thank you for giving your best to our team – Kudos to our techies of R3
PROTON DRIVES INTO TOP 10 ON OPENING DAY IN MONTE CARLO RALLY
PROTON enjoyed an inspiring start to its 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC) campaign by rallying into the top 10 at the end of the first four special stages at the Monte Carlo Rally.
Driver Per Gunnar Andersson paced the Satria Neo S2000 sensibly to finish the drama-riddled Day One of the Rally which saw several of the World Rally Championship frontrunners retiring or suffering major setbacks.
Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb inherited the lead at the Monte Carlo Rally after pace setter Jari-Matti Latvala rolled his Ford into retirement. Loeb holds more than a minute’s lead over Spaniard Dani Sordo who damaged the suspension of his Mini, followed by Petter Solberg in the Ford in third while Sebastien Ogier in the S2000 Skoda is fourth.
PROTON too was caught up in the day’s drama when Italian driver Giandomenico Basso’s charge into a sixth gear corner at the opening special stage was blinded by the sun sending him crashing into a wall and forced into an early retirement.
Andersson will start the second leg of the Monte Carlo Rally with a four-minute advantage over S-WRC rival Craig Breen in the Ford Fiesta.
“The car was fantastic throughout the day, definitely stronger and a lot quicker than the package we had last season, but the goal will be to drive sensibly to make sure that we finish in Monte Carlo,” said a delighted Andersson.
“In Monte Carlo it is crucial for the tyres to have a better grip in the icy weather and wet conditions. This means we have to be a bit more cautious on the throttle and acceleration not to mention that braking can also be very tricky. What is most important is you have to feel good and safe about the car you’re driving, and I must say that the Satria Neo S2000 has provided me precisely with that degree of confidence.”
Meanwhile, Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the Head of PROTON Motorsports, said to have the Satria Neo S2000 finishing in the company of the top three WRC contenders the likes of Citroen, Ford and Mini, was a tremendous boost for the team and Malaysian car manufacturer.
“We have four more days of rallying in Monte Carlo, but the results of the first four special stages have nevertheless made it an impactful debut for PROTON on the S-WRC circuit and above all, a strong indication that we are progressing in the right direction in terms of development of the Satria Neo S2000.”
Positions after SS4:
Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 1h30m30.1s
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 1m04.2s
3. Petter Solberg Ford + 1m05.2s
4. Sebastien Ogier VW Skoda + 2m21.1s
5. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 2m26.5s
6. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 2m30.0s
7. Francois Delecour M-Sport Ford + 2m49.9s
8. Pierre Campana Mini + 4m09.7s
9. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 4m14.0s
10. P-G Andersson PROTON + 4m33.8s
PG shakedown Monte 2012
About PROTON Motorsports Division
PROTON Motorsports specializes in the research, development and production of race cars, special and performance-driven road going models and performance parts for the Proton range of vehicles.
About PROTON
PROTON, established in 1983, is Malaysia’s largest manufacturer of automobiles, and the only full-fledged OEM car manufacturer in South-East Asia. With operations in key markets from UK to the Middle East, and across South-East Asia and Australasia, especially in countries like China and Iran, PROTON produces cars to suit a range of consumer demands and preferences.
Its offerings include versatile and reliable four-door family vehicles, two-door hatchbacks for the young-at-heart, luxurious and stylish executive sedans, spacious and affordable multi-purpose vehicles, as well as the world-renowned sports cars from Lotus. Most importantly, PROTON models are now developed with Lotus Engineering, offering customers superior ride and handling experience in every drive.
PROTON’s inception as a key driver of national development has seen the brand accelerate its learning curve through technology transfer with strategic partnerships and technical collaborations. By listening to the needs of customers, PROTON cars are now steadily on track to achieve the mission for the future, with PROTON set to become a marque which builds cars with passion and soul; cars that are a delight to drive – and a pleasure to own.
MONTE CARLO RALLY MARKS PROTON’S RETURN TO THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Drivers Giandomenico Basso and Per Gunnar Andersson will lead PROTON’s return to the World Rally Championship this Wednesday when the Malaysian manufacturer competes at the Monte Carlo Rally for the opening round of the 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC).
PROTON’s participation in the S-WRC comes 10 years after it first won the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship in 2002. Last year, the Malaysian manufacturer was crowned champion in the Asia Pacific rally Championship (APRC). It will also be PROTON’s second visit to the Monte Carlo Rally after making its debut last year on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) which is run on a similar but shorter route.
