AXCR 2023: Chayapon Yotha claims 3rd place overall

The Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team’s Alessandro Botturi secured second overall for the second year in a row at the TransAnatolia rally, and he was joined on the podium by his teammate Matteo Druisiani in third, while Yamaha also completed a clean sweep of the top four places in the twin-cylinder over 650cc category.

The 14th edition of the TransAnatolia saw riders start in Merson, a port city in southern Turkey, before traversing more than 2000km over seven days of challenging, rocky mountain terrain to finish in Van on the east coast.
Botturi, who finished in second behind his usual teammate Pol Tarrés in last year’s edition of the race to secure a 1-2 for the team, was once again on great form.

The experienced Italian was almost unstoppable, as he maintained a 100% podium record throughout the rally’s seven stages and finished with two stage victories to his name.

After a brilliant battle between the leading riders all rally, a dramatic finish on the final stage incredibly saw the 48-year-old on his twin-cylinder adventure bike only miss out on the overall win to a factory rider on a prototype 450cc machine by the margin of one minute and 54 seconds. This meant Botturi finished second overall for the second consecutive year, while he also secured the B3 class victory (twin-cylinder bikes above 650cc).

He was joined on the overall podium by his teammate Druisiani, who was participating in his maiden international rally raid event. The young Italian Motorally Champion was given the opportunity to race alongside Botturi as part of the official team, and the Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) rider showcased his natural ability and skill by beating much more experienced competitors to finish third overall and second in class.

Showcasing the performance and reliability of the Ténéré 700 World Rally with the three-stage GYTR kit fitted, which takes the standard road-going production bike and allows you to convert it into a full-on rally raid machine, there was more success for Yamaha in the B3 class, as backing up Botturi and Druisiani’s performances were the TSE riders taking part in the race category.

Attilio Fert and Nicolas Charlier made it four Ténéré’s in the top six in the overall classification after finishing in fifth and sixth, respectively, as well as ensuring a top four lockout of the B3 category, while Sonia Bardot ensured that all of the Yamaha riders completed the race as she secured 18th overall and seventh in the B3 class.

Source: Yamaha Racing

Team Determined to Make a Comeback Next Year

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (hereafter, Mitsubishi Motors) announced that Team Mitsubishi Ralliart, for which the company provides technical support, has won fifth place overall in the Asia Cross Country Rally (hereafter, AXCR) 2024, held in Thailand from August 11 to 17, with the Triton1 (T1 specification, or modified cross-country vehicle). The total distance covered was 2,075.54 kilometers (km), including 939.58 km2 of special stages, and Katsuhiko Taguchi finished in fifth place overall with a total time of 15 hours, 34 minutes and 52 seconds.

In the overall standings, Kazuto Koide, who competed for the first time, placed 24th, and Sakchai Hantrakul placed 27th. Chayapon Yotha retired from first place overall in Leg 5, ending in 42nd overall.
This year’s AXCR held its ceremonial start on August 11 at the landmark clock tower in Surat Thani, Thailand. The rally proper began with Leg 1 the following day, and Leg 2 took the participants from Surat Thani to Hua Hin, covering over 550 km and making it the longest section of the entire competition. Leg 3 was a special stage in the Hua Hin area, and with Leg 4, the rally headed to Kanchanaburi, on an undulating track through mountainous terrain. Leg 4 was the toughest special stage of the six days, as many teams struggled with the route over the mountains with rocky terrain, and more than 10 teams were penalized for failing to finish within the allowed time. Leg 5 was the longest special stage in this year's competition, covering 228.87 km in the Kanchanaburi area, and the competition concluded with Leg 6 on August 17, finishing at Skywalk Avenue, close to the new tourist attraction Skywalk Kanchanaburi.

This was the second year for Katsuhiko Taguchi, who started from seventh position. Although he had a hard time with the challenging course settings, he drove carefully and steadily to complete each day's special stage and improved his position from eighth place overall last year to finish in fifth place overall.

Sakchai Hantrakul started from 30th position and jumped up to fifth place in Leg 1, but was troubled by course errors and vehicle issues, finishing in 27th place.

