Mitsubishi Motors introduced this week that Group Ralliart would compete within the August 2023 Asia Cross Nation Rally. The crew claimed an total victory eventually yr’s occasion and can once more be helmed by Hiroshi Masuoka, a former two-time consecutive Dakar Rally champion driver. Additionally returning are drivers Chayapon Yotha of Thailand and Rifat Sungkar of Indonesia, who will likely be joined by Katsuhiko Taguchi of Japan.
This yr, the Ralliart crew will try and declare a second win whereas driving the brand new Mitsubishi Triton Group T1 prototype cross-country autos. The all-new vans are fully redesigned, together with the physique, body, chassis, and engine. The reliability and sturdiness of the autos have been confirmed throughout a grueling endurance check and by making changes in preparation for the precise competitors.
“Based mostly on the unique energy of the all-new Triton, the dealing with efficiency,
stability on tough roads, and journey consolation are additional improved as a rally competitors
automobile,” stated Masuoka. “We now have performed the endurance check with a tougher course setting than the precise rally situations, confirming efficiency past our expectations and giving us an incredible confidence for our second consecutive championship.”
The Asia Cross Nation Rally 2023 will start with a ceremonial begin on Sunday, August 13, in Pattaya, Thailand. The rally formally begins the next day, with autos racing east, roughly parallel with the Cambodian border, getting into Laos on Thursday the seventeenth and reaching the end line on Saturday the nineteenth. Over the course of the rally, drivers cowl roughly 2,000 km or 1,242 miles, together with over 1,000 km of particular stage occasions.
This yr’s course additionally has an incredible number of terrain, together with mountainous areas, thick forests, muddy roads, and river crossings. The troublesome course is predicted to check the highway dealing with and sturdiness of the rally vehicles. Including to the problem, the occasion will likely be held in August, Thailand’s typical wet season and the muddy situations are anticipated to be much more extreme than final yr.
The 2024 Mitsubishi Triton L200 will debut on July 26 in Thailand forward of the Asia Cross Nation Rally. Prototypes have been noticed final yr whereas testing within the US, resulting in hypothesis that the automobile might return because the next-generation Dodge Dakota or be added to Mitsubishi’s lineup.
