I still regret being overtaken during the final SS. Next time, I want to make sure we are the fastest on the road all the way to the finish,” he added.