Proton has started pre-season tests for its Satria Neo Super 2000 rally car, which will compete a full season in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and selected races of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) in 2010, according to Alister McRae during our recent taxi ride session with him. The team plans to campaign more than one car, so it’s using a test session in Wales as a chance to “audition” new drivers.
Finland’s Anton Alen and Matti Rantanen and Belgian Francois Duval drove the Neo S2000 at the Sweet Lamb test facility in Wales. Chris Mellors, who runs MEM, the outfit that built the car, said: “We had three great drivers who gave us some very positive and valuable feedback. From our point of view one of the most encouraging things is that we put the equivalent of a world championship rally distance on the car without having to do any work to it.”
Alen, who is considering Proton as one of his options for next season’s IRC, said: “The car felt very stable and the engine had a really good spread of torque right from the bottom all the way to the top.”
A couple of days after the test, Duval slipped on some ice back in his homeland and broke two vertebrae in his back. He is expected to recover fully, but will be out of action for at least eight weeks.
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I see S2000 I thought some collab with Honda.
proton indeed a great car… superb handling
Where does our proud 'jaguh kampung' PERODUA stands in the world of Rallying?
I can not wait to see the Proton MEM team to win APRC 2010 season and the selected IRC turf to show the world what lotus chassis can do!
1st……!!!
Dang..! i really like this car. Really hope Proton will do up some special edition with some powertrain upgrades to celebrate this new car..!!
They should do well in APRC at least.
berikan cabaran penuh pada tahun hadapan.. gudluck Proton and MEM..
am i 1st to comment?? :D
this will be interesting!
way to go proton…… proud to be neorian…. :-)
In future, proton brand will boom up with their involvement in motorsport such as intercontinental rally and F1.
awesome!!!!! Sorry to hear about duval though….wish you well…
P.s: suggestion to proton… Put a 2lt engine in the persona
1st? i like satria neo s2000
Paul, since the Neo S2000is using the 1.8 Renault engine from the Waja (with mods of course) how can it comply to the minimum 2500 units production per year? Ada jual lagi ka Waja 1.8?
I wish my car like this. How much arr to convert Neo to S2000?
I wonder if Proton would produce a road legal version of the car. That would be tempting!
"Alen, who is considering Proton as one of his options for next season’s IRC, "
kenot be lah…. our proton so good aaa…?
question..i really dont know rally race.is there any toyota or honda in rally race?
first!
all the best!
1st!!!
1st!!
i wish to buy 2nd hand Neo then get a 1.8 waja renault engine,but the question is..is there any mechanic here can modified it to be S2000 engine with suitable transmission..????
The Neo looks good in metallic yellow. P1 should consider making it one of the standard colour for road-going Neo.
1st againn
Fins are better drivers aren't they?
whats so good claiming to be 1st? hahahaha.. XD
anyway, all the best to MEM with the neo s2k
yup, i also feel that proton may do well in rally race.. but F1…
emm..wait and c..
btw, why recently many comment like: 1st!!!! 1st again.. First!!!
Is there a competition???
qosim slamutt said,
December 30, 2009 @ 10:23 am
Paul, since the Neo S2000is using the 1.8 Renault engine from the Waja (with mods of course) how can it comply to the minimum 2500 units production per year? Ada jual lagi ka Waja 1.8?
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IRC regulations does not requires 2500 road units to be produced first for Homogation requirements of its S2000 rally car. The requirements are only for WRC, and thats why there are only 2 manufacturer left there competing. Currently, rallying in IRC has become popular among the manufacturers to contend.
Heard from source, Proton has plans for a performance limited road edition for its Neo in early 2010.
Gud luck PROTON !!
to Neo the One:
MEM production cost is EURO 170,000/unit…
so, help yourself… :)
HANDLING PROTON MEMANG BEST!!!!
eh!! can explain why P2 is jaguh kampung??? funny !!! hehehe
If they continue to win it will be a good merketing strategy by proton.
proton can suck it
the problem is not about fitting in waja 1.8 engine, but modifying the engine to s2000 level.
