Friday, August 16, KANCHANABURI

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.

The team awards went to the ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUID MOLY RALLY TEAM, which improved its position towards the end of the race and finished 2nd and 3rd overall. TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA with Ikuo Hanawa and Takuma Aoki placed second with TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA in 3rd place and TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND in third.

MATSUMOTO 's tenacious drive pushed past the limits of his energy and stamina

The rally entered its final day.

The SS took place just northeast of Kanchanaburi. The liaison was 59.99 km, and the SS was 86.73 km making it the shortest leg of the rally. However, don't let the short distance fool you into letting your guard down. Veterans will know that the race can still be won or lost on the last day and that we've hd been many “upsets” in the past.

And indeed, that is exactly what happened. With the exception of #2 Norihisa MATSUMOTO, who started first and finished first, the motorcyclists who started first did not make it to the finish line for quite some time.

Many contestants repeatedly made course errors and continued to wander aimlessly around the SS. As a result, MATSUMOTO was the only 2-wheeler to make it to the finish line within the allocated 3-hour maximum time, a tremendous result.

However, due to the intensity of the race, all riders except the leader were penalized equally, so the overall ranking remained almost unchanged from the previous day, and there were no “upsets” in the results of the two-wheeled events.

The overall winner was of course, Norihisa Matsumoto of #2 Team OTOKONAKI, riding a KTM 250EXC-TPI. He also won his class in the M1 class, which is under 250cc engine displacement.

MATSUMOTO was in 3rd place on the first day, and consistently ranked 4th and 3rd overall on the second and subsequent days. On the fourth day he was only 4 minutes behind #3 Shinichi YAMADA and was the only one to complete the final day without taking any penalties.

It had been 12 years since his first entry and at the finish line, there was a huge round of applause. The look of relief on their faces when they first took off their helmets was quickly replaced by one of joy.

Many competitors were plagued by course errors this year, but they remained determined to reach the goal. The steep gully in SS4 was said to be “the most difficult section since they begun of motorcycle racing.” It tested their physical and mental strength to the limit and the winners of this year's competition showed impressive stamina and tenacity.

"Perseverance pays off." Toyota's competitiveness bears fruit.

Following MATSUMOTO to the finish line was the 4-wheeler, which started an hour after the 2-wheeler.

Co-drivers of four-wheeled vehicles are able to concentrate solely on navigation, so even on days when the route map is difficult, they are often able to handle it better than the two-wheeled competitors. Having said this, the navigation on this day was difficult for all.

Among them and the fastest driver was #112 Suwat, driving an Isuzu D-MAX. Following in second place was #106 Thongchai in a D-MAX, followed by #108 Ditsapong in another D-MAX, and the cars of the ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM came in one after another for the final time control of the rally.

The drivers were greeted at the finish line, by service staff from their teams waiting for all the competitors to cross the line. At this stage they were no longer competitors and all teams applauded for all drivers and riders who had finished the race.

However, the TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND staff, who had gathered at the goal in large numbers in anticipation of #105 Mana's victory, gradually began to show signs of anxiety.

Ten minutes after #112 Suwat, who was in second place overall, crossed the finish line, Mana still had not appeared.... The time difference before the start was 13 minutes and 31 seconds, but the advantage was still very small. Could it be that there would be another last minute upset?

The Isuzu team was suddenly excited, and everyone else involved, including the media, was also getting nervous, anticipating this might be a final stage upset.

“Mana is here!” someone shouted.

The TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND staff erupted into loud cheers. Even after the machine returned to the pits, there was chorus of vocal screams and clapping. It had been a long time coming for him to receive his first overall rally victory.

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING THAILAND's participation in AXCR dates back to 2016. At the time, Japanese company TRD took the lead in building a vehicle for competition by appointing Japanese driver Tadamitsu Shinbori, a two-time winner and introducing Hanawa's suspension technology developed for American desert racing.

With good results and consecutive second place overall finishes it was only a matter of time before Toyota would win the championship. However, one year the team, which was originally based in Thailand, made a major decision and changed to an “all-Thailand” team, combining a Thai-produced Toyota Hilux with a Thai driver and co-driver. All team operations, including the mechanical service were performed by Thai people. In other words, the objective was changed to a team by Thais, for Thai’s.