The S-WRC is a companion series to the World Rally Championship and is driven on the same special stages. It is limited to production-based cars homologated under the Super 2000 rules and was first introduced in 2010. The S-WRC also splits the Production World Rally Championship (P-WRC), which was previously open to both Super 2000 and Group N4 cars, into two separate competitions.
“We’ve come a long way in our S2000 rally programme since it started in 2009, and to be part of the S-WRC and the 2012 World Rally Championship is incredibly rewarding for what has been both a challenging and successful journey for PROTON on the international rally arena,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports.
“We start the Monte Carlo Rally and the 2012 S-WRC season with what is a winning car, having clinched last year’s APRC title, and given the positive results we have achieved in testing throughout the winter break, we look forward to a strong and competitive season ahead.”
Proton will compete in five of the seven S-WRC rounds in 2012.
“At PROTON, we are firmly committed to be better whether it is in the manufacturing of our vehicles, caring for our customers, or excelling in motorsports. Our participation in this year’s S-WRC is a manifestation of this commitment having competed in the APRC and IRC over the course of the last two years. Rally Motorsports offers a unique and dynamic showcase for PROTON’s brand, products and technology which can also be leveraged by PROTON for global branding, marketing purposes and the re-ignition of R3,” said John Chacko, Director of Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports.
The Monte Carlo Rally will be run over 18 special stages totalling 430km of competitive distance in temperatures as low as 5 degrees. This year’s rally also marks the return of the World Rally Championship to Monte Carlo after a three-year absence.
The 80th edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally kicks off in the French city of Valence with two stages to be run twice before heading to the mountainous Ardeche, Haut Loire and Drôme regions, and eventually finishing in Monaco.
“We have completed a lot of development to the 2012 Satria Neo S2000 particularly with the engine where we now have more torque. The most important is that I feel good driving the car and I believe it will be very good start to the season for us. I am pretty sure we have a winning car this year,” said Andersson who joins PROTON’s S-WRC campaign after a full season with the Malaysian manufacturer in the 2011 IRC.
“At the Monte Carlo Rally, you can never be fully prepared for what can happen. It is always unpredictable and is common for drivers to rush into making mistakes. The crew also play an important role in ensuring we select the right tyres for the rally. If we have a rally without major problems, I think we will be in the running for a good finish.”
PROTON SATRIA NEO OFFICIALLY GOES ON SALE IN JAPAN FROM 2012
PROTON Motorsports and renowned Japanese automotive parts manufacturer Carrosser Co., Ltd. (CUSCO) today unveiled the Satria Neo at the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon which will officially be on sale for enthusiasts and rally teams in Japan for motorsports use.
Carrosser is the official authorized PROTON reseller in Japan and is responsible for the importation and distribution of the Satria Neo in Japan.
The Satria Neo’s introduction in Japan is the result of PROTON Motorsports and Carrosser undertaking a joint-development to produce the Group N 1600cc Proton Satria Neo rally cars which was first put on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon in 2011.
A strong testament to the durability and performance, the Group N Proton Satria Neo rally cars competing in last year’s Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) went on to make a clean sweep of the 2WD categories. PROTON won the APRC 2WD Manufacturer’s title, the APRC 2WD driver’s title with Malaysia’s Karamjit Singh, and the APRC Junior driver’s title with Japanese driver Akira Bamba. Meanwhile, in the Japan Rally, Shuhei Muta also drove the Satria Neo to win the JN3 Class champion.
Developed for the Japanese domestic market, the CUSCO-engineered Group N Proton Satria Neo rally cars are sold by CUSCO to competitors competing in the Junior Rally Championships in Japan and Asia Pacific.
“The introduction of the Satria Neo in the Japanese market will enable PROTON to cater to enthusiasts and rally teams competing in the niche motorsports market,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the head of PROTON Motorsports.
PROTON and Carosser have also jointly-developed Group ‘N’ components for the Satria Neo for rally use.
“Besides the collaboration on vehicles, we are also looking to expand our business, not only in Malaysia, but globally in terms of jointly-developing performance parts and accessories together with Carroser.”