Kazuto Koide, who competed as an employee driver, struggled at first with the course, but he continued to drive steadily, demonstrating his adaptability and supporting his teammates who got stuck or had vehicle trouble. In the end, he finished in 24th place overall.
The previous year's 3rd place overall winner, Chayapon Yotha started furthest forward for Team Mitsubishi Ralliart and drove steadily, setting times that placed him in the top ranks day after day. By the end of Leg 4, which was the toughest of all the special stages, the Triton's high off-road handling performance showed its true potential, putting him in the overall lead with a margin of over 20 minutes ahead of second place. However, due to vehicle trouble in Leg 5, he was unable to continue and had to retire from the rally.

Comment from Hiroshi Masuoka, team director of Team Mitsubishi Ralliart
“This year's Triton was perfected with enhanced performance, showing powerful driving that covered the displacement gap with our rivals and even took the overall lead at one point. It is unfortunate that we were unable to win, but the Triton was able to fully demonstrate its excellent off-road capabilities that Mitsubishi vehicles have honed over the decades. After returning to Japan, Koide, an employee driver who had competed for the first time, and others will reflect the valuable data and knowledge gained from this rally in the development of production vehicles, adding a new chapter to our tradition of leveraging motorsports experience for vehicle development. We will undergo rigorous tests again, and Team Mitsubishi Ralliart will make a comeback next year. We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support and our fans around the world for their enthusiastic cheering."

Comment from Katsuhiko Taguchi, driving Car #107 for Team Mitsubishi Ralliart
“The 2024 Triton rally car was packaged at a high level and was just easy to drive. I am happy to have improved my position from last year, but I am also disappointed because I had a good feeling that I could aim for a higher position. We will use this years’ experience as feedback to further improve the driving performance of the Triton next year, so that we can stay competitive at the top.”

Comment from Kazuto Koide, driving Car #137 for Team Mitsubishi Ralliart
“The Triton rally car I drove was a 2023 model based on a production car and has a drive mode called 4LLc for rocky terrain. Using this mode, I was able to climb a nearly 40-degree incline without difficulty while towing my teammate's car, and I was reminded once again of the high off-road performance of the Triton production car. I would like to feedback what I have learned as a driver through this rally to develop future Mitsubishi vehicles that are strong and dependable on rough roads.”

AXCR 2024 auto category overall standings
1st: Mana Pornsiricherd (Toyota Hilux Revo) 14 hours 22 minutes 00 seconds
2nd: Suwat Limjirapinya (Isuzu D-Max) 14 hours 25 minutes 47 seconds
3rd: Thongchai Klinkate (Isuzu D-Max) 14 hours 36 minutes 24 seconds
4th: Ikuo Hanawa (Toyota Fortuner) 14 hours 56 minutes 48 seconds
5th: Katsuhiko Taguchi (Mitsubishi Triton) 15 hours 34 minutes 52 seconds
6th: Olan Sornsirirat (Isuzu D-Max) 15 hours 35 minutes 34 seconds
・
24th: Kazuto Koide (Mitsubishi Triton) 23 hours 08 minutes 37 seconds
27th: Sakchai Hantrakul (Mitsubishi Triton) 24 hours 51 minutes 52 seconds
42nd: Chayapon Yotha (Mitsubishi Triton) DNF (Did Not Finish)

Source: Mitsubishi Japan

Guilherme Spinelli, boss of Spinelli Racing has finally revealed the first images of the new Mitsubishi Triton Ultimate that the team has developed together with Mitsubishi Brasil for the Sertões Rally and the Brazilian championship.

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the Triton Ultimate Racing, a prototype for the Ultimate category (T1+ FIA), the world's leading Rally Raid, designed and manufactured entirely on Brazilian soil, by our team of stars from @spinelliracing in partnership with the most successful brand in the @sertões Rally, @mitsubishimotorsbr.

Around 30 specialists, including engineers, mechanics and technicians in general, have been working together since the end of the Sertões 2023, totally focused on making this project a reality.

To see this Brazilian car come to life and now continue testing and development in the biggest rally in the Americas is a source of great pride. We used the highest technology materials and components from the main manufacturers in the sport in this car, but we had a very short time to carry out the project, which represents even more the strength, competence and dedication of our team. At Sertões 2024 we will have an excellent test laboratory, an opportunity to better understand where we are with the development of the car and to evolve every day. We are confident in the capacity and high level of competitiveness that this prototype can gradually achieve.

Photos: @ffreixosa_foto
Source: Spinelli Racing

Automatic translation of the Brazilian original source

• In the 4-wheel category, the Hilux of Toyota Gazoo Racing (Thailand) took its long-awaited first victory in its 7th entry in the series! The crown of victory went to the #105 team of Mana PORNSIRICHERD and Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand)!
• Norihisa Matsumoto of Team OTOKONAKI (Japan), who entered on a KTM 250EXC-TPI, took his first win in his 12th year of competition!

