• Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui become the first Japanese pairing to claim overall victory in the AXCR behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Triton.
  • This is the second overall victory for the team in this gruelling off-road event.
  • The knowledge gained through this rally will be applied to future production vehicle development, including the soon to be launched all-new Pajero.

 

THAILAND – Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, who receives technical support from Mitsubishi Motor Corporation, secured overall victory at the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2026, the team’s second overall victory in succession.

The team fielded three crews, who piloted the competition prepared Triton bakkie in T1 specification. The rally covered a total distance of 2 145 kilometres which included 921km of Special stages.

The victory represents Team Mitsubishi Ralliart’s second consecutive AXCR overall win as well as the first overall AXCR victory by a Japanese driver and co-driver pairing.

Katsuhiko Taguchi took overall victory in a total time of 12 hours 58 minutes 20 seconds. Kazuto Koide finished 27th, while Chayapon Yotha completed the rally in 36th place overall.

Now in its 31st edition, the AXCR is a historic cross-country rally that traverses Southeast Asia, with Thailand serving as its primary stage. In recent years, the event has been held exclusively in Thailand, where dense jungles, plantations with repetitive scenery that can easily lead competitors off course, sections strewn with large rocks, river crossings where the driving line is difficult to judge, and deep, slippery mud ruts, combined with hot and humid conditions, place enormous demands on drivers, team members and their vehicles.

Team Mitsubishi Ralliart secured a hard-fought overall victory against strong rivals in a rally where success demands driving skill, navigational expertise and strong teamwork, yet luck can still influence the competition.

For Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, AXCR is an opportunity to push both vehicles and teams to their limits under extreme conditions.

In collaboration with Mitsubishi Motor Corporation the knowledge gained through this rally will be applied to future production vehicle development, including the all-new Pajero scheduled for introduction in the coming months.

Taguchi made a strong start in the first leg, minimising time losses on a day when many of the early-starting competitors went off course. Making full use of the Triton's outstanding cross-country performance through rivers and large pools of water left by heavy rain, he finished the opening leg in third place overall. He then set the fastest SS time in the third leg to move into the overall lead. Although his advantage over second place stood at just eight seconds, Taguchi and Yasui steadily extended their lead with a disciplined approach in conditions where a single mistake could have resulted in a significant loss of position.

By the end of the fifth leg, the longest stage of the rally, the pair had built a lead of more than five minutes. On the final day, they adopted a measured approach, avoiding unnecessary risks and safely reaching the finish. Carefully managing the gap to their rivals, the pair claimed their first AXCR overall victory by 2 minutes 25 seconds and sealed a second consecutive AXCR title for Team Mitsubishi Ralliart.

Mitsubishi Motors employee driver Kazuto Koide, competing in his third AXCR, got off to a difficult start when he became stuck in a roadside ditch during the first leg, resulting in a timeout penalty. He recovered strongly over the remaining stages, supporting both Taguchi and Yotha while steadily improving his pace. Koide recorded the eighth-fastest stage time in SS5 and completed all special stages to finish 27th overall.

Defending champion Chayapon Yotha suffered a puncture in the rock section of the second leg, losing valuable time while changing a tyre. Determined to recover, he climbed back to sixth overall during the third leg, but another setback followed in the latter half of leg four when he struck the right rear of the car and was forced to make a second tyre change. Engine trouble then developed in the first half of the fifth leg. Despite these difficulties and the penalties incurred, Yotha reached the finish and was classified 36th overall.

"I am extremely proud that a Japanese driver and co-driver pair has won this rally for the first time in the event's history. As a fellow Japanese, I could not be prouder of this achievement. This year's rally was a closely fought battle from the very beginning, and it was impossible to predict who would come out on top. I believe this victory was achieved because every member of the team fully committed to teamwork. Mitsubishi Motors has long used the experience gained in motorsports under extreme conditions to support the development of production vehicles. The benefits go beyond driving performance and contribute to the confidence and safety that characterise Mitsubishi Motors vehicles. The same applies to the development of our engineers, whose experiences in this environment will undoubtedly contribute to their everyday work," said Team Director, Hiroshi Masuoka.

"I never imagined we would take the overall lead by the third day. It may have looked as though everything was going smoothly from the outside, but Yasui and I were driving at the limit throughout the rally. Once we moved into the lead, our rivals were forced to take greater risks in their pursuit, which worked in our favour. The AXCR offers a unique combination of difficulty and excitement because drivers must constantly make split-second decisions on unpaved roads. Thanks to the significant improvements made to the Triton's handling performance before the event, I was able to follow my intended line and avoid punctures. I am delighted to have won, although I still regret being overtaken during the final SS. Next time, I want to make sure we are the fastest on the road all the way to the finish,” said overall winner, Katsuhiko Taguchi.

Mitsubishi Ralliart support cars

The team of Triton competition vehicles were supported by Four Delica D5 vehicles. In addition to supporting maintenance of the competition cars and overall team operations, the support cars facilitated rapid service operations and data collection through their excellent off-road capability on demanding unpaved roads and wet surfaces.

The contingent included a current Delica D5 equipped with Mitsubishi Motors’ Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle dynamics control system.

All the support cars were finished in the same design theme as the rally cars, with a bold red colour scheme expressing Mitsubishi Motors passion for motorsports.

ENDS