The problem with success on the first try is that you’ll be expected to repeat the feat the next time out. Which is exactly what happened in 2022 when Mitsubishi Ralliart—after a long hiatus from racing—won that year’s Asia Cross Country Rally.

Led by Dakar legend Hiroshi Masuoka, the team entered three cars, with the one driven by Chayapon Yotha and Peerapong Sombutwong ultimately taking the lead by Stage 2 and running away with it until the end.

So, in 2023, with an all-new Triton, Ralliart was now the defending champion, but the overall victory was stolen from them by Takuma Aoki of Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia.

It was back to the drawing board for Masuoka-san, and so, as we watched the cars flag off for the first stage, he was the picture of confidence.

In multiday rally racing, you have to play the long game. “We have tested the car extensively, and have designed it to be very reliable,” he says when I ask him if they expect to have any major problems during the course of the race.

A crew of no fewer than 80 engineers, mechanics, and other specialists along with a small fleet of support cars also have their own little race to do as they drive toward each stage’s service area in order to fix and prepare the cars for the next stage.

This year, the team has four Triton rally cars. Once again, the main car is driven by the duo of Yotha and Sombutwong. Then there are the pairs of Sakchai Hantrakul and Jumpon Doungthip, Katsuhiko Taguchi and Takahiro Yasui, and Kazuo Koide and Eiji Chiba.

As before, they will be competing in the T1D class, referring to modified diesel pickup trucks. Mitsubishi has raided the specialty parts warehouse to bring the Triton to its meanest yet.

A carbon-fiber hood, door panels, and side-mirror pods. A wider track. Adjustable, coilover suspension in place of leaf springs. A sequential transmission to save them valuable tenths of a second in a race where every little difference adds up.

The engine internals are stock, but the ECU has been retuned and the stock biturbo setup has been replaced with a larger single turbo unit.

They are mum about how much power the 4N16 unit now makes, which is 202hp in stock form. The race car looks like a roided-up Triton when parked beside a stock unit. It certainly looks fast.

As the cars fly off one by one on the first day, it’s important that Masuoka observe each and every car as they launch.

Apparently, as it’s explained to me, he’s listening to how each engine sounds as the engine revs and the gears engage. The man is a race car whisperer.

As soon as the last major competitor has driven off, he excuses himself as it’s time for him to get moving to meet their cars at the end of the stage.

As it turns out, Stage 1’s results are encouraging, but it’s apparent that the race won’t be a cakewalk.

In first overall is Mana Pornsiricherd and Kittisak Klinchan of Toyota Gazoo Racing Thailand (Hilux) with a time of 1:26:44. In second is Thongchai Klinkate and Banpoth Ampornmaha of Isuzu Suphan Explorer Liqui Moly Rally Team (D-Max) at 1:28:20.

Chayapon and Peerapong are in third at 1:29:29, three minutes off the pace.

Sakchai and Jumpon are in fifth at 1:32:15, while Katsuhiko and Takahiro are in seventh at 1:35:11. Bringing up the rear are Kazuo and Eiji at 1:59:21, clearly serving as the unofficial support/parts car.

Depending on how you look at it, three minutes is either telling of the superior power of the provisional race leader or just a manageable challenge over the course of the race’s six days.

The rally will cover an estimated 2,100km, and Stage 1 was less than 300km in the area of Surat Thani. The finish line is still a long way off, north of Thailand in Kanchanaburi.

Anything can happen.

As the Ralliart crew members quickly pack up and head for the next point on the route map, one gets a sense of the shared purpose and quiet professionalism in the heart of each and every team member.

This race is the reason why the team exists. There are no other races planned for the year. It’s probably scary putting all your eggs in one basket, but if that’s what it takes to win, then so be it.

That’s the kind of mad respect that’s sure to sell a lot of Tritons to fans of the brand.