The third round with the longest distance in six rounds of the race (492.94 km) from Surin Province to Ubon Ratchathani, saw intense competition between Aka Racing and Thailand's Isuzu Suphan, the reigning champions for several years.
The incident occurred near the 146 .02 km mark on Wednesday when Aka Racing's car overturned due to a bend and a high ledge connecting a concrete road with a red dirt road.
Despite the unexpected setback, both the car and its two drivers emerged unharmed, thanks to the anti-flipping frame that protected them from injuries.
After 10 minutes, the two racers received assistance from Vietnam's Steelmate Racing, as AXCR regulations only permit another race team to offer aid in case of an accident. If the logistic team interfere, a 10-hour penalty will be applied for the car.
The rescue effort lasted around 30 minutes. Steelmate Racing used front and rear winches to carefully pull Aka Racing's car from the ditch safely. The accident also stopped other teams in their tracks for a while.
The car suffered significant damage to its windshield, hood, mirrors, window glass and roof.
There was hardly any problem with the inside of the car due to the anti-flipping frame and the safety equipment for the racers.
The team finished in 4 hours 40 minutes and 12 seconds, placing 39th out of 41 participants. After combining the result of three rounds, Aka Racing peaked 29th position overall with a total time of 11 hours 32 minutes and 38 seconds.
After the race, Aka Racing’s Mitsubishi Triton was put in the spotlight, as fellow racers expressed concerns about the accident. The car was immediately repaired after it returned.
The logistics team said it took 3-4 hours to repair heavily damaged components. The windshield was not available, so the team had to buy it from a local workshop. After the repair was completed, the organizers checked the car to see if it was eligible to continue the race.
The next morning, the Triton was eligible to continue the race.
As the tournament journeyed from Thailand to Laos, the racers will face three arduous stages with challenging road conditions, including streams, rivers, mud, potholes and rocks. The rainy weather in Laos will also make the competition even tougher.
The 2023 AXCR race takes place August 13- 19 in Thailand and Laos with 63 participating teams from Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and more.