The final day of the 29th Asia Cross Country Rally was held on August 17. The team of #105 Mana PORNSIRICHERD (Thailand) and Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand) from TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND, competed in a Toyota Hilux Revo and took the overall victory.

The Mana/Kittisak duo took the lead on the first day, but a course error on the second day caused them to fall back significantly. Despite this they set the third fastest time on the third day and fourth day they recorded the top time. On the fifth day they overtook Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART who had been leading up to that point. Chayapon YOTHA (Thailand) and Peerapong Sombutwong (Thailand) of Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART had been leading the race however dropped out of contention for the top spot due to engine problems. The team was able to make it to the final stage and they managed to win their first stage victory with a flawless run.

In the motorcycle category, the top riders changed from day to day, but on the fifth and final day, #2 Norihisa Matsumoto crossed the finish line with a time substantially faster than the rest. He won the overall event by placing more than three hours over the second-placed rider.

(Photos by Manabu TAKAHASHI, Text by Dai KAWAMURA)
Source: Asia Cross Country Rally

MATSUMOTO crosses the finish line far ahead of second place!

The fifth day of the motorcycle race continued to be a battle for the top position between Japan's Team OTOKONAKI. Norihisa MATSUMOTO (#2), who started the day in 2nd position on his KTM 250EXC-TPI. He crossed the finish line in 5 hours, 5 minutes, and 12 seconds which was significantly ahead of the 2nd position rider. He had a 4-minute lead over #3 Shinichi YAMADA, who took the overall lead yesterday, but was able to turn it around and took a 44-minute lead to win the race.

Husqvarna FE450 rider #3, Shinichi YAMADA, was second fastest with a time of 5 hours, 56 minutes, and 24 seconds. Although he finished 2nd overall, he is still hoping for a comeback on the final day.

The third place in the daily standings went to Rudy POA (Indonesia) of the Indonesia Cross Country Rally Team, driving #11 KTM 350 EXCF. He maintained his 4th place in the overall standings from the previous day.

In fourth place was Takuya ONO of the #7 Orange Factory/Berik, the most energetic of the AXCR motorcyclists. On this day, the AXCR sponsor PROPAK presented an award to one of the top five motorcyclists of the day, and Ono was all smiles on stage as he said, “This is the first time I have won an award since I started competing in this event. Ono jumped up from 14th to 8th place in the overall standings.

In 5th place was Habib FADHLURROHMAN (Indonesia) of the #9 PASAMAN SATU RALLY TEAM on a Honda CRF250 RALLY, followed by Go KATSUMATA of #6 Team JAPAN on a Husqvarna FE350 in 6th place. To the surprise of all, Daiki GOTO came in 7th place on a Honda Super Cub 90.

GOTO said, “The human is fine, but the main frame of the Super Cub is starting to bend, so I'm trying to drive as slowly as possible over bumps and holes. I hope we can manage to keep it up to the finish line”.

Shocking Engine Trouble and Surprising Team Orders

At 230kms, this is the longest SS of this year's competition. The four-wheeled category saw a major upset at the very end of the SS. The Mitsubishi Triton of #103 Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART's Chayapon YOTHA (Thailand) and Peerapong SOMBUTWONG (Thailand), which had been running in the lead until suffered engine trouble and stopped 2km before the finish line due to engine trouble.

Chayapon had been been previously leading the race with a by a huge margin of 19 minutes over second place and he seemed to have his second victory almost in his grasp. For this reason, the shock to team members and fans was devastating.

In the end, Chayapon was unable to finish the race on his own, and although the Mitsubishi Triton of #137 Kazuto Koide, who was running in a support role, towed him to the goal, he was given a 3-hour penalty, which dropped him far back in the race and out of contention to win the event. The overall result was 20th, approximately 4 hours and 25 minutes behind the leader.

With this result, the Toyota Hilux of Mana PORNSIRICHERD (Thailand) and Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand) of #105 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND jumped to the top overall position.

After taking the lead on the first day, Mana made a rather large course error on the second day, falling about 23 minutes behind the leader, but he was in third place on the third day and in the lead on the fourth day. He was always giving his all and never giving up and the results of his perseverance paid off on the fifth day.

On this day, another unbelievable thing happened within the TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND team.

