PROTON R3 DUO WINS BIG AT MSS ROUND 2

Proton R3 Racing Team – 1st Place in MSS Round 2

Drivers Syafiq Ali and James Veerapan delivered a crushing victory for PROTON in the inaugural running of the one-hour endurance race format in the Malaysian Touring Car Championship.

Staring from pole position in Class 2 for production cars up to 1600cc, the PROTON pair claimed the chequred flag at Sepang International Circuit after completing a total of 22 laps, finishing one lap clear of any threat. In second place was the pair of Wong Yew Choong and Harry Chai who were more than two minutes behind in a Satria Neo.

The PROTON R3 Racing Team 1600cc Satria Neo was entrusted to Syafiq who started the race and drove for nine laps before pitting for a driver change. Veerapan then drove to the end of the one-hour limit completing an additional 13 laps.

The pair’s fastest lap time was 2 min: 39.089 seconds.

Introduced to replace the traditional sprint races, the new race format being implemented required the two drivers teaming up for a one-hour race that included a compulsory pit stop and driver change.

Victory in Sepang this weekend seals two straight round victories for the PROTON team after both Syafiq and Veerapan clinched back-to-back race wins in the opening round of the season in March.

“Syafiq and Veerapan consistently matched each other’s pace to drive home a textbook victory for the team. The Satria Neo also demonstrated exceptional performance and reliability over the one hour course,” said Team Principal Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel.

Already proven on track and in gruelling competition such as rallying, the Satria Neo’s performance over the weekend reaffirmed its reputation as a race-winning contender.

“The win in Sepang and coincidentally in the two-wheel drive class at the International Rally of Queensland on the same weekend conveys a very strong message and underlines the Satria Neo’s potential of being a race winner,” said Head of PROTON Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.

At the same time, PROTON’s Director of Group Marketing, Branding & Motorsports John D. Chacko said: “This has been a phenomenal race weekend for PROTON both on and off the track. If anything, it clearly demonstrates not only the Satria Neo’s competitiveness but also versatility. Unlocking the full potential of the Satria Neo in competition will also go a long way towards reaffirming PROTON’s commitment to become better.”

Best shot on Satria Neo Proton R3 in MSS Round 2

PROTON R3 DUO THE PAIR TO BEAT AT MSS ROUND 2

 

Proton R3 Team will be back in MSS Round 2 this weekend (25-27 May 2012)

The PROTON R3 Racing Team rejoins round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) in Sepang International Circuit this weekend as clear favourites in the Malaysian Touring Car Championship after clinching back to back race victories in the opening round of the season.

Setting a blistering pace in Class 2 for production cars up to 1600cc, young drivers Syafiq Ali and James Veerappan in the 1600cc R3 Satria Neo have clearly underlined that they will be the pair to beat this weekend.

Both Syafiq and Veerapan have one race win each to their tally when they went on to win both 9-lap races in March held in conjunction with the Petronas Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix.

“We have two very talented, incredibly fast, committed and focused drivers in Syafiq and Veerapan. Round 1 clearly demonstrated their strong desire to win and as a team, they both work in unison to accomplish these goals,” said Team Principal Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel.

Unlike Round 1 however, this weekend’s race will see the new format of the 2012 Malaysian Touring Car Championship being implemented which will require both drivers teaming up for a one-hour race that includes a compulsory pit stop and driver change.

“Consistency in pace will be extremely important this weekend and both drivers have been putting in a lot of work to achieving competitive times. We have also made further improvements to the Satria Neo in keeping with the new format of endurance racing.”

Already proven on track and in gruelling competition such as rallying, the 1600cc two-wheel drive Satria Neo brings not only exceptional reliability and handling to the race this weekend, but also race-winning performance.

“The new format of the 2012 Malaysian Touring Car Championship is an exciting one which promotes on-track competition to a new and higher level, extracting not only the very best performance from a vehicle but an important step towards developing a greater pool of even competitive and talented local drivers,” said Head of PROTON Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.

Meanwhile, PROTON’s Director of Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports John Chacko said the 2012 Malaysian Touring Car Championship provided an ideal platform to showcase the engineering prowess of R3 which is the company’s motorsports division.

“Research and development, underlined by accomplishments on the track translate into the introduction of performance-driven production models, and this is a further manifestation of PROTON’s commitment to be better and even more competitive as a car manufacturer.”

PROTON CHAMPION OF MALAYSIAN 1.6 TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

PROTON finished the 2011 Malaysian Super Series Championship (MSS) as champion in the 1.6 Touring Car Category.
Driver Faidzil Alang drove a textbook race in the fifth and final round of the season at the Sepang International Circuit to clinch the coveted title behind the wheel of a Satria Neo.

PROTON team mate Syafiq Ali  in the Proton Gen2 sealed a PROTON 1-2 in the championship with the two drivers concluding what has been a dominant performance all year long.

An all-PROTON front row dominated the final 10-lap race of the year with the younger Syafiq starting from pole position, just 0.037 seconds ahead of the more experienced Faidzil.

“The results today conclude what has been a triumphant year for PROTON in motorsports, particularly for the Satria Neo that has excelled in both circuit racing and international rallying,” said PROTON’s Director of Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports, John Doody Chacko.

“It’s phenomenal that PROTON’s commitment to be better is now beginning to translate into excellence and this is a tremendous boost in supporting our efforts to enhance brand awareness and acceptance on the domestic, regional and international fronts.”

He added that the Satria Neo’s solid performance in 2011 has helped to successfully establish a strong foundation for PROTON in international motorsports.

Meanwhile, Head of PROTON Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood said: “We’ve done very well in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship winning all the 8 major individual titles. We are now focussing on our R3 Racing team and after completing all the 5 rounds of the MSS and fininishing 1-2 in the championship, we are now in our final phase of preparation for the Sepang 1000km or S1K next week. We’ve completed most of the development work and the emphasis next week will be on endurance.”

The team has tested the potential drivers and will be announcing the driver line-up for the race next week.