Due in part to these changes in the structure, the team's performance continued to stall for some time after that. The team was unable to beat Isuzu's D-MAX and in addition to that they were all in for a shock in 2022 when Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART who were competing for the first time in the series, easily took the victory away from them.

Because of this, the team and its staff must have been “exceptionally happy” to win for the first time this year. At the dinner party where the awards ceremony was held, the crowd cheered every time the name of TOYOTA GAZOO RACING was announced, and those involved, wearing polo shirts with a large “GR” on the front, were still excited and intoxicated with the wine of victory. A wine that had been aged for eight years.

Various people involved in the cross-country rally were also happy to see him finally win and offered their praise and congratulations.

Toyota had continued to compete in the rally for eight years without giving up, and had returned with improved modifications study which had been developed and refined in the rally and available to the mass market. Regardless of whether they were for competition or general use, thereby spreading the true joy of off-road racing to the general public to be enjoyed by all.

Today, the increasing number of private teams competing in cross-country rallies in Asia is due to the success of these top teams and the offering of specialised after market parts to make the dream of rally competition more accessible to the public. This may sound a bit exaggerated, but the challenge of competing in production Hiluxes, which started with Japan's TRD, has played a role in raising the level of motorsports “culture” in Asia and broadening the scope of competition.

The Toyota Hilux is an attractive car for continuous competition due to its rugged construction, but it requires a certain amount of skill to conquer the minute-by-minute competition on the narrow Asian courses. As one can see on the track, the Hilux is larger and heavier than its rivals, and it is difficult to navigate them on the tighter routes especially when having to perform U turns. However, the HiLux excels in engine performance and reliability and is unbeatable on high-speed routes with straight lines.

But it is this big, tough appearance that makes it the Hilux. Toyota has created a strategic global vehicle, which can be found in any country being used on on harsh rough roads, carrying overloaded loads like a work horse, and supporting people's in their daily lives. It is for this robust and unbreakable nature that it is most well known for.

The new generation Triton is a well handling machine that has been refined in terms of body rigidity and ride quality with comfort at its core. Mitsubishi's “serious” rally vehicle which was tuned to the enth degree was out performed by Toyota the year by it's reliability, light weight, and sharp acceleration and deceleration. On a course such as this one, it was also able to beat out the lighter Isuzu D-MAX team. This victory was a crystallization of the tireless efforts of the Toyota team.

1-2 finish for Japan's Team OTOKONAKI!

In 2nd place overall in the 2-wheel category was Shinichi YAMADA of #3 Team OTOKONAKI, competing on a Husqvarna FE450. Yamada was pushing his limits on the steep mountain climb on day 4 which he commented was, “the toughest day of the race so far.” He kept his lead but lost a lot of time due to a course error on day 5. He hoped to regain the lead on the final day's 87 km, but was unable to do so. In the M2 class (displacement 251cc to 700cc), he won the race with a time significantly ahead of the second-place finisher.

Third overall was Mufti Muis KARIM (Indonesia) of the #5 PASAMAN SATU RALLY TEAM on a Honda CRF250 RALLY in 2nd place in the M1 class.

4th overall was Rudy POA (Indonesia) of the #11 Indonesia Cross Country Team on a KTM 350EXCF, finishing 2nd in the M2 class.

5th overall was Habib FADHLURROHMAN (Indonesia) of the #9 PASAMAN SATU RALLY TEAM on a Honda CRF250 RALLY, placing 3rd in M1 class.

In 6th place overall was #6 Team JAPAN's Go KATSUMATA driving a Husqvarna FE350, and in 3rd place in the M2 class.

Daiki GOTO of #17 Team Super Cub JAPAN Yotsuba motor, who was cheered on by his rivals from all over the world, finished the competition in 7th place overall riding the Super Cub90 that everyone doubted could finish the rally. At first glance, some may think, “Isn't it bad to ride a slow Cub? However, this crazy result that was made possible by Goto's outstanding riding skills, extraordinary physical strength, and most of all, his extraordinary perseverance. There was probably not one person who watched and thought, “I want to try this with a Cub too!”

The second half of the race was dominated by the Isuzu D-M1.
The Isuzu D-MAX team who made a great leap forward in the second half of the rally!

