The 6th generation Mitsubishi Triton finally clinched the victory at the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR). Chayaphon Yotha and co-driver Peerapong Sombutwong finished the 9-day rally in 16 hours, 15 minutes, and 12 seconds.
Yotha’s Car 112 built a huge lead on the first 2 stages of the rally that definitely helped them secure the win. Car 105 driven by Katsuhiko Taguchi with co-driver Takahiro Yasui finished at 5th place, while Car 118 with Kazuto Koide and co-driver Eiji Chiba was at 22nd.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart was led by 2-time Dakar Rally Champion Hiroshi Masuoka. He oversaw the improvements done on the Mitsubishi Triton for 2025 AXCR. The team enhanced the engine’s torque, durability, and refined the chassis to handle the severe jungle of Thailand. Car 112 and Car 105 had 6-speed sequential transmission with Full-time 4WD while Car 118 of Koide/Chiba featured a competition-optimized automatic transmission with Super Select 4WD-II.
The team had their maiden win in 2022 with the 5th generation Triton that was also driven by the pair of Yotha and Sombutwong. However, they had consecutive setbacks once they moved to the 6th generation model starting in 2023.
Their third attempt with the 6th generation Triton that resulted in an overall win is especially significant as 2025 is also the 30th year of the AXCR. It’s more grueling than the previous years. The usual 6-day event was stretched to 9-days and the race covered around 3,200 kilometers (2024 had 2,100km, 2023 had 2,000km, while 2022 had 1,700km). The race went through key areas in Thailand like Prachin Buri, Khao Yai, and Pattaya. However, some stages of the race were cancelled due to the situation at the borders.
2025 completes the redemption arc of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart in the best way possible. They showed that they learned from each heartbreak of the previous years that culminated in this win in AXCR.
Apart from bragging rights, participating in AXCR lets Mitsubishi create and test new technologies that make their way into production vehicles. Their 4-wheel drive system and Active Yaw Control in the Xpander and Xforce for example were borne from their days racing in World Rally Championship and Dakar Rally.
