We would like to thank Thomas Pfister for his work and this spectacular report that we publish below

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Back in 1996, when the Rally Paris Dakar was likely the only international premium rally event back in Europe, it was drawing in participants from all over the world. For Asians however it was too far to consider sending crew and cars, trucks or motorcycles around the world.
In those days the Asia Cross Country Rally was intended to be a real cross country rally, which tested both, the participants rally skills like reading road books etc. and the potential off road driving skills with considerable higher speed. Not to forget stamina, lots of energy and physical strength.
Since then the Asia Cross Country Rally has been hosted in its entirety or partially by various South East Asian countries. Thailand however has been always the starting point, except back in 1996, and countries like Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, China or even Singapore have been hosts over the years.
This year, the 28th edition of the Asia Cross Country Rally, the starting point was again Pattaya, yes, the Pattaya almost two hours southeast of Bangkok, known for its beaches and for its notorious nightlife. Literary from the “Walking Street” of Pattaya with its bars and discos to laid back Pakse in the South of Laos, a journey of more than 2.000 kilometers.
Participants from Thailand, Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia made their way to Pattaya on the 11th of August 2023. They went through the various briefings, scrutinizing sessions and last minute preparations of the vehicles. Packed, unpacked and finally prepared again differently to suit the purpose.

And even though most of the participants come and join every year, the preparation procedure is always different, cars are different and so is the terrain. So the question always remain, what to bring onboard beside the obligatory and what to keep with the support crew.
On Sunday evening the 13th of August 2023 a ceremonial start of all participants, their vehicles and their entire teams of mechanics, officials and media teams turned the “Walking Street” upside down. Brand new rubber tires instead of high heeled boots, the music outside louder than inside the many discos and a crowd far beyond the usual walking street streamers.
So beside rally prepared cars, also a large number of rally pick-ups and motorbikes lined up with their crews, some supported by the manufacturers and principles from Japan, some on their own as single fighters for the entire week to come.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines

Monday the 14th of August 2023 – Pattaya to Prachinburi

A total of 384 kilometers including a special stage (SS1) for all the participants of 207 kilometers through Thailand’s countryside, along rice paddies and plantations, as this is mostly flat farmland. A warm up stage for people to adjust to their teams, if any, their bikes and the environment. Actually a straight forward stage, it didn’t rain nor was their any major river crossing or anything remarkable of a problem to navigate. Whoever was not familiar to read the given road book yet, this was obviously an opportunity to learn something new with tracks not that far off the beaten track.

Now things became serious!

Tuesday the 15th of August 2023 – Prachinburi to Surin

A distance of approximately 463 kilometers, including a special stage (SS2) with 207 kilometers. For participants that meant 207 kilometers off-road along rice paddies and plantations again and another 256 kilometers on the road. This is double stress, tiring and challenging at the same time, especially for the motorcycle riders, who have to control their bike and the traffic when on and off the road, read the road book and pay attention to everything around them. The blazing heat of 35 °C dried out all the remaining water on the tracks, made them dusty and unforgiving, but also difficult to navigate as one was not able to see the tire marks on the tracks of the vehicle in front.

Bye-Bye Thailand. Be safe!

Wednesday the 16th of August 2023 – Surin to Ubon Ratchathani

The last stage of the Asia Cross Country Rally 2023 in Thailand this year and the final stage before moving into Laos the next day. The landscape slightly changes over time, kilometer by kilometer. It is recognizable more rural in form of tracks and track conditions, especially with a 179 kilometers special off-road stage this day. The 312 Kilometers one has to ride on the road on top of it not included. So in total almost 500 kilometers on two wheels with only one service point half way to drench your thirst and allow for minor repairs if necessary, anything else is and has to be done without any roadside assistance. The drivers cum navigator cum mechanic kind of play and it is fair to say, that stamina prevails. No energy, no concentration, failures of any kind are pre-programmed.

Hello Laos. Here we are.

Thursday the 17th of August 2023 – Ubon Ratchathani to Pakse

With a very easy, straight forward and well prepared border crossing by the organizer team, lengthy queues were able to be by-passed and eventually it was likely the easiest border crossing with various kind of vehicles from different countries, support vans and trucks, all the teams and a carnet process to follow. But still, border crossings with foreign registered vehicles are always exhausting, as chassis and engine numbers have to be identified, verified with the carnet and eventually for all vehicles of the rally-convoy. The reward was a staggering 168 kilometers of Laos finest off-road terrain literary just across the border, stage 4. As soon as one crosses the border the world changes, more off-road country roads than paved roads, a heaven for people who want to experience something different and beyond motocross.