A well known company for producing top-of-the-line aftermarket performance parts for both the Japanese and international tuning markets, CUSCO is regarded as the only independent firm in Japan to compete in all categories of the All-Japan Championships: track racing, rallying, dirt trials and gymkhana.
Meanwhile, Carrosser President Tsutomu Nagase said the collaboration with PROTON Motorsports was in line with efforts to reinvigorate the Japanese motorsport industry.
“The honorable accomplishments of the Satria Neo in competition proved the great potential and high performance aspects of PROTON machines which can be applied anywhere in the world,” he said.
“The main objective of this joint-development is to further deepen the prosperous relationship with PROTON Motorsports by presenting the Japanese market with a sporty automobile that has proven its capability as a solid motorsports base machine. Moreover, Carrosser will strive to dedicatedly support various teams and end users utilizing PROTON machines in any given genre of motorsports especially the APRC.“
Also on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon are the Proton Artiga, a concept based on the Satria Neo, featuring a 1.6 liter supercharged power plant surrounded by lightweight carbon fiber body components, and the R3-developed 1.6-litre Saga.
Second from right, Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of PROTON Motorsports at Japan Auto Salon
Alister & Bill bring home FIA trophies to mark their APRC achievements in 2011 with PROTON
From L to R: Alister McRae, Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, John D. Chacko, Bill Hayes
PROTON and its drivers brought home the APRC Driver’s and Manufacturer’s titles trophies at the FIA gala dinner held in New Delhi today.
Victory at the China Rally clinched the Asia Pacific Rally Championship driver’s and manufacturer’s titles for PROTON and capped off a dominant season for the Malaysian car maker.
The results in China also saw PROTON becoming the first car manufacturer to win all eight major individual titles in the APRC which includes: the APRC driver’s title; APRC manufacturer’s title; the APRC Teams Trophy; the FIA Asia Cup driver’s title; the FIA Pacific Cup driver’s title; the manufacturer’s title in the FIA APRC Rally Cup for two-wheel drive category; the APRC Rally Cup driver’s title; and FIA APRC Junior Cup driver’s title.
FIA motorsport champions were presented with trophies to mark their achievements in 2011.Alister McRae and Bill Hayes were front and centre to receive the coveted trophies for their undying dedication and stamina to clinch all titles for the APRC this year.
The FIA prize giving gala was held the very first time in New Delhi featuring the Kingdom of Dreams a specially designed environment with a unique Indian atmosphere. This is the venue where the FIA motorsport champions were presented with trophies to mark their achievements in 2011.
Director of Group Marketing, Branding & Motorsports John Chacko said,”Its a proud moment for PROTON a manufacturing company from Malaysia to be here among the likes of F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and World Rally champion Sebastian Loeb as well as champions of other FIA championships.”
“This inspires us further as PROTON is committed to be better by winning” he added.
“This is a fitting end to a challenging but rewarding 2011 season. Congratulations to our drivers and together with PROTON we achieved a milestone for PROTON particularly sweeping all titles in APRC,” Head of Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood said.
R3 Management team of Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood and Dato’ Zainuddin at S1K
The Management team with drivers at the starting grid
Sepang 1KM Endurance race 2011 kicked start at 1pm (Malaysian local time)
Race start of S1K at 1.00pm (Malaysian local time)
The race which was flagged off by SIC’s Board of Director, Datuk Muhammad Aini Taib at 1 pm featured 28 cars on the grid and scheduled to finish at 10 pm on the same day.
Heading the front row are, Proton R3 Racing Team in pole position alongside Kegani Racing, one of 3 cars pencilled in for the premier Class 1 (cars from 1600 to 1800 cc).
Proton R3, competing in the Class 2 (cars up to 1600 cc) will be hoping to add to Proton Motorsports burgeoning trophy cabinet following the domination of the Asia Pacific Rally Championships and the recently concluded Malaysian Touring Car Championships.
Led by seasoned driver, Faidzil Alang and James Veerapen in a Satria, Proton R3 look strong favourites to make it a 1-2 this time around as team mates, Syafiq Ali and Syahrizal Jamaludin sit behind them in second row.
Privateers, Lai Wee Sing, KK Soon and Wong Yew Choong aim to gate crash Proton Motorsports party as they set their sights on the title which has eluded them since the inaugural edition in 2009.
R3 Team at S1K
The R3 Motorsports Team – a force to be reckon with…..