In this day's SS, #114 Natthaphon of the same team was running at the top of the pack, but about 50km before the goal, he suddenly stopped and waited for Mana, who was running behind him, to pass him before reaching the goal.

This was actually a team order given to Natthaphon by TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND to ensure that Mana, who is running in second place overall could finish the race ahead.

Although Natthaphon was already out of championship contention from receiving a 7-hour penalty on the first day, he is a proud legend with the most wins in the AXCR.

Natthaphon followed the team order and showed how much TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND wanted a victory and that they wouldn’t give up until the very end.

It’s now TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND’s 8th year and 7th entry in the series but they have yet to sample the sweet taste of victory. Will their persistence bear fruit in tomorrow's LEG6? In this Asia Cross Country Rally no results are guaranteed and we’ll have to wait and see.

Now, let's take a look at the overall standings, starting with 2nd place, which went to #112 ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM's Suwat LIMJIRAPINYA (Thailand) and Prakob CHAOTHALE (Thailand) in the Isuzu D-MAX.

In previous years Suwat had been fast over single stages but was inconsistent over the entire course of the rally. This year it seems he has grown as a driver and consistently been ranked at the top of the overall results.

Third place was also taken by the Isuzu SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUID MOLY RALLY TEAM, #106 Thongchai KLINKATE (Thailand) and Banpoth AMPORNMAHA (Thailand) in the Isuzu D-MAX which is completed in the T2A-D class for unmodified production vehicles. They have been consistently in the top positions in this years competition.

In 4th place was #115 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA's Ikuo HANAWA and Hirokazu SOMEMIYA's Toyota Fortuner, which started 21st on the day due to problems on day 4, but overtook the car in front to take 3rd place on the day and jumped from 7th to 4th place overall. He also jumped up from 7th to 4th overall.

In 5th place was the Mitsubishi Triton of #107 Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART, piloted by Katsuhiko TAGUCHI and Takahiro YASUI. Although it will be somewhat difficult to make up the 1-hour gap from the leader in tomorrow's short SS, they are in front of Mitsubishi RALLIART team, which is aiming for its third year of victory.

In 6th place overall was the Isuzu D-MAX of Olan SORNSIRIRAT (Thailand) and Somkiat NOYCHAT (Thailand) in the #124 Mamba racing shock, which also did well in the T2A-D class.

Last year's champions, the #101 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA team of Takuma Aoki/Ittipon SIMARAKS (Thailand) and Songwut DANPHIPHATTRAKOON (Thailand) are currently ranked 7th overall. From this position, they are eyeing the T2A-D class championship with an hawk eyes.

At the dinner, PROPAK, the sponsor of the event, presented awards to the top five finishers: Mana (1st place), Natthaphon (2nd place), HANAWA (3rd place), Suwat (4th place), and Thongchai (5th place).

Tomorrow is the final day of the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally.

Will TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND be able to achieve its long-sought after first victory? Or will the ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUID MOLY RALLY TEAM make another surge to the top? Perhaps TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA be able to bask in the glow of victory for the second year in a row? The outcome of the race will not be known until the very end.

Source: Asia Cross Country Rally
(Photos by Manabu TAKAHASHI and Naoki YOSHIZAWA, Text by Dai KAWAMURA)

Team OTOKONAKI's three Japanese riders dominate the top positions

In the evening after the motorcycle event, there was an award ceremony sponsored by WELPORT. The prize money was given to the riders ranked 1st to 5th daily, and Yuichi IIJIMA of WELPORT handed over the award to each rider on stage at dinner.

Daily 5th place went to Mufti Muis KARIM of the #5 PASAMAN SATU RALLY TEAM, riding his Honda CRF250 RALLY to the finish line in 3hr 40min 46sec, moving up from 7th to 5th place overall.

In fourth place was Habib FADHLURROHMAN (Indonesia) #9 of the PASAMAN SATU RALLY TEAM, who finished the race in 3 hours, 40 minutes and 28 seconds despite a five-minute penalty time on his Honda CRF250 RALLY. This moved him up from sixth to fourth in the overall standings.

The Japanese riders of Team OTOKONAKI swept the podium in third to first place on the day. And their competitor numbers were the order of the prizes for this event.

Third place went to #3 Team OTOKONAKI's Shinichi YAMADA (JPN) on a Husqvarna FE450. His overall ranking improved by one place from the previous day and he was in second place, about 28 minutes behind the leader.

