The 2026 rally was held in Thailand from August 9 to 15, covering a total distance of 2,145.19km, including 921.8km of special stages.
TEAM Mitsubishi Ralliart has won the 2026 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), securing its second consecutive overall victory with the Mitsubishi Triton after also taking the title in 2025.
The 2026 rally was held in Thailand from August 9 to 15, covering a total distance of 2,145.19km, including 921.8km of special stages. Mitsubishi entered three third-generation Triton rally cars built to T1 specifications.
Katsuhiko Taguchi and co-driver Takahiro Yasui claimed the overall win with a total time of 12 hours, 58 minutes and 20 seconds, finishing two minutes and 25 seconds ahead of their nearest rival.
Their victory also marks the first time a Japanese driver and co-driver pairing has won the AXCR overall.
Taguchi started strongly by finishing third overall after Leg 1 before setting the fastest special stage time during Leg 3 to take the lead by just eight seconds.
The pair gradually extended that advantage through the following stages, building a lead of more than five minutes by the end of Leg 5.
With only 58.62km of competitive running remaining on the final day, they adopted a more measured approach and safely brought the Triton home to secure the title.
The team’s other two Tritons also completed the rally. Mitsubishi employee Kazuto Koide and co-driver Eiji Chiba finished 27th overall with a time of 20 hours, 58 minutes and 30 seconds.
Defending AXCR champions Chayapon Yotha and Peerapon Sombatwong finished 36th after suffering several setbacks throughout the rally, including punctures and an engine issue. Their final time was 34 hours, 48 minutes and 43 seconds.
According to Mitsubishi, improvements made to the latest Triton rally car included changes to its handling performance, low-rpm torque and shift control, helping it cope with the varied conditions encountered during the event.
This year’s AXCR featured everything from waterlogged plantation roads and rocky climbs to narrow forest sections, high-speed dirt roads and mountainous terrain across Thailand.
Team director Hiroshi Masuoka said the company continues to use knowledge gained from motorsport in extreme conditions to support the development of its production vehicles, including improvements to performance, safety and engineering expertise.
