Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Targets Second Straight Victory at Asia Cross Country Rally 2026
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will race three Triton pickup trucks in the Asia Cross Country Rally in Thailand, aiming for a back-to-back overall victory.
- 3 Triton pickup trucks
- 2,000 km
- 79 (43 four-wheel vehicles, 36 motorcycles)
- 4 Delica D:5
What Happened
Mitsubishi Motors announced that Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, with the company's technical support, will enter the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2026 in Thailand from August 9 to 15. The team fields three Triton pickup trucks (sold as L200 in some markets) and is seeking a second consecutive victory after winning the 2025 rally. Ahead of the event, the team completed a final shakedown on an off-road course in Chachoengsao, Thailand, on August 4.
AXCR is one of Asia's largest cross-country rallies. AXCR 2026 covers about 2,000 kilometers from Pattaya to Phitsanulok via Prachinburi, Nakhon Sawan, and Kamphaeng Phet, with 79 entries comprising 43 four-wheel vehicles and 36 motorcycles. The route features jungle trails, muddy roads, river crossings, and mountain routes in hot, humid Southeast Asian conditions, testing vehicle performance, driver and co-driver judgment, team capability, and reliability. Mitsubishi Motors says it uses knowledge gained under these extreme conditions to enhance the appeal of its production vehicles and cultivate engineering expertise. Daily reports will be posted on the AXCR special website from August 10 through the final leg on August 15.
Endurance test for rally vehicles (per Team Director Hiroshi Masuoka)
Final shakedown on an off-road course in Chachoengsao, Thailand
AXCR 2026 opens in Thailand
Daily rally reports begin on Mitsubishi's AXCR special website
Final leg; rally concludes
- Chayapon Yotha and Peerapon Sombatwong – overall winners of AXCR 2022 and 2025
- Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui – fifth place overall in AXCR 2025, highest-ranked Japanese crew; Taguchi's fourth AXCR attempt
- Kazuto Koide and Eiji Chiba – Koide aims to complete every Special Stage and support the other two vehicles
Four Delica D:5 vehicles will accompany the team as support cars, handling maintenance, team operations, rapid service, and data collection. One is the current Delica D:5 with Mitsubishi's Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) system, assigned to Team Director Hiroshi Masuoka and engineers for transportation and course inspections, and features a new wrap design. All support cars share the rally cars' bold red color scheme. Team Mitsubishi Ralliart is operated by Tant Sport in Thailand, with Masuoka as Team Director on behalf of Mitsubishi Motors and engineers from Mitsubishi Motors responsible for vehicle development and technical support.
“AXCR is also an opportunity to push both vehicles and people to their limits under extreme conditions. We will apply the knowledge gained through this rally to future product development, including the all-new Pajero scheduled for introduction this fiscal year.”
“This year, our confidence in our preparation outweighs the pressure that comes with last year's victory. The Triton is even more reliable and competitive than it was last year.”
Previously from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation
Mitsubishi Motors will premiere its all-new Pajero cross-country SUV this autumn. The company promises authentic off-road capability alongside a refined, comfortable ride.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's official releases.
Why this matters
The rally is a proving ground: its extreme Thai terrain tests vehicles, drivers, and teams, and Mitsubishi Motors says it will feed lessons from this event into future production vehicles, including the all-new Pajero due this fiscal year (April 2026 to March 2027). A second consecutive title would cap a strong run for the factory-supported team.
Terms in This Story
- AXCR
- Asia Cross Country Rally, one of Asia's largest cross-country rallies held in Southeast Asia.
- Triton
- Mitsubishi Motors' pickup truck model, sold as the L200 in some markets.
- S-AWC
- Super All Wheel Control, Mitsubishi's integrated vehicle dynamics control system.
- Shakedown
- A pre-event test session in motorsport for vehicles and drivers.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.