In second place was Norihisa Matsumoto (JPN) on a KTM 250EXC-TPI. They too moved up in the overall standings to third place.

The daily leader is Yasubumi SUNAKAWA (Japan) of #1 Team OTOKONAKI, on his KTM EXC-F, with a good time of 3hr 17min 16sec to maintain his overall lead and extend his lead over YAMADA in 2nd place, giving him a big advantage heading into the second half of the race.

However, as the days go on, the distance of the SS will become even longer on days 4 and 5, so the results could still change.

In the sidecar class, where two vehicles competing, the #66 Rising Sun Racing pair of Masahito WATANABE (Japan) and Masahiro OZEKI (Japan) have completed the first half of the race without any serious injuries or mechanical problems, and are in 9th position compared to the motorcycle times, a rare achievement in recent years. We hope that they will continue to achieve the goal of completing all the SSs and RSs.

Yuichi Iijima, who stood on the stage to hand out the WELPORT Award, is a veteran four-wheeled racer who has competed in the AXCR on a regular basis in recent years, and is also competing in this year's event in a bright yellow and green Land Cruiser 300.

The Land Cruiser of yesteryear takes tenth place in the Daily 10!

There were several interesting topics on four wheels.

Firstly, the driving of Natthaphon, who has won many races, was restored. #114 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND pair of Natthaphon ANGRITTHANON (Thailand) and Thanyaphat MEENIL (Thailand) on their Toyota Hilux kicked into serious mode on day three, having recovered from the damage done on day one after repairs last night. With a time of 2 hrs 28 mins 44 secs, they were fourth fastest and they are now in contention again for the championship.

Their team mates also improved on this time and the Toyota Hilux of #105 Mana PORNSIRICHERD (Thailand) / Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand). The pair were in third place on the daily time sheets with 2hr 28min 05sec. This was the expected performance from the long-time TGR THAILAND leader.

Another topic of interest was the 10th place daily finish by Kinya MORIKAWA and Masahiko UCHIDA of #121 Kyushudanji Team Japan, who were challenging in a Land Cruiser 80 series. In 2011, MORIKAWA was in a close battle with Thai hero Polapot, and in 2012 with up-and-coming driver Natthaphon, who finished in second place overall for two consecutive years.

MORIKAWA chose a Land Cruiser 80, which he was running in the AXCR at the time, as his partner when he returned to the sport after 10 years. Although the car is over 30 years old, the Kyushudanji Team Japan has overhauled everything from the engine to the transmission and has returned to the AXCR for a three-year programme since last year. The good old Land Cruiser made it into the Daily 10 for the first time in 11 years.

The sound of the straight-six engine is immediately recognisable, even on the track, echoing from a distance. Yesterday the car was struggling with the loss of third and fourth gear in the manual transmission, but MORIKAWA is a racer who manages to bring his car to the finish line, even when he has problems. We are hoping for this team to do well in the race and return to the top.

The top time on day 3 was set by the Toyota Fortuner team of Ikuo HANAWA (Japan) and Hirokazu SOMEMIYA (Japan) from #115 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA. With a time of 2hrs 26 mins 29 secs, this was the top prize for the second day in a row and kept them at the top of the overall standings. Drivers in their 60s are leading the first half of the race with a speed that is second to none to the younger drivers.

HANAWA's involvement with AXCR goes back 10 years. He was involved as a suspension technical advisor for the current TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND team when they entered a Toyota Hilux. At that time, Mr HANAWA, who is known as an off-road mechanical constructor, introduced to AXCR a suspension mechanism with a long suspension stroke, which was designed for American desert racing.

Until then, modifications to the AXCR's suspension had been limited to replacing and strengthening springs and dampers, but the breakthrough of the TRD vehicle Hanawa was involved with at this time saw the technology spread rapidly to cross-country rallies in South East Asia.

It is deeply moving to see the man responsible for popularising the use of this suspension systems, which are now commonplace among works teams, to the rest of Asia and the world, driving at the front of the AXCR. There can be no doubt that Somemiya's navigation skills are world class. Dakar legend Kenjiro Shinozuka said that AXCR navigation is ‘the most difficult in the world’.

The #103 Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART's Chayapon YOTHA (Thailand) / Peerapong SOMBUTWONG (Thailand) Mitsubishi Triton was next in second place daily, and the 2022 champion showed his true colours on day three by moving up to second place overall and managed to catch up with Hanawa, who was in front of him.