P2 cannot place their car in any international competition as their cars are photostat from other makes, via govt donation/protection and rakyat money.
pulge said,
December 30, 2009 @ 10:31 am
I wonder if Proton would produce a road legal version of the car. That would be tempting!
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technically, these rally cars are road legal to begin with. look at the license plate
maybe they learned something from petronas marketing their brand
the only good thing to ever come out of proton stable: the satria neo.
i bid good tidings for proton.
MEM production cost is EURO 170,000/unit…
so, help yourself… :)
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Not totally same like this.. only the Renault engine with custom b/kit like this.
If EUR170K, i'll go for Evo X or GTR is better… hehe
The Satria Neo always manages to look good!
Annihilated said,
December 30, 2009 @ 11:28 am
Fins are better drivers aren’t they?
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Take a look at their driving school and tests…they learn a lot more about car control than what we learn here.
What with the "1st to post"? Are you guys desperate or something?
haha duval…….. Proton will have to prepare hundreds of Neos just for him.
NiceCar said,
December 30, 2009 @ 11:38 am
yup, i also feel that proton may do well in rally race.. but F1…
emm..wait and c..
btw, why recently many comment like: 1st!!!! 1st again.. First!!!
Is there a competition???
Maybe those comments like 1st!!!! 1st again needs "special attention". Maybe Paul can provide Olympics like "medals" for this kind of peoples. Tired of it already, its likes a diseases spread all the way around the web. YUCK…
question..i really dont know rally race.is there any toyota or honda in rally race?
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answer is yes ..
check this http://www.ircseries.com/html/Manufacturers.asp
and guess what they last place with a single point for 2009 season :D
ahhaha
go go go Proton!
Hope Proton would sell a road version yellow colour Satria Neo just like the S2000 , probably with two engines options, a 1.6 CPS and 2.0 CC/ 1.6 light turbo just like Subaru and Mitsu.
Wonder where I can get those wide-body kits mannnn…
i know neo is a good car..that,s why i bought it 3years ago:D a lot of mat salleh will look at my neo later like i always did to subaru impreza WRX :D
Annihilated said,
December 30, 2009 @ 11:28 am
Fins are better drivers aren’t they?
_________________________________________________
Finns took 3 years just to get a complete driver's license. Correct me if I'm wrong.
i tot before this, someone did mention that the neo design is half baked… lack of headroom…n bla..bla…bla…
funny isn't?
coz, today/now as we can see, the design is good, it has good handling n serve its purpose for racing… n bashers outhere…shouldn't u guys give some credits to where its suppose to have??
where is syoh? littlefire? mazda mps? or maybe yg seangkatan dgnnya…
I am sorry to hear Duval broke two vertebrae in his back. I am glad to hear he's expected to make a full recovery.
James Martell
Publisher, KitCarConnection.com
Thanks to the bashers because your critics on Neo has been proven to be opposite… except for the Engine…
Next year we expect more from them with all the promising story that they give us days after days.
road legal ermmm satria neo (APRC) engine ermm tapaulah 1.6ltr terbo campro.. all whell drive haha.. got roll cages … hehe wish only haih when when
Alen, who is considering Proton as one of his options for next season’s IRC, said: “The car felt very stable and the engine had a really good spread of torque right from the bottom all the way to the top.”
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DAMN ! Every pro driver said it is so stable. Take that u proton bashers !
awesome!!!!! Sorry to hear about duval though….wish you well…
P.s: suggestion to proton… Put a 2lt engine in the persona
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I disagree, better put bolt on turbo la… can get the same result as 2.0 Lit engine, or more !
What with the “1st to post”? Are you guys desperate or something?
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No, but it is very rare to get the 1st comment. Don be jeles, u also cant ge 1st, hehe…