Team Mitsubishi Ralliart secures Asia Cross Country Rally AXCR 2026 overall win – team’s second consecutive victory
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart secured overall victory at the 2026 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), held in Thailand from August 6th to 15th. The team entered the rally with three Mitsubishi Triton pickup trucks prepared to T1 specification (modified cross-country vehicles). The victory marks Team Mitsubishi Ralliart’s second consecutive overall AXCR win, as well as the first overall AXCR victory by a Japanese driver and co-driver pairing.
The historic cross-country rally covered a total distance of 2,145.19 km, including 921.80 km of Special Stages (SS), taking competitors through dense jungles, plantations, and sections featuring large rocks and river crossings. Competitors had to navigate deep, slippery mud ruts in hot and humid conditions, pushing the drivers, team members, and vehicles to their limits.
In the end, Katsuhiko Taguchi and co-driver Takahiro Yasui claimed overall victory with a total time of 12 hours, 58 minutes, and 20 seconds. The other Japanese pairing, Kazuto Koide and Eiji Chiba, finished the rally in 27th place with a total time of 20 hours, 58 minutes, and 30 seconds. Meanwhile, 2025 AXCR winners Chayapon Yotha and Peerapon Sombatwong finished in 36th place with a total time of 34 hours, 48 minutes, and 43 seconds.
The ceremonial start on Walking Street in Pattaya marked the beginning of the rally, with the first SS taking place on August 10. Participants headed north from Pattaya to Prachin Buri through eucalyptus and rubber plantations, while heavy rain left water-filled sections resembling rivers along the Leg 1 route. Taguchi made a strong start by minimising time losses, while many of the early-starting competitors went off course.
Leg 2 moved west from Prachin Buri to Nakhon Sawan. However, the SS was shortened due to a scheduled military exercise at a training ground along the route. Leg 3 featured a loop route from Nakhon Sawan through plantation areas in northern Thailand before returning to the city. By this point, Taguchi had set the fastest SS time and taken the overall lead of the rally by eight seconds.
Leg 4 continued north from Nakhon Sawan to Kamphaeng Phet. The route passed through forests and rural communities before entering farm roads that wound through cassava and sugarcane fields, including several high-speed sections. This was where Taguchi’s lead increased further.
Leg 5 took competitors towards Phitsanulok in northern Thailand and was the longest stage of the rally, with Taguchi extending his lead to more than five minutes. The final day of the rally, Leg 6, featured a 58.62-km route traversing mountainous terrain before returning to the city for the finish. Taguchi avoided unnecessary risks and safely reached the finish, claiming overall victory by 2 minutes and 25 seconds over the second-place finisher to secure the AXCR title.
As for Taguchi’s teammates, Mitsubishi employee Kazuto Koide, who was competing in his third AXCR, endured a challenging start to the rally. He got stuck in a ditch during Leg 1, resulting in a time penalty. Defending champion Chayapon Yotha also suffered a setback in Leg 2 after picking up a puncture in the rocky section, costing him valuable time while changing the tyre.
Yotha managed to recover some ground with a sixth-place finish in Leg 3, but suffered another setback in Leg 4 after hitting the right-rear section of the vehicle, forcing him to make a second tyre change. An engine issue further hampered his progress during the first half of Leg 5.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Team Director Hiroshi Masuoka said, “I am extremely proud that a Japanese driver and co-driver pairing has won this rally for the first time in the event’s history. As a fellow Japanese, I could not be more proud 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. I’d like to thank everyone for supporting us,” he added.
Team Mitsubishi Ralliart Car Driver #106 Katsuhiko Taguchi said, “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.”
He added, “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.”
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