Water, mud and bamboo bridges.

Friday the 18th of August 2023 – Pakse to Pakse

167 kilometers of finest off-road terrain around Pakse, this loop was long anticipated, not much transit time, but instead straight into action few hundred meters from the hotel. It all started with a river crossing, not much of a big deal when motorcycle drivers take the small self-made bamboo bridge, but one didn’t and one couldn’t. The URAL with its sidecar was forced to test its floating capability, and one motorcycle driver, for whatever reason, took the wrong turn. For no particular reason, not even the height of the bamboo bridge, the driver tested the waters and failed miserably. Laos is fun, the people are extremely welcoming and hospitable, the tracks are literary dirt tracks with lots of water filled potholes and Laotian culture in the South is a good mix, that makes such rally adventures very enjoyable. Unless you are not so much into really spicy food along the roadside or anything else beyond beef, chicken and pork, Laos is a motorcycle destination to explore more.

Is it over?

Saturday the 19th of August 2023 – Pakse to Pakse

By now all the participants and especially the motorcycle drivers, have eaten plenty of red dust, the back, arms and legs hurt, all the vehicles are beginning to fail more and more. The last day should test the participants the last time with a short 55 kilometers special stage, ending at the Vat Phou Khmer Hindu temple in Champasak. This is where all Asia Cross Country Rally participants met again. Here is where people started to reflect on the previous six days of hard and long driving, the experienced adventures and the challenges they faced. Here is also where international friendships were established and contact details were exchanged.

Takuma Aoki, Ittipon Simaraks and Songwut Danphiphattrankoon of team Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia (11:46:22h) and Tubagus Moerinsyahdi and his co-driver Jatuporn Burakitpachal of the team Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia (11:50:50h) finished first and second. A very strong performance of the two Toyota teams with only three minutes apart over the six stages.

Third was the Mitsubishi Triton of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart (12:00:40h), driven by Chayapon Yotha and Peerapong Sombutwong from Thailand. Fourth was a bit of a surprise for all, the Pointer Team with a car driven by Raz Yehoshua Heymann and co-driver Hillel Segal, who brought their car all the way from Israel. This team participates internationally, they joined the Dakar Rally and the Silk Way Rally before with the same car.

So basically there were only a few minutes difference between the first, the second and the third, so all are actually winners somehow, and all are amateurs who do this for fun and not for glory, well a bit, or any international championship points.

Last but not least, all participating vehicles reached the finish line, some faster than others, some by their own car, some by their support car. But most important all in good health, beside a few bruises and sprains. More than 2.000 kilometers on and off the road are obviously taking its toll to men and machines.

The spirit for next years Asia Cross Country Rally is high, even though nobody knows yet, where it will be held. Myanmar is currently impossible, Laos was host this year, Cambodia was host the year before. Vietnam or Malaysia come to mind, but let’s see.

No matter where, it would be even more fun to get more participants from other countries interested to join, test your limits, test your stamina, enjoy rally riding in Southeast Asia, join AXCR 2024!

www.asiacrosscountryrally.com

AUTO 4 wheels, Takuma Aoki (JPN) of TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA wins the overall victory!
MOTO 2 wheels Jakkrit Chawtale (THA) of JC DIRT SHOP Rally Team won the motorcycle!

Asia Cross Country Rally 2023 returned for the first time in four years as a "summer rally" with a full schedule and a full course.

Looking back, we were surprised by the lack of rainfall in the first half of the rally, and in the second half, we were plagued by swollen rivers.

In the Thailand stage, there was no rain at all, the road surface was hard and uneven and the average speed was high, placing a heavy burden on both the machines and people.

In the Laos stage, squalls after sunset caused the river to rise, forcing the cancellation of a highlight segment that was expected to generate much drama.

If only there had been more rain on the Thai side and less rain on the Lao P.D.R. side, we would have been able to create the "Asia Cross Country Rally" that the organizers envisioned, but such is rallying. But this is another rally, and we cannot control the weather. However, it was also a rally that made us realize how difficult it is to set up a course.

Nevertheless for the contestants who had battled on the tough road surface in the extraordinary heat and dust since the first day, this rally must have been an unforgettable memory that will last a lifetime.

At the finish line of the final SS, some were in tears of joy, others hugged each other, others shook hands with their partners and others praised each other with an outpouring of emotions at the end of a long battle that had pushed them beyond their own limits.