The #112 ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM of Suwat LIMJIRAPINYA (Thailand) and Prakob CHAOTHALE (Thailand) placed 2nd overall in the 4-wheel category with their Isuzu D-MAX. Suwat's one-shot speed has been enhanced by his consistency and ability to bring the car all the way to the finish line. This put a lot of pressure on Chayapon in the Triton and Mana in the Hilux, who were leading in the second half of the race. He is one of the young riders we are looking forward to seeing more of in the future.

Third place overall also went to the ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM's D-MAX, #106 piloted by Thongchai KLINKATE (Thailand) and Banpoth AMPORNMAHA (Thailand). Thongchai also showed great performance in SS6, coming in 2nd place on the daily and stayed in the top positions until the end of the SS.

In 4th place overall was the Toyota Fortuner of Ikuo Hanawa and Hirokazu Somemiya from #115 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA. Japanese legend Hanawa is well known for his strong presence at key points in the competition, including top prizes on the second and third days, and was greeted with applause when he was introduced at the awards ceremony. Everyone was surprised to learn that Hanawa's Fortuner was an older vehicle now in its seventh year of competition.

The #107 Mitsubishi Triton of Team MITSUBISHI RALLIART, piloted by Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui, came in at 5th place overall. Taguchi and Yasui, while struggling with the AXCR's unique route map and long distances, had been doing a steady job of improving their overall ranking since their first entry last year. The combination of the two drivers, who always bring their vehicle to the finish line reliablybis excellent. We can look forward to another good result next year.

In 6th place overall was Olan SORNSIRIRAT (Thailand) and Somkiat NOYCHAT (Thailand) of the #124 Mamba racing shock, who also placed 2nd in the T2D (A) class.

The #101 TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA team of Takuma AOKI, Ittipon SIMARAKS (Thailand), and Songwut DANPHIPHATTRAKOON (Thailand), who won the overall championship last year, were racing a production car-free modified T2D (A) car. This year they proved the speed and robustness of their Toyota Fortuner however, they suffered from several problems and finished the rally in 3rd place in the class.

Smiles for everyone! Closing medal ceremony!

And at 15:00. All the rally cars gathered at Skywalk Avenue on the banks of the River Kwai. The medal ceremony was held to mark the completion of the rally. Based on the provisional results, the car numbers, team names and riders' names were called out and one by one the competing cars came through the finish gate.

At the end of the Rally everyone returned a winner. There may have been days when some cars were in poor shape and still had to start the next day's SS; there were days when they returned to the hotel pit in a without making it to the SS finish line and there were days when they were so far behind that they were unable to make it to the finish line in the allocated time.

The cars that were able to run the liaison that day, make the SS start and make it back to the hotel under their own power were deemed to have finished despite any penalty time added. They have all earned their right to stand at the finish line as they never gave up and made it to the end despite all the obstacles they may have faced. The teams celebrate and take photos together at the end.

Looking at the photos, you can see what this rally was really about. During the competition, it looked like a battle between cars but in fact it was a ‘battle of the human spirit’ and between the many team members who supported them. The teams and competitors were all covered in smiles.

All the preparation, maintenance and driving was done for this day. They had fought hard over the stages for this moment. The team members swelled with happiness and elated expressions and repeatedly pumped their fists in the air. The emotions ran high and the pride in their hearts fuel the driving force for next year. This addiction continues to lure many people back to the battleground. This is rallying and the charm of the AXCR.

Photographers sweat profusely on the scorching asphalt as they press their shutters to capture the ‘best souvenir photo’, which is repeated more than 50 times in their viewfinders. The heat was so intense that the soles of our feet burned, we ran out of drinking water, and at times we felt as if we were losing our minds, as we, too, felt the heat of summer.

Winner's smile! The final dinner party!

The dinner party was held in the hotel's main hall from 19:00. Both the number of tables and the number of seats were the largest in AXCR history.. Dancers in traditional costumes appeared on stage and began to dance gracefully in front of a large monitor with beautifully changing shades, adding colour to the awards ceremony.

First up was the presentation of special awards from Wurth (German parts manufacturer) and Berik (Italian bike clothing brand). Tool sets and bikewear were presented to the riders who were called to the stage and applauded.

Later, after the presentation ceremony Takuma AOKI (Japan) gifted a wheelchair to a hospital in Kanchanaburi. The presenters then appeared on the platform and the awards were presented, starting with the overall ranking of the motorcyclists.

