Team Mitsubishi Ralliart has won the 2026 Asia Cross Country Rally in Thailand with an all-Japanese crew, marking the vehicle's second consecutive AXCR title and the first overall win by an entirely Japanese driver-co-driver pairing in the event's history.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart has claimed overall victory at the 2026 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), one of Asia's most demanding motorsport competitions, driving the Mitsubishi Triton. Driver Katsuhiko Taguchi and co-driver Takahiro Yasui completed the gruelling event in 12 hours, 58 minutes and 20 seconds, finishing ahead of competitors by a margin of 2 minutes and 25 seconds. This represents the team's second consecutive AXCR title and marks a historic milestone as the first overall victory achieved by an all-Japanese driver and co-driver team in the rally's history.
The rally took place in Thailand from August 9 to 15, spanning 2,145.19 kilometres across diverse terrain. Competitors faced 921.80 kilometres of competitive special stages that included water-filled tracks, rocky climbs, dense forests, deep mud, river crossings and high-speed plantation roads, all under intense heat and humidity conditions. Taguchi assumed the overall lead after setting the fastest time during Leg 3, and the team maintained consistent performance throughout the demanding course.
According to Colombo Gazette's report, the Triton demonstrated exceptional durability and all-terrain capability throughout the event. The publication noted that while the rally-winning vehicle is a specially modified competition model, the production Triton shares the same core engineering foundation and suspension design. United Motors Lanka PLC, the authorised Mitsubishi distributor in Sri Lanka, highlighted that the vehicle's rally-proven reliability translates to performance on local roads and challenging terrain.
