- Team Mitsubishi Ralliart says its Triton is ready for the 2026 AXCR campaign.
- The rally covers around 2,000 km across six days in Southeast Asia.
- Chayaphon Yotha leads a three driver line-up with major regional rally pedigree.
Triton prepares for AXCR
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart has confirmed its Triton is ready for the 2026 Asia Cross Country Rally, with the squad targeting a second consecutive overall title in one of the region's toughest off-road events.
The AXCR 2026 route will cover approximately 2000 km across six days, combining heat, humidity and sharply varied terrain through Southeast Asia. That means the Triton will need to handle everything from steep mountain sections and narrow jungle tracks to muddy river crossings triggered by sudden downpours.
Six days of varied terrain
It will not be a slow slog throughout, either. The course also includes flat, high-speed unpaved grassland and farm tracks, alongside rough low- to medium-speed roads. That mix makes reliability, driver judgement and set-up adaptability just as important as outright pace.
Team Director Hiroshi Masuoka, Team Principal Chayut Yangpichit and Technical Director Kopong Amatayakul lead the campaign, bringing together motorsport management, local rally knowledge and technical direction for the Triton programme.
Champion driver line-up
The driver line-up gives Mitsubishi a strong foundation for its title defence. Chayaphon Yotha returns as a two-time AXCR overall champion, having won in 2022 and 2025. He is joined by Katsuhiko Taguchi, who brings experience from two FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship titles, and Kazuto Koide, a Mitsubishi test driver responsible for many models including Pajero and Lancer Evolution.
Mitsubishi has not disclosed new mechanical specifications for the AXCR 2026 Triton in the release, so the focus remains on the team's readiness, its proven driver roster and the specific demands of the course ahead.
Why it matters for ute fans
For New Zealand ute fans, the story is less about showroom numbers and more about what brutal rally conditions can reveal. Six days of heat, mud, river crossings and high-speed unpaved roads create a very different kind of proving ground, especially for a nameplate already familiar on Kiwi roads.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart enters AXCR 2026 with a clear target: defend its crown, prove the Triton again, and turn Southeast Asia's harshest rally conditions into another title run.
