After emerging as champions at last year’s Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), Team Mitsubishi Ralliart has announced it will return for the 2023 edition of the competition with the aim of securing a second consecutive win.
Scheduled to take place from August 13 to 19 this year, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will be represented by defending champions Chayapon Yotha (Thailand) and Peerapong Sombutwong (Thailand), both of which will be joined by last year’s fifth place drivers Rifat Sungkar (Indonesia) and Chupong Chaiwan (Thailand) as well as Japanese duo Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui.
Thailand’s Tant Sport, which owns the racing team, will be joined by team director Hiroshi Masuoka, a former two-time consecutive Dakar Rally champion driver, with Mitsubishi Motors engineers accompanying the team to provide technical support.
The team will field three new Triton Group T1s (prototype cross-country vehicles) based on the latest-generation pick-up truck, which is set to debut in production form later this month on July 26. Development of the competition vehicles was done alongside the sixth-generation Triton, with the team conducting rigorous endurance tests from June 19 to 23.
The tests were done on an off-road course near Khao Yai National Park, where the reliability and durability of the rally cars, primarily their bodies and engines, were validated by driving roughly 800 km over the course of five days, with adjustments made in preparation for the actual competition.
To compete in AXCR, vehicles must comply with FIA Group T1 specification, meaning they must share a large amount of the components and equipment with the production model that regular customers can buy, albeit with some racing-specific parts fitted.
The all-new Triton has been completely redesigned, including its body, frame, chassis and engine, so the validation process is crucial ahead of competition. Compared to last year’s AXCR which presented a route of around 1,700 km, participants this year will cover a distance of 2,000 km.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart did not reveal much in the way of technical details, but it is working with various partners to ensure the new Triton T1 is capable. From Carrosser, the team is getting Cusco suspension as well as front and rear limited-slip differentials (LSD), while Endless is supplying brake calipers, rotors and brake pads.
Meanwhile, HKS is helping develop the rally-spec engine, with crucial fluids like the engine oil, coolant and brake fluid being provided by Eneos and Fortec Motorsport. As for the wheels, they come from Work and are paired Yokohama Geolander M/T G003 tyres.
“Based on the original strength of the all-new Triton, the handling performance, stability on rough roads, and ride comfort are further improved as a rally competition car. In addition, the turbocharger has been improved to increase engine response throughout the entire rally range from low to high rpm, resulting in a powerful rally car that can handle any road conditions.” said Hiroshi Masuoka, team director of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart.
“We have conducted the endurance test with a harder course setting than the actual rally conditions, but the testing cars were able to drive through about 800 km each without any major initial troubles, confirming performance beyond our expectations and giving us a great confidence for our second consecutive championship,” he added.
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