Masanao Nitta, natural fibre Hilux set for third go at AXCR

Masanao Nitta‘s Toyota Hilux is a bit different from others in rally raid, featuring a bodywork that is made using natural fibres instead of carbon fibre or other elements. After finishing third in 2023, he will run it back and enter the 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally with Kenta Satonaka as his co-driver. They will race under the Würth Power 135 TRD Hilux banner.

Nitta and Satonaka finished tenth overall in the 2023 AXCR, one of ten Hiluxes entered. The year before, Nitta’s first AXCR with the Hilux, he had Tsutomu Matsui as his navigator en route to a twentieth outright and fourteenth in the T1D category; Satonaka and Araki Etoh finished directly behind them in twenty-first to win the T2G(A) class. The Hilux received an award from race organisers in 2022 for its use of natural fibres, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions during the vehicle manufacturing process.

The truck was built by Toyota Racing Development in 2018 for competition in Australia’s Finke Desert Race with fellow Japanese driver Tadamitsu Niihori. After retiring on début, Niihori won the Extreme 4WD class in 2019. Once Nitta acquired the Hilux, he and TRD began making heavy modifications, the most notable being to replace the body with a natural-fibre frame produced by Bcomp.

“Based on last year’s positive experience, we have confidence in the natural fibres and have applied a new charcoal-coloured version this year,” said Nitta. “Additionally, Würth’s high-performance chemical products are essential for this cross-country rally. The AXCR 2024 will again be a long-distance rally with extreme road conditions, so car maintenance and care by the TRD crew will be key. The team will work together to reach this goal with Würth Power 135 TRD Hilux.”

Besides its skin, the Hilux has also received performance upgrades with the suspension and engine. TRD’s Katsutoshi Kashimura, the project leader, stated the team “overhauled this vehicle 120%, and I am confident that it will demonstrate its enhanced performance and ideally finish higher than last year.”

“This year’s vehicle is extremely fast,” commented TRD mechanic Ryuichi Kitajima. “We’ve made significant modifications, starting with the suspension, and almost everything has been extensively upgraded. The engine and ECU are at TRD racing spec, maximizing engine power and torque. This special configuration is designed for the rigorous demands of the AXCR.”

Nitta is the founder and CEO of Tras Ltd., a Japanese automotive company that makes molds from advanced composite materials. Satonaka, a co-driver in the All Japan Rally Championship, works as an electric vehicle engineer for Toyota Motor Corporation.

The 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally will run through Thailand on 12–17 August.