In third place on the daily schedule was the Toyota Hilux of Mana PORNSIRICHERD (Thailand) and Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand) in the #105 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND, which was top on day one. They also jumped up from 17th to 7th overall.

5th place went to #112 ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM's Suwat LIMJIRAPINYA (Thailand) / Prakob CHAOTHALE (Thailand) in the Isuzu D-MAX, which showed a significant lead in the first half of the rally in 2022. He has been improving steadily.

In 6th place was #142 Weedboom Rayong by Gazzy4x4 of Seri SROIPHLOI (Thailand) / Noppasit SOMMANA (Thailand). In the first half of the SS they managed to overtake two of the works team trucks. overtook the two works trucks.

As a result, the overall standings for the first three days are as follows. The works Mitsubishi Triton locked on to the semi-works Toyota Fortuner. The semi-works Isuzu D-MAX and Toyota Hilux are also in contention.

1st place #115 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA, Ikuo HANAWA (JPN) / Hirokazu SOMEMIYA (JPN), TOYOTA Fortuner
2nd place #103 Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART, Chayapon YOTHA (THA) / Peerapong SOMBUTWONG (THA), MITSUBISHI Triton
3rd place #106 ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM, Thongchai KLINKATE (THA) / Banpoth AMPORNMAHA (THA), ISUZU D-Max
4th place #112 ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM, Suwat LIMJIRAPINYA (THA) / Prakob CHAOTHALE (THA), ISUZU D-Max
5th place #107 Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART, Katsuhiko TAGUCHI (JPN) / Takahiro YASUI (JPN), MITSUBISHI Triton
6th place #140 FAST FORWARD SPORT, Arunpong SRIRIT (THA) / Keerati NOIJARD (THA), TOYOTA Hilux Revo
In the AXCR, where navigation skills are a major determinant of victory or defeat, simply having a highly developed car is not enough to secure victory. In the second half of the race we move into a war of attrition. The works teams will have an advantage because of the depth of their field and their back-up systems, such as service and parts supply.

It will be interesting to see who will be the first to cross the finish line on Day 4.

Source: Asia Cross Country Rally
(Photo: Manabu TAKAHASHI, Text: Dai KAWAMURA)

Provisional Result SS1+SS2 - AUTO

Provisional Result SS1+SS2 - MOTO and SIDECAR

Trouble for several teams at the beginning of the race.

For a while after the start, the terrain changed elevation, climbing up and down small hills and the track surface was dry, hard and uneven, The narrow track width made it difficult to go fast. Yuichi Iijima, who is competing in a 300 series Land Cruiser, commented that there were places where he had to scrape both sides of the car to get through.

Here, several cars, including the Toyota Fortuner of Tubagus Adhi MOERINSYAHDI (Indonesia) and Jatuporn BURAKITPACHA (Thailand) in the #102 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA, which finished 2nd overall last year, had car problems resulting in lost time.

The Suzuki Jimny of #136 Roslyn SHEN (Taiwan) and Nada SIMARAKS (Thailand) got stuck in the mud just after they took a wrong turn. When they tried to use the winch, they could not find the remote control cable and had to use a wire to short-circuit the remote control terminal to escape. They also lost drive to the front wheels from this point on.

The Suzuki Escudo of #125 Team BANDIT Thailand's Bandit PANTHITA (Thailand) and Phairote PONGSAPAN (Thailand) went off course and fell into a lake. They went in so deep that not only the floor but also the cargo area was flooded with water. They were able to escape with a winch and after finishing the stage, the driver said: 'Everything is OK! No trouble!" He was quite cheerful and he is fully enjoying his extreme adventure.

Mana Moves to the Top of the Class, Aims for Longed-For First Win!

In the 4-wheel category, TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND's #105 Mana PORNSIRICHERD (Thailand) and Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand) in the Toyota Hilux Revo came out on top. The pair of Mana PORNSIRICHERD and Kittisak KLINCHAN (Thailand) took the top position with a speed of 1 hour and 26 minutes, despite being troubled by the challenging course that was difficult to navigate.

In second place was the Isuzu SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM's #106 Thongchai KLINKATE (Thailand) and Banpoth AMPORNMAHA (Thailand) in the Isuzu D-MAX. The D-MAX, which is smaller and lighter than the Hilux, moved like a fish in water on the narrow course, finishing 2 minutes behind the leader.

