Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Targets Back-to-Back Titles at Asia Cross Country Rally 2026

Tokyo, August 7, 2026 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (hereafter, Mitsubishi Motors) announced that Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, which receives technical support from the company, will compete in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2026 in Thailand from August 9 to 15 with three Triton¹ pickup trucks as it seeks to claim a second consecutive victory. With the start of the rally approaching, the team completed a final shakedown on an off-road course in Chachoengsao, Thailand, on August 4 and finalized its preparations.

Comments from Team Mitsubishi Ralliart
Hiroshi Masuoka, Team Director
"AXCR 2026 is finally here. Since the endurance test in May, the team has continued to refine and fine-tune the vehicles, and the pre-event shakedown confirmed a high level of readiness across vehicle performance, driver readiness, and service operations. Together as a team, we will target both overall victory and back-to-back titles. 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 year²."

Chayapon Yotha, Driver
"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, and we felt very good about the vehicle during the shakedown. AXCR is a demanding rally where you never know what can happen until the very end, but my goal is to win every stage and bring overall victory to the team."

Katsuhiko Taguchi, Driver
"This will be my fourth attempt at AXCR, and I approach this year's rally determined to compete for the overall win. As a team, we will be aiming for back-to-back titles with Chayapon at the forefront, but I am also ready to challenge for a podium finish and even victory myself. The shakedown reaffirmed the vehicle's high level of readiness, and I am confident that we can compete under any road conditions. It will be a long and demanding rally, but I intend to tackle one stage at a time and contribute to the team's overall victory and back-to-back title."

Kazuto Koide, Driver
"This year, in addition to completing every Special Stage and achieving a strong result of my own, I will devote my full efforts to supporting the other two vehicles and contributing to the team's pursuit of overall victory and a second consecutive title. I also hope to bring back not only the knowledge gained through this rally but also the organizational and personal growth fostered through this challenge, so that it can be fed back into the development of future production vehicles."

Mitsubishi Motors will provide daily reports on its AXCR special website from the opening day of the rally on August 10 through the final leg on August 15.

AXCR is one of Asia's largest cross-country rallies, featuring a wide range of unpaved terrain, including jungle trails, muddy roads, river crossings, and mountain routes. Taking place in the hot and humid conditions characteristic of Southeast Asia, the rally tests not only vehicle performance but also the judgment of drivers and co-drivers, overall team capability, and a high level of reliability. Mitsubishi Motors utilizes knowledge gained under these extreme conditions to enhance the appeal of its production vehicles and cultivate engineering expertise.

AXCR 2026 will be held in Thailand from August 9 to 15, covering approximately 2,000 kilometers from Pattaya to Phitsanulok via Prachinburi, Nakhon Sawan, and Kamphaeng Phet. A total of 79 entries will compete, comprising 43 four-wheel vehicles and 36 motorcycles.

Four Delica D:5 vehicles will once again accompany Team Mitsubishi Ralliart as support cars. In addition to supporting maintenance of the competition cars and overall team operations, the support cars facilitate rapid service operations and data collection through their excellent off-road capability on demanding unpaved roads and wet surfaces.

One of the four vehicles is the current Delica D:5 equipped with Mitsubishi Motors' Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle dynamics control system. Assigned to Team Director Masuoka and engineers for transportation and rally course inspections, it also features a new wrap design.

All support cars share the same design theme as the rally cars, with a bold red color scheme expressing Mitsubishi Motors' passion for motorsports.

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart is operated by Tant Sport based in Thailand, with Hiroshi Masuoka serving as Team Director on behalf of Mitsubishi Motors. Engineers from Mitsubishi Motors are also responsible for vehicle development and technical support during the competition. The driver lineup consists of Chayapon Yotha and Peerapon Sombatwong, the overall winners of AXCR 2022 and 2025; Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui, who achieved fifth place overall as the highest-ranked Japanese crew in AXCR 2025; and Kazuto Koide and Eiji Chiba.

AXCR 2026 Official Website:
https://asiacrosscountryrally.com/index.html（Open in a new window）

Ralliart Official Social Media

X (Japanese only):
https://x.com/ralliart_jp（Open in a new window）

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ralliart.official/（Open in a new window）

AXCR Special Website:
https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/brand/ralliart/axcr/axcr2026/