Among them, there was a MOTO who jumped into the finish line faster than anyone else and with a huge gut-punch. You may have already guessed that it was Jakkrit Chawtale (THA) of the #17 JC DIRT SHOP Rally Team on a KTM 500 EXC-F.

Jakkrit, who competed in the M2 class with engine displacements ranging from 251cc to 700cc, took the lead on the first day and continued to widen the gap from the second day onward, never relinquishing the top overall position until the final day when he closed out the 6-day battle by setting the fastest time in the final SS as a champion. It was an impressive performance.

In the AUTOl category, a semi-works team driver with a disability and two limbs went toe-to-toe with the works teams and overcame numerous problems to come out on top! This was a surprise that no one could have predicted.

Takuma Aoki, #105 from TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA who was competing as a Fortuner in the 51.96km final SS6, which started from the overall ranking of the previous day drove without any danger and reached the finish without being overtaken by anyone.

In fact, this machine had been having a series of problems from the first day. Within 5 minutes of starting the first SS1, the front right drive shaft broke and the car went into 2WD. This problem was not completely resolved in the second half of SS1 after emergency repairs, nor in SS2 the following day and we were forced to race in 2WD for the entire 2 days.

However, the fact that the team was able to compete in the top time even with 2WD gave them a lot of confidenc. On the third day, when 4WD became usable without any problems, TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA dominated the daily top three places led by the daily top tuners Ikuo Hanawa (JPN) and Hirokazu Somemiya (JPN), and Takuma Aoki's machine took the overall lead.

Thereafter, Aoki who was running without any major breakdowns as not to damage his machine with his rivals chasing him continued to run at the top, coming in 2nd and 3rd in the Laos stage and on the final day, he completely slowed down his pace to finish the race with a solid race performance. On the final day, he completely slowed down to finish the race with a solid performance. He was crowned the first winner, the overall winner and the T1D class winner all at once.

Second place overall went to teammates #121 Tubagus Moerinsyahdi (IDN) and Jatuporn Burakitpachai (THA). Although their machine was not as heavily modified as Takuma's, the silky engine characteristics were well suited to the many stop-and-go stages of the Asia Cross Country Rally and they drove "not as fast as they look, but their times are good" to catch up with Aoki's car #105. They reached the finish at the same time.

In 3rd place overall was Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART #101 Chayapon Yotha (THA) and Peerapong Sombutwong (THA) driving the new Triton. Chayapon who won the overall championship last year despite is a 35-year-old driver who makes few mistakes and is known for his clever and effortless driving.

His style of driving the car quickly and accurately without breaking it and always returning to the finish line unscathed are qualities that are more important than anything else in the rally scene. Last year's victory was not a fluke, but a testament to his ability.

The Mitsubishi Triton rally machine which came out with a bang has been consistently fast since its first year despite minor problems and it will be interesting to see how it approaches the competition against Toyota's Hilux Revo and Isuzu's D-MAX, which are dominating the AXCR scene in terms of numbers. The focus of attention will be on how the team will approach the competition.

TCD ASIA PACIFIC INDONESIA, President Director Toshio Obara who leads the TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA team said "We have challenged this rally four times since 2017 with the Toyota Fortuner. We are developers, so we are not only focused on race results. However, we are very happy to have received such a surprise while we were all working so hard to meet the challenge. Needless to say, this result was made possible by the efforts of our excellent drivers and co-drivers, including Takuma Aoki and Tubagus, but I am also very proud of the support of the mechanics from Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan who came together to support the team. Through these activities, we will continue to convey to our customers the appeal and strength of Toyota vehicles. We look forward to your continued support."

Hiroshi Masuoka, Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART manager commented, "Although we are disappointed, I am proud that we were able to enter three cars in the race and lead them all to the finish. I think this was a great opportunity to show everyone the reliability of the new Triton. This is our second year competing in this rally and our main goal is to collect a variety of basic data for car building and to train the engineers involved in this project. We believe that these rally are very important for us in the sense that we can apply the know-how gained under such severe conditions to mass-produced vehicles and deliver them to our many customers around the world. Next year, we will further strengthen our team, refine the know-how we have gained this time, and do our best to win the championship."

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After the SS, the contestants reached "Wat Phou," a World Heritage site that is the pride of Lao P.D.R., after a 50 km road section. This is where the ceremonial finish was held, and the MOTO and AUTO machines arranged in order of their final results were introduced and passed through the podium gate one by one.