The entrants were called out one by one by name, went up on the platform, received their trophies and prize money, and were happily photographed. The following is a list of the different awards and their rankings, but there were some impressive wins in both motorcycle and four-wheel class battles.

Firstly, Daiki GOTO of #17 Team Super Cub JAPAN Yotsuba motor cycle from Japan, who raced a Honda Super Cub in the M1 motorcycle class and finished in fourth place. The fact that a Cub, which is not as fast as a the other Motorbikes, was able to achieve this position highlights once again that speed is not the only absolute requirement for victory in the AXCR. GOTO was limited by the speed of the bike but the results also seem to indicate that it is surprisingly easy to take the correct path by riding at lower speeds and checking the map and the scenery with plenty of time to spare.

We would also like to report on the performance of the #127 FLEX SHOW AIKAWA Racing with TOYO TIRES team of Masato KAWABATA (JPN) and Daychapon TOYINGCHAROEN (THA), who clinched victory in the T1G four-wheel class.

KAWABATA, competing in his second AXCR, chose fellow drift racer Daychapon as his partner for this challenge but this was his first time navigating. He had given Daychapon priority for navigation in the early stages of the race.

Suspension problems discovered before the start of the race meant that the car was unable to run properly in competition and from the first day the team finished in 20th, 40th, 33rd and 23rd places however, after LEG5, when temporary repairs were taken, the time improved steadily to 15th and 13th places and in the end the team was crowned 16th overall and T1G class champion. He eventually took the crown of 16th overall and winner of the T1G class. At the awards ceremony, KAWABATA took Daychapon's hand and held it high in the air as he climbed up on the podium with a big smile on his face.

The victory was a testament to the persistence of these two drivers, who carried their car to the finish line without losing heart despite the problems that persisted until the midway point of the race. This achievement was also applauded by actor Show AIKAWA, who had traveled from Japan to attend the event.

Other smiling faces were also seen at the awards ceremony. The winners in the Jimny class, #126 Garage Monchi & Yanagawa Iron works JAPIND drivers Satoshi TAKENO and Naoyuki YANAGAWA had their families in attendance first time in their 10 years of competing. Also, Kinya MORIKAWA of #121 Kyushudanji Team Japan had his wife and daughter at the event for the first time in more than ten years.

In the middle of the competition, TAKENO said, ‘This year, I have to carry the car to the goal no matter what it takes.’ How did his wife, sons and daughters watch over their fathers as they fought earnestly on the dusty, scorching course and greet them at the finish line?

At the awards ceremony, the children proudly held up their fathers trophies in front of a huge audience, their smiles eloquently illustrating their feelings. Their happiness spoke volumes about how they felt as they proudly held up their father's trophy in front of a large crowd of spectators at the awards ceremony.

The third place in the Jimny class went to Roslyn SHEN (Taiwan) and Nada SIMARAKS (Thailand) of the #136 Asian Rally team, who also received a commendation. The final event of the podium ceremony was the four-way race between the two teams.

The awards ceremony concluded with the four-wheel team awards. This award is based on the combined times of the top two registered cars, and the winner was the ISUZU SUPHAN EXPLORER LIQUI MOLY RALLY TEAM, with TOYOTA GAZOO RACING INDONESIA in second place. The Isuzu-sponsored D-MAX team took second and third place overall by 3:47 minutes over the leading HILUX, and was 20 minutes ahead of the fourth-placed Fortuner, making it the undisputed winner by far.

---

Now, the 2024 AXCR will also draw to a close. Next year will mark the 30th edition of the event, which will be an ambitious route with two border crossings from Thailand to Vietnam, and the competition schedule and total distance covered is expected to be longer than in previous years. Combined with the recent increase in the number of entrants and the number of service and media cars, this is likely to be the largest in the AXCR.

I am a past participant of the same organisers' adventure trip from Thailand to Vietnam, and I will never forget the memories of that exotic journey, where the scenery, the smells of the wind and even the people's lives changed every time we crossed a border overland.

The value of the finisher's medal is sure to be even greater than in previous years, as the rally is a gruelling rally spanning three countries. What will the route be like? And who will stand at the top of the podium in this memorable rally? The interest for this event will be large but we will announce the details here in early 2025, so stay tuned for more information.