2022 AXCR champion, Mitsubishi preparing Triton Ralliart version in Indonesia?

ROCKMOTIVE, Jakarta – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) through the motorsport division in particular Mitsubishi Ralliart just finished running Asian Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2022 and won the championship. At the AXCR 2022 event, the national driver and also the brand ambassador of Mitsubishi Indonesia, namely Rifat Sungkar Become a driver for the Mitsubishi Ralliart team.

Mitsubishi Ralliart team driver Chayapon Yotha (Thailand) managed to finish in first place overall, with a total time of 8 hours, 22 minutes and 42 seconds, and driver Rifat Sungkar (Indonesia) finished in fifth place, 17 minutes 14 seconds behind the leader standings. .

Mitsubishi Ralliart team in this event AXCR received the technical support of Mitsubishi Motors with the Triton rally car (off-road prototype of Group T1). The success of the Mitsubishi Triton raises the question of whether the Ralliart edition of the Triton will be sold to consumers, especially in Indonesia.

According to Naoya Nakamura, President Director of PT Mitsubishi Motors Krama Yudha Sales Indonesia (MMKSI), noting the fact that the cars used in this rally are purely stock models with no significant modifications, this is a clear proof of the toughness and strength of the Triton, which has been proven directly in the field.

Read also: AXCR 2022 Becomes Battle Arena For Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart On Fierce Track

“In Indonesia, Triton dominates the crew cab segment, particularly in the fleet market, as a reliable workhorse, and I am sure that the improvements that will be made soon based on the experience of this rally will further strengthen Triton’s position in the market later,” Nakamura said in a virtual press conference on Monday (11/28/2022).

However, according to Hiroshi Masuoka, Mitsubishi Ralliart team director, his group is still looking ahead to the development of the Mitsubishi Triton and also the Mitsubishi Ralliart team itself.

“Ralliart is really the first step for a racing car. ACXR itself is an event to find data and collect data for performance cars and motorsports. After doing a lot of research and collecting data, we will think about making a high-performance car in the future,” said Masuoka on the same occasion.

Standard specification with minor changes

According to Masuoka, the car used by the Mitsubishi Ralliart team at the 2022 AXCR event is a standard car with some modifications to tackle the rallying field.

“For this year’s AXCR Challenge, the Mitsubishi Ralliart team built the Triton from a production model with minor changes to the engine, chassis and suspension. It remains the same car as the production model. We are proud that the two cars showed strong performance and finished in first position. Especially the drivers who can maximize the car’s potential, the mechanics and engineers who continue to refine this vehicle, as well as all parties who provide knowledge in the development of this car,” Masuoka further stated.

Yasuo Tanaka as technical support of MMC added that the details of the improvements in the Triton are only in the transmission and suspension.

“We use standard rally brakes. For the engine, we have replaced the radiator, especially the cooling function and the exhaust layer has also been changed. Furthermore, the components remain original. That’s it,” Tanaka explained.

Read also: Mitsubishi ready to awaken the essence of racing through Ralliart

Rifat Sungkar himself revealed that being a newcomer to the AXCR rally proved that Triton cars have the ability to compete in this event.

“To be honest, I don’t have any experience in the 2022 AXCR event. But I’m sure Mitsubishi has great cars and a strong team. As a newcomer, I can show you from 8th to 4th place, and then finish in 5th position. Usually, newcomers will struggle and have a hard time finishing,” added Rifat.

So will MMKSI sell the Triton with this Ralliart edition for the Indonesian market?

“With the end of AXCR, we can see the capabilities of AXCR Triton and we want to promote the greatness of Triton in this event. However, there are no sales details for this AXCR car.
We will only promote that Triton has the horsepower shown at AXCR this year,” concluded Nakamura.