REPORT
Katsuhiko Taguchi displays good performance and moves up to 4th overall
Team MITSUBISHI RALLIARTT takes 3rd and 4th places overall
LEG 2, the second day of competition in the Asia Cross Country Rally 2024 (AXCR) took place on Tuesday 13 August. Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan) /Takahiro Yasui (Japan) of the No. 107 TRITON showed a good performance, and moved to 4th from yesterday’s 7th overall. Chayapon Yotha (Thailand) /Peerapong Sombutwong (Thailand) held the 3rd overall position from yesterday, while Sakchai Hantrakul (Thailand) /Jumpol Doungthip (Thailand) dropped to 14th overall. The TRITONs will be aiming to improve their positions by working as a team.
The stage for today's competition was SS2. It's a day with the longest travel distance in the rally, going north from Surat Thani to Hua Hin. The longer and harsher the conditions are, there should be more occasions where the strengths of the TRITON such as robustness and rough-road drivability can be demonstrated. However, it was announced the night before that the route for this day would also be shortened. The organiser told that the distance would be shortened from 121.67km by making the Passage Control (PC) at 75.19km the finish and the second half cancelled.
Today the route was set to run through plantations in mountainous areas while passing through several settlements. Speed limits in some settlements means that there are only a limited number of sections where they can go all out. Maintaining a good balance and focus could be one of the keys to success. However, in a similar forest landscape, crews were constantly missing the route, and there were some position changes among the leaders.
The starting order is determined on the basis of the previous day's classification. Yotha started 3rd, Hantrakul 5th, Taguchi 7th, and Kazuto Koide (Japan) /Eiji Chiba (Japan) 26th. The first starter in the four-wheel category started SS2 at 10:09am. It was Taguchi who showed remarkable speed. While suffering from miss-courses, he posted the fourth fastest SS time at 1hr 24min 52sec, and climbed three positions in the overall classification. Clocking in a time of 1hr 27min 26sec, Yotha kept his 3rd place. Hantrakul was slower at 1hr 43min 45sec and was forced to fall back. Koide learnt a hard lesson in the AXCR, losing about an hour due to a course mistake. Although he has dropped significantly to 32nd overall, he has continued to drive carefully with the goal of finishing the rally as his first priority because he also plays a role in supporting the team as a quick support.
On the third day of the competition on Wednesday the 14th, LEG3/SS3 will take a route departing from the hotel that serves as the base in Hua Hin and returning to Hua Hin. The first half of the SS will take participants on roads through pineapple and mango plantations, while the second half will take them through scenery typical of the AXCR, including sections passing through villages and alongside Pran Buri Dam. The distance of the SS will be 179.63km and start at 6.30am, with the first starter in the MOTO class (motorcycles).
Comment from Katsuhiko Taguchi, driver of Car No. 107
"I think I finished with a good time today being fourth fastest. However, I got lost in two places and lost a lot of time in one of them. Even so, it was better than yesterday, but I wouldn't say my driving is yet at its best. The route wound through plantations, making navigation difficult. In terms of the car, there is still plenty of reserve, but if I go faster I may make course errors. So I haven’t been able to utilise 100% of the TRITON’s performance but the car is definitely faster than last year on the straights, and the drivability over gaps and the level of driver’s fatigue are completely different. If we can get a good combination on good roads, I think we'lll be able to show even more of our potential."
Comment from Hiroshi Masuoka, Team Director of Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART
"I think the team as a whole has been doing well so far. Taguchi and Chayapon (Yotha) are in good positions and if they get a chance they can make up the time difference to the leader. Sakchai (Hantrakul) deviated from the route and fell behind. The navigators from other teams have been struggling as well. It seems like it's difficult to match up with the road book. Even if they want to increase their pace, they can't under this situation. It's stressful but that's part of the rally. Unless there’s a good balance in the driver and the car, it’s impossible to win this rally. Koide also made a course error, but experience is important in everything. We’re now entering the middle part of the rally, and we’ll continue to work together as a team until the very end and provide full support to our crews."
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