Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Claims Maiden Championship in the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart was crowned as the champion of the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) championship. The rally team, technically backed by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, participated in the cross-country rally that ran across Thailand and Cambodia from Nov 21 to 26, 2022, covering over 1,524 KM of distance along the way.

Competing in the Group T1, the Mitsubishi Triton AXCR 2022 rally truck was driven by Thai racer Chayapon Yotha and Rifat Sungkar from Indonesia. Driving the #105-numbered Triton, Chayapon and his co-driver Peerapong Sombutwong completed the AXCR in 8 hours, 22 minutes and 17 seconds.

On the other hand, Rifat drove the #118-numbered car alongside co-driver Chupong Chaiwan to claim fifth in its category overall standing, with his total time clocked in 17 minutes and 14 seconds behind leader/teammate Chayapon.

The team’s third driver, Sakchai Hantrakul in car #119 was forced to retire from the rally after completing the Special Stage 1, due to being tested positive for COVID-19.

The six-day rally kicked-off in Buriram, Thailand, consisting of five legs aside from the opening 637 KM-span Special Stage 1. The fifth and final leg took place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where the iconic Angkor Wat served as a scenic backdrop for the rally’s finishing line. Drivers and their vehicles had to endure various road surfaces, ranging from dry unpaved roads, gravels and muddy roads with deep puddles along the way.

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart boss Hiroshi Masuoka, a two-time Dakar Rally champion, applauded his team’s success, saying “the superb performance came down to the drivers, who were able to extract the Triton's performance and show us some great drives, the engineers who worked every day to fine-tune the vehicles perfectly, all the staff who provided support, and the know-how that Mitsubishi Motors has accumulated over the years.”

Underpinning the latest road-legal Mitsubishi Triton, the rally-prepped Mitsubishi Ralliart Triton AXCR 2022 features a number of rally-specific modifications. Said mods include the lifted dampers, underbody armouring, rally-staple intake snorkel and dedicated off-road tyres with two full-sized spares mounted behind, while donning Ralliart’s signature racing livery.

In spite of the off-roading upgrades, the participating Triton AXCR 2022’s spec is still relatively close to its mass-produced, road-legal twin.

After a three-year pandemic-laden absence, the FIA-certified Asia Cross Country Rally is finally back for the 2022 edition, with the 2019 edition being the last series. Organised by R1 Asia, the historic Asian rally event started way back in 1996, taking place mostly in ASEAN countries, including Malaysia.

A replica of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart’s Triton AXCR 2022 is on display at Mitsubishi’s headquarter in Tamachi, Tokyo, starting from Nov 21, 2022. Should you be interested in driving this rally truck instead of just looking at it, the Mitsubishi Triton Phantom Plus edition might be your closest real-life bet, though it is only limited to just 1,000 units.

Folks, what do you think of Mitsubishi’s triumphant AXCR 2022 run? Was it more ‘deserving’ than the Ford Ranger Raptor’s Baja 1000 victory, where the Ranger being the sole participant in its category? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below…