During this time, not only the riders but also the mechanics and others who had been supporting the team behind the scenes gathered in front of the machines, cheering with delight, and taking "commemorative photos" over and over again. At this point, it was "no side," no friend or foe. Sharing the joy of each other and praising each other for finishing the rally, the annual festive event of the Asia Cross Country Rally continued until the evening breeze became just a little bit cooler. The festivities continued until the evening breeze cooled it down a bit.

After all the vehicles that had traveled together from all over Thailand for the rally circus arrived at the Campasak Grand Hotel in Pakse, a dinner party was held in a large hall. I will report here later the awards that were presented at the dinner party. We also have a few more things to add, so please wait a while for the finished version.

After a long and winding road, the 2023 Asia Cross Country Rally has now ended. Unfortunately, we were only able to introduce a few of the top finishers and teams in this official report, but all the participants have their own stories to tell, and each of them has their own "passionate feelings" that we are unable to fully introduce here.

Source: Asia Cross-Country Rally
Photos by Manabu Takahashi, Text by Dai Kawamura

Lody Natasha and Sasty Laksamana, two Indonesian girls, successfully reached the end of the demanding Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2023, which lasted six days and crossed Thailand and Laos. Driving an Isuzu D-Max, the two srikandi, who are the first women's team from their country, finished in second place in the women's class.

Besides, in their debut at the race, they finished 35th overall among the cars. As for the prestigious race, often called Asia's 'Dakar Rally', this edition started from Pattaya, Thailand, on Monday, August 14, 2023, and finished in Pakse, Laos, on Saturday, August 19, 2023.

At this time, the young women had to use all their skills because the race and terrain were very challenging. "The route is so incredibly challenging to face. The participants must really pull out all the abilities they have. We are grateful to have reached the finish line," said Lody Natasha.

Lody Natasha is grateful to be able to overcome the many challenges that await AXCR 2023. The challenge starts with a car getting disturbed like a strike, having time to finish, getting a penalty, getting lost in the eucalyptus forest, flat tires, an engine not working correctly and making a lot of smoke, passing through a heavy field with a lot of big holes, and roads with a lot of deep mud.

"Despite facing many challenges, we have done our utmost to ensure that everything succeeds well. May what we do honor the name of Indonesia through AXCR 2023," said Lody Natasha.

As the first female team to represent Indonesia at this prestigious AXCR 2023 event, Lody Natasha made her driver debut, and Admiral Sasty as a co-driver. Nevertheless, both of them succeeded in yielding the best results.

"This is Lody Natasha's first debut as a driver at AXCR and Admiral Sasty's first as a race co-driver," Lody said.

Meanwhile, Admiral Sasty is grateful to be able to follow AXCR 2023 with maximum results. Despite the many challenges, they've all been well solved. In fact, he and Lody Natasha are able to communicate effectively, maximize synergy, and collaborate so that success minimizes risks during races.

"We are grateful to be able to support each other and complement each other in AXCR 2023 and can complete all the legs that exist with maximum. May the best effort that we can do this be a sweet gift of the 78th HUT of RI independence," said Admiral Sasty.

If driven backwards, on LEG-1, Lody Natasha and Admiral Sasty visited a variety of terrains, ranging from sandy roads, cliffs, and rocks, to getting lost in the eucalyptus forest due to errors in the road book made by the organizing committee.

As for the LEG-2, the race was even harder because the road was more rocky, from small to large rocks. In fact, there's an argument between two people who have been friends for a long time. Not only that, in the LEG-2, the car had a flat tire, so they had to call the rescue team.

In LEG-3, Lody Natasha and Admiral Sasty could finally taste the satisfaction of reaching the end without troubles, while in LEG-4, the terrain was once again much more complicated than in the previous leg.

For instance, the tracks on the LEG-4 were full of big holes, roads with a lot of mud, many places with water that made it hard to get through, thick dust on the road, and a disturbing sight, until heavy rain. In LEG-4, Lody Natasha and Admiral Sasty successfully reached the finish line again.

For the LEG-5, the track was once again very complicated. In this leg, there's a number of challenges ranging from the air conditioner not working properly and sending the smell of gasoline inside the car,  the car engine not working properly, an accident that didn't allow the engine to start, or still looking for parts at 8:00 a.m. in Laos to repair the car before the start.

