Mamba Racing Shocks Helps GWM Thailand EK Group Team Move Steadily Forward

On August 11, the 2026 FIA Asia Cross Country Rally (FIA Asia Cross Country Rally, AXCR) concluded the second leg competition. In the race from Prachinburi to Nakhon Sawan, drivers from the GWM Thailand EK Group team, supported and sponsored by Mamba Racing Shocks, continued to drive two GWM TANK 300 diesel racing cars to face the complex track tests. After two consecutive legs of high-intensity competition, car driver #114 Oulan ranks 14th in the overall car group standings and 5th in the T2A-D group; driver #128 Suowar ranks 22nd in the overall car group standings and 8th in the T2A-D group.

2026 AXCR was held in Thailand from August 9 to 15, starting from Pattaya and heading north, finally arriving in Phitsanulok, with a total distance of about 2000 kilometers. As one of the most representative long-distance off-road rallying events in Asia, AXCR's complex and changing competition environment is a high-intensity test for the racing car's power, chassis, suspension, and overall vehicle reliability. Information released by the official event shows that the competition this year also continues with a long-distance route setting of about 2000 kilometers.

Entering the group in the front rank in the second leg, Mamba suspension underwent continuous high-intensity tests

The second leg went from Prachinburi to Nakhon Sawan. Facing gravel, mud, potholes, and constantly changing road conditions, racing cars need not only speed but also a suspension system that maintains stable damping performance under continuous impact.

According to the race team's announced results for the second leg, Oulan completed the leg in 1 hour 11 minutes 19 seconds, ranking 7th in the car group on that day and 2nd in the T2A-D group. Suowar completed the race in 1 hour 29 minutes 52 seconds, ranking 31st in the car group and 10th in the T2A-D group on that day.

After two legs, Oulan accumulated a total time of 4 hours 40 minutes 29 seconds, currently ranking 14th in the overall car group standings and 5th in the T2A-D group; Suowar accumulated a total time of 4 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds, currently ranking 22nd in the car group and 8th in the T2A-D group.

Of particular note is Oulan entering the top ten overall in the second leg and taking second place in the T2A-D group. In an environment where T2 production-based racing cars compete with a large number of high-level modified racing cars, this performance not only reflects the comprehensive competitiveness of the GWM TANK 300 diesel racing car but also ensures that the Mamba Racing Shocks installed on the racing car continue to be tested in a true long-distance racing environment.

The team also described the second leg as a day full of challenges such as gravel and other complex road conditions. The significance of AXCR itself lies in placing vehicles in an environment far exceeding the intensity of ordinary road use, continuously testing the suspension, powertrain, and transmission systems.

Not just "withstanding impact", high-intensity off-roading also tests continuous damping capability

Off-road rallying requirements for shock absorbers differ significantly from ordinary road driving.

When racing cars pass over continuous potholes, gravel, undulations, and gullies at high speed, the suspension needs to complete compression and rebound repeatedly in a very short time. If damping control is insufficient, the vehicle is prone to continuous bouncing, affecting the effective contact between tires and the ground; meanwhile, the heat generated by long-time, high-frequency work may also affect the shock absorber's working state.

Therefore, an excellent racing-grade shock system needs to solve not just single large impacts, but more importantly, maintain relatively stable damping output under long-time, high-temperature, and high-frequency working conditions.

This time, joining the GWM Thailand EK Group team to compete in AXCR also gave Mamba Racing Shocks a highly valuable real-world testing environment.

The shock absorbers developed by Mamba for high-intensity off-road applications adopt design concepts such as large-diameter cylinder barrels and externally mounted reservoir structures, increasing oil capacity and improving heat dissipation capability during the working process to support continuous work under long-distance off-road conditions. Mamba official product data also emphasizes that their external reservoir single-tube shock absorber design can increase oil capacity and help dissipate heat during shock absorber work; some high-intensity off-road products use 65mm-level cylinder bodies and multi-stage adjustable designs.

This is also the important reason why Mamba puts products into international competitions like AXCR—laboratories can provide data, but truly continuous hundreds of kilometers of off-road tracks can further verify product performance when facing high temperatures, impacts, and complex road conditions.

Large tube diameter, nitrogen, and adjustable damping provide more possibilities for complex tracks

Aiming at long-distance off-road use scenarios, Mamba high-performance shock products use technical solutions such as large-diameter structures, nitrogen shock technology, external reservoirs, and adjustable damping to improve the shock system's ability to cope with different road conditions.

Larger cylinders and oil capacity are beneficial for improving thermal management when the shock absorber works continuously under high load; the external reservoir design further increases oil capacity and creates conditions for continuous heat dissipation. Meanwhile, adjustable damping design allows targeted adjustment of the suspension working state according to racing car weight, driving style, and different leg characteristics.

For a competition like AXCR, this adjustment capability is particularly important.

From high-speed gravel roads to muddy sections, from continuous bumps to large-drop impacts, road characteristics within the same competition may change significantly. Shock absorbers need to provide sufficient support during large impacts, as well as allow wheels to quickly follow road changes, helping the racing car maintain traction and the driver's control over the vehicle.

Currently, Mamba offers various nitrogen and adjustable shock products of different specifications for hard off-road models such as the TANK 300. Some products use structural solutions such as external reservoirs and multi-stage damping adjustment, with product positioning covering daily off-road to higher intensity usage environments.

From Chinese off-road competitions to international events, competing in AXCR for the third consecutive year

For Mamba, the 2026 competition has another layer of significance—it is the brand's third consecutive year competing in the Asian off-road rally.

From domestic off-road competitions to international long-distance rallies under complex environments in Southeast Asia, Mamba is using competitions as an important link for product development, verification, and technical accumulation by continuously participating in real combat.

Compared to simple brand exposure, the greatest value of long-distance off-road rallying lies in the cars facing unpredictable real environments every day. Mud, gravel, water wading, high temperatures, and continuous impacts will push components to higher load states, while data and driver feedback in the competition can also serve product development and subsequent upgrades in reverse.

This is also the important significance of Mamba adhering to "test vehicles with racing, test products with racing".

Especially against the background of Chinese hard off-road models continuously moving into overseas markets, the joint participation of Chinese automotive brands and Chinese auto parts brands in international competitions is forming a new technical showcase window. This time, Mamba's partnership with the GWM Thailand EK Group team to compete in AXCR is not just an event cooperation, but another real-world test of Chinese high-performance suspension products on the international off-road stage.

Two legs are just the beginning, more arduous challenges continue. As the second leg ends, the competition of 2026 AXCR has just entered a critical stage. Next, the racing cars will continue to advance towards Kamphaeng Phet and Phitsanulok, continuing to face the test of complex weather during Thailand's rainy season and different types of off-road surfaces.

For the GWM Thailand EK Group team, car #114 has already entered the top five of the T2A-D group, car #128 also remains in the top ten of the group, and both racing cars have successfully completed the first two legs, preserving the opportunity to further improve rankings for the upcoming races.

For Mamba Racing Shocks, every leg, every high-speed impact, and every kilometer of complex road conditions means new product verification. The track is never the end point of product promotion, but the starting point for verifying performance. From standing on the AXCR stage for the third consecutive year to officially supporting the GWM Thailand EK Group team to compete in international events in 2026, Mamba is bringing Chinese high-performance shock absorbers to a stricter and broader international stage through real competitions again and again.

Next, as the 2026 FIA Asia Cross Country Rally continues to deepen, Mamba Racing Shocks will also welcome more severe leg challenges together with two GWM TANK 300 racing cars, continuing to verify the performance and reliability of Chinese off-road suspension products with real stage performance.