Team Mitsubishi Ralliart returned to the summit of the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) in 2025 with a victory that carried as much emotion as it did prestige. For lead driver Chayapon Yotha and co-driver Peerapong Sombutwong, the result was the perfect response to the heartbreak of 2024, when their Triton faltered just two kilometers from the finish line of Leg 5.

That moment had become a symbol of frustration for both the team and the driver. After leading the event and being on course for a second career win, Yotha watched the title slip away just within sight of the flag. It was a loss that lingered with the Thai driver and the Mitsubishi Ralliart team, shaping every decision in the year that followed. When the team unveiled its 2025 campaign, the stated goal was not only to win but to return stronger and erase the pain of that collapse.

The team entered three rally-prepared Tritons for the 30th edition of the AXCR, with Yotha partnered once again with Peerapong Sombutwong, veteran Katsuhiko Taguchi with Takahiro Yasui, and Mitsubishi test driver, Kazuto Koide, alongside Eiji Chiba. Under the guidance of team director Hiroshi Masuoka, preparations reflected the team's determination to come out on top. Mitsubishi engineers enhanced the Triton with increased engine torque, a stiffer chassis, and suspension capable of tackling the roughest terrain. High-load endurance testing at Khao Yai earlier this year pushed the trucks beyond expected rally distances, ensuring that maximum performance and survivability would carry the team to the top.

This year's rally, stretched to eight legs and 2,316.32 kilometers in total (with 1,002.95 kilometers of Special Stages), included two cancelled legs that became rest and service days, testing how teams could adapt strategy and maintain focus. The ceremonial start in Pattaya on August 8 gave way to competitive stages through Prachinburi and Khao Yai, where Yotha and Sombutwong maintained their composure and avoided the errors that often determine outcomes in endurance rallying. By the third leg, they seized the lead, setting the tone for a rally built on consistency and reliability.

As the middle legs unfolded, the pressure intensified. Defending champions Mana Pornsiricherd and Kittisak Klinchan in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Thailand Hilux closed the gap, threatening to deny Mitsubishi once more. But unlike in 2024, the Triton held firm. Taguchi and Yasui supported the effort with steady results inside the top five, while Koide and Chiba validated Mitsubishi’s automatic transmission entry, proving its endurance under rally conditions.

Leg 8, the final stage back toward Pattaya, however, carried an air of deja vu. On the morning of the last day, water entered Yotha’s Triton during a road section, leaving the car stranded and the crew facing the possibility of another cruel twist. It became a test of whether the ghosts of last year could finally be put to rest. This time, luck and a great deal of resolve saw the team through. With just a minute to spare, emergency repairs revived the engine, and the crew lined up for the start with barely sixty seconds left on the clock. The stage began, and with it, Mitsubishi’s chance at redemption.

Yotha and Sombutwong held their nerve through the final kilometers, securing the win that had eluded them a year earlier. Their performance gave Mitsubishi its first overall title in three years and reaffirmed the team’s stature in the toughest rally in Southeast Asia. Taguchi and Yasui placed fifth overall, while Koide and Chiba, in their automatic transmission-equipped Triton, finished 22nd. Team Mitsubishi Ralliart also collected the Team Award, completing a clean sweep of honors.

The victory was made all the sweeter by timing. August 16, the day of the final leg, happened to be Yotha’s 38th birthday. A year earlier, the same date had brought tears of disappointment. This time, the day ended in celebration, with the rally crown restored and redemption achieved on home soil.

For Mitsubishi, the 2025 AXCR showed how last year’s bitter loss could be turned into strength, and how thorough preparation and persistence can pay off. For Yotha, it was the rally that defined his career, marking his second AXCR win and first since 2022, changing the heartbreak of last year into the sweetest of victories.