"LEG-5 can be said to be a fast track, but after 50 kilometers, we started to smell gasoline coming from the air conditioner vents. We tried to continue, but suddenly smoke came out under the co-driver's seat, Admiral Sasty. We were saved by another team, the LodySasty team, who came to rescue us," said Lody Natasha.

While on the LEG-6, the route can be said to be fast track, with the challenge of having some parts with water, quite deep in some points, including a river, and the distance reaching 125 kilometers. On this leg, Lody Natasha and Sasty Admiral succeeded in reaching the finish line.

"We are grateful to all those who helped us reach this point. May this also be the most beautiful gift for the 78th HUT of Indonesian Independence. Merdeka!" said Lody Natasha and Sasty Admiral compact.

As information, these two teams are supported by Myslo Floret, Prive Dental and Medical Team, Pikoli Racing Oil, Astra Isuzu Indonesia, Trigana Air, Ariana Gunawan, Suwarnadwipa Nusantara Circuit, Siaga, Eyang Agung Society, Gurame Edan, Sariayu Martha Tilaar, and The Purnomo Yusgiantoro Center.

INFO: This text was automatically translated using AI. Some sentences may not be 100% correct.

After the final day of the 2023 AXCR, Chayapon Yotha claims 3rd place overall and all three MITSUBISHI TRITONs complete the rally

LEG 6, the 6th and final day of competition in the 2023 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) took place on Saturday 19 August, and Chayapon Yotha (Thailand) / Peerapong Sombutwong (Thailand) in #101 TRITON finished the rally in 3rd overall. WIth Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan) / Takahiro Yasui (Japan) in Car 112 also completing the rally in 8th and Rifat Sungkar (Indonesia) / Chupong Chaiwan (Thailand) in Car 106 in 32nd overall, Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART received the Team Award.

The total distance of Selective Section (SS) 6 was 51.96km. The first part of the route was the same as the second part of SS4, but towards the end, the competitors drove a new route. It was significantly shorter than the previous SSs, but the degree of difficulty remained the same, with high-speed sections and travel through villages along the way. Local children waved the Lao flag and cheered on the participants near the finish.

Yotha completed this final SS in 7th with careful driving, prioritising staying in 3rd overall. In doing so, he successfully brought the all-new TRITON its first podium finish. Taguchi caught up with a competitor in front early in SS6 but was unable to overtake and finished behind them. The Japanese driver set the 5th fastest time in SS6. He finished the rally in 8th place overall after moving up one place when one of the top runners stopped. Looking back at his first cross-country rally, Taguchi commented, “I had no problems with driving the car and driving on roads without pace notes when I actually drove in the rally. The all-new TRITON is very robust and easy to drive with good handling.” After showing speed and taking the fastest time in SS5, Sungkar adjusted his pace for the day to complete the rally. He took no risks and finished the SS in 22nd to conclude the rally in 32nd overall.

At the ceremonial finish held at Prasat Wat Phu, a World Heritage site of a ruined temple, all participants who had completed the rally passed through the gate and shared their joy. Team Mitsubishi Ralliart won the Team Award, which is contested between teams that entered two or more vehicles and all completed the race, with the combined time of the top two vehicles of each team. They proved the car's robustness and reliability in this challenging rally. The team will thoroughly analyse the data obtained from this rally and use it for future development.

Comments from Chayapon Yotha, driver of Car 101: "Overall, road surface conditions were very tough this year. Even so, we managed to complete all the SSs, and thanks to the team, we were able to help each other and cross the finish line. Of course we wanted to be higher up, and we wanted to get back to our best position - a win in the rally and to get the trophy. Needless to say, the overall performance and drivability of the TRITON has improved compared with last year. My impression is that it has improved comprehensively including the engine, suspension and frame. Next year I hope to be stronger and try again."

Comments from Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART team director Hiroshi Masuoka: "It's been a tougher fight than we imagined this year. We struggled in some parts, especially in the first half, on the intricate and complicated course. We gradually picked up the pace in the second half of the rally and Chayapon (Yotha) was able to improve his position, eventually finishing 3rd overall. Of course I'm disappointed, but the results will certainly be a benefit for our future and we've collected a lot of data. I'm really grateful to the team members who prepared for the rally in such a short time. In addition, as all three of the all-new TRITONs completed this tough rally, I felt once again how good the durability and handling of the car is. It is a level of perfection that we can confidently recommend to everyone as a car launched globally. We would like to thank all the sponsors of our team and the many people who have supported and cheered us on. We hope to use this experience in the future and make further progress."

Source Mitsubishi Motors