Takuma Aoki's Motorsport Life Vol. 30 [Asia Cross Country Rally 2026] I participated in the AXCR for the 17th time

Takuma Aoki is the second son of the Aoki brothers, who made a name for themselves in domestic and international road racing in the 1990s. After winning the All Japan Championship, he stepped up to the 500cc class of the World Grand Prix. However, just as his career was taking off, an accident during pre-season testing in 1998 left him paralyzed from the waist down. Undeterred by this adversity, he transitioned to four-wheel racing as a wheelchair racer and has been competing in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) since 2007. In 2023, he even achieved an overall victory. This is a report on his participation in the AXCR 2026.

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The 20th Year of Challenging the Asia Cross Country Rally!

This summer, I participated in the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) once again. This event, the largest cross-country rally in Asia, which celebrated its 31st year this year, held its ceremonial start in Pattaya, southern Thailand, on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The actual competition began the following day, Monday the 10th, and over the course of 6 days, covering approximately 2,000 km, it reached its finish line in the ancient city of Phitsanulok in northern Thailand on Saturday, August 15. The course was set with grueling conditions, and top drivers from across Asia engaged in fierce competition. 40 four-wheeled vehicles and 31 motorcycles completed the course and were awarded finisher medals.

As an FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) sanctioned international competition, this event boasts a prestige comparable to the Dakar Rally. A variety of vehicles participate, ranging from pickup trucks like the Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu models popular in Asia, to authentic cross-country 4WD models like the Suzuki Jimny and Toyota Land Cruiser. I have been competing in a 7-seater SUV model called the Toyota Fortuner (a model not sold in Japan), and this year I took on the challenge with the same setup and two co-drivers.

This tournament marked my 20th year of participating in the AXCR and my 17th attempt overall. Since it is a long rally raid spanning 6 days, I started with the goal of not pushing too hard from the beginning, while taking care of the vehicle to avoid any damage. The "GEOLANDAR MT Tire G003" from Yokohama Rubber was fitted to the "GEOLANDAR FORTUNER takuma-gp" (number 112), and we drove steadily without any major trouble, avoiding causing too much trouble for our mechanics. On the third day, when the air conditioning broke, we finished with the 5th fastest time, and our provisional overall ranking rose to 8th (2nd in class).

We finished the first half unscathed and headed into the fourth day aiming to catch up, but we made a navigation error in the second half, resulting in time loss. This time, speed limit zones and stop signs were frequently set up during the SS (Special Stage = competitive section), and while we were being strictly monitored by GPS, we were penalized for them. Personally, I am not convinced, but this ruling added a 15-minute penalty, and we ended up in 31st place for the day. It was a disappointing result, especially since we would have been 14th without the penalty. Of course, our overall ranking also dropped significantly to 11th, even though we could have maintained 8th place without the penalty.

On the following fifth day, while we were struggling to get back on course after a navigation error, we fell into a hole and partially damaged the vehicle. We were able to escape using a winch, but the vehicle was damaged, and our ranking dropped further. Still, we continued our tenacious driving, and although the final SS on the sixth day was a very short 58 km course, we managed to pass four cars ahead of us and successfully completed the grueling course, which was a series of jungles, wetlands, and rough roads characteristic of Asia.

By focusing on driving without damage or major trouble, and despite falling into a hole once, we had no punctures and safely completed the total distance of approximately 2,000 km, achieving 10th place overall and 3rd place in the unmodified diesel production car class.

I will be challenging it again next year, so please continue to support me!