In third place was the Mitsubishi Triton of Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART #103 Chayapon YOTHA (Thailand) and Peerapong SOMBUTWONG (Thailand), the champion from 2022.

Chayapon was one of the Mitsubishi RALLIART teams that were in serious mode this year to win the championship and was cheerful and relaxed at the ceremonial start. He showed solid results at the critical moment and was only 3 minutes behind the leader.

Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART's Triton was also in 5th place, with the #130 Sakchai HANTRAKUL (Thailand)/Jumpon DOUNGTHIP (Thailand) team 6 minutes behind the leader.

In 4th place was the #115 team of Ikuo HANAWA (JPN) and Hirokazu SOMIYA (JPN), who were among the TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA team that finished 1st and 2nd overall in 2023. They had to retire due to vehicle problems, which was a frustrating experience for them. I got lost a little too much where everyone else was making mistakes, but the car is in great shape, and it's still going strong!

The first day was a rather difficult course, and it was more of a "navigation course." At the end of the day, the top four AUTO cars were the Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-MAX, Mitsubishi Triton, and Toyota Fortuner. The results were consistent with the teams and vehicles that were expected to be likely to win the race. The four-wheelers did not seem to have as much chaos and confusion on the stage as the two-wheelers.

Tomorrow, the teams will leave their hotels earlier than usual and head to Cha-am, a city in central Thailand. The distance to be covered is 553 km, the longest of this year's event. Although the 121-km race section has been shortened due to the cancellation of the second half of the race after the PC stop.

Regardless, the day will include long travel distances and the slightest issues could be disastrous. It is going to be a very tough day not only for the competitors but also for the service staff. Please look forward to the next report!

Source: AXCR
Photo: Manabu Takahashi, Text: Dai Kawamura

The ability to move forward made the difference.

Course and route changes due to road conditions are a common occurrence in rally events worldwide. When this happens on the first day of the event, it can be a nerve-racking moment for the participants. Seasoned rally competitors are able to adjust accordingly but the roads in Thailand offer an additional challenge especially for competitors who are accustomed to Japanese roads. In many cases, it is difficult to tell if a road is a road or not. The lost competitors were helped by the friendly media who pointed them in the correct general direction. Riders and navigators need to determine the correct course by comparing the distance to be travelled with the road ahead whilst travelling at speed. This is a very difficult task indeed.

The 2024 Asian Rally was originally scheduled to start from Thailand and end in Malaysia. However, due to various circumstances, the rally was to be completed in Thailand only. When the rally started, the start of SS1 was postponed due to road collapses on the first day, thus shortening the distance.

The media left the hotel one hour earlier than the start time of the Moto (motorcycle) to find a good location for shooting. After a long wait, we finally saw the top rider from Japan fly out in front of us.

After a few Japanese riders and other riders had past, we were surprised to see an off-road side car. And then, even more surprisingly, came the Japanese who had entered with what is known in Japan as “Honda's business bike - the "Super Cub." This best-selling mini bike made an unexpected appearance in the rally. This is truly strange. ..

If you ask me, it was still difficult to decipher the rally map. It was not a situation where the road conditions were difficult or blocked by obstacles, but rather a situation where the map did not match the distance from the actual road. When we took the road, we thought, "this must be it," only to realize it was different and go back to the original place. We then took another different road and ended up with others who were lost.

In such a situation, the set up of the car or bike is irrelevant. What is more important is how fast you can find the correct route, that makes the difference. If you’re lucky, a local resident will point you in the right direction (although this is doubtful), and sometimes a single word from another lost competitor can make the difference in finding your way out of the stage.

The rider who traced the route perfectly had told me that he had not been speeding but instead rode slowly and was carefully studying each frame of the map and the road.

Just when we thought the Super Cub was about to arrive, the top Auto (four-wheeled) teams who started an hour behind of us had caught up with us and we had to give way. Cars are much faster than motorcycles. They warn the motorcycles in front of them that they are approaching with their booming sirens and loud honking.

No competitors were injured today but not all competitors finished the stage. Some competitors decided to exit the stage early to ensure their own safety in the harsh environment. Once back at the hotel, everyone was in good spirits and ready to go again tomorrow.

As bikes and cars were being serviced and prepared for the next day ahead, the familiar phrases "I made it!" and "Thank God!” could be heard around Rally HQ.

As we are at day one of a 6 day event, the first thought that comes to mind is. That was a strange opening day.

Source: AXCR
Photos and text by Zensuke Tanaka