It was supposed to be a redemption day for Mitsubishi. They had a much-improved Triton for the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR). The Triton driven by Chayapon Yotha looks to have taken the lead at the Stage 5 of the race only for the engine to fail with 2 kms left. It wouldn’t restart. They had to be towed by teammate Kazuto Koide resulting in a massive 3-hour penalty for Chayapon that later decided to retire from the remaining stage. After the final leg, Team Mitsubishi Ralliart finished 5th thanks to Katsuhiko Taguchi and co-driver Takahiro Yasui.
Being so close to gold, the loss is one that’s not easy to take especially with a still unknown cause. But it is moments like these that make legends out of mortals and Mitsubishi is not new to this situation.
Mitsubishi first started rallying back in 1967 with their Colt and Galant. It wasn’t FIA sanctioned back then. They were there when the World Rally Championship (WRC) came to be in 1973, until they decided to leave the sport in 2005. In those 32 (WRC) years, Mitsubishi was only able to win the chip one time – in 1998 – but helped Tommi Mäkinen get 4 consecutive championships from ‘96-’99. Does that mean all those years are wasted? No.
Their experience in rallying gave us 10 versions of the Lancer Evolution, the Super All-Wheel Control which is a higher form of all-wheel drive system, and the Active Yaw Control which was first fitted in the Lancer Evolution IV but is now present in the Xpander Cross MPV and XForce crossover. Driving in rough terrain in different weather conditions including ice and snow also helped develop the Drive Modes that Mitsubishi cars enjoy today.
The same thing happened in the Dakar Rally. Mitsubishi joined in 1983 and left the sport in 2009 a legend. They had 12 Overall Wins with 7 of them Consecutive from 2001-2007. The learnings from the Pajero Evolution they were racing back then translated to the diesel engines we enjoy today, the Super Select 4WD-II system used in 4×4 variants, and the suspension of the Montero Sport (that has been trickled down to the Xpander line).
One can definitely feel the shift when Mitsubishi left motorsports. The Lancer Evolution line and even the flagship Pajero were axed in lieu of smaller cars, crossovers, and MPVs. If you look at Mitsubishi’s cars globally, nothing spoke of excitement anymore. They were merely following trends.
Mitsubishi returning to the dirt is the best thing to happen to them in a while. This isn’t like the Pikes Peak Hill Climb where it’s only a 3-year plan, nor the earlier AXCR venture with the Outlander PHEV as technical support for another team. This time, Mitsubishi is back with their own works team – Team Mitsubishi Ralliart – to get their hands and wheels dirty.
No one can say the comeback win in 2022 was mere luck because this year, they were really close. If not for that mishap in the 5th stage, Mitsubishi could’ve gotten the win. Team Director and Back-to-back Dakar Winner Hiroshi Masuoka knows it best.
“We’ve evolved the Triton in all directions to take revenge for last year and we were able to verify its effectiveness,” said Masuoka after the race. “The direction in which we have been preparing is not wrong, and the car’s performance has improved significantly. We’ll prepare for next year to further improve driving performance and reliability.”
If there’s anyone who knows how to turn a loss to a future win, that would be Mitsubishi. They are definitely hungrier for a win after this close call with the young 6th-gen Triton. Add to that the torture-test the pickup is going through and who knows, Mitsubishi might bless us with a new feature in its next iteration after the learnings at this year’s AXCR. It can even be applied to another car like the Montero Sport. Even better, just a wishful thought, a win can lead to a return of the Pajero. But as a fan of the sport and the brand, I’ll be happy with whatever fruit this experience produces.
Photos by Vincent Villa
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