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  • Rally of Queensland: Proton looking for APRC success

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 4 comments

    It’s on to Australia and the third round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) this weekend, where Proton is hoping for a change in fortunes at the 2012 International Rally of Queensland.

    The first two rounds, in the Rallies of Whangarei and New Caledonia, have made for a challenging start to the season for the team. Swede PG Andersson clinched second place in Rally Whangarei, but despite both Andersson and reigning APRC champ Alister McRae demonstrating incredible pace in the Satria Neo S2000 in New Caledonia, retirements meant they did not go on to secure an overall position

    Rally Queensland will be run over a total distance of 863 km, consisting of 19 special stages. The longest special stage is some 33.25 km while the shortest measures just two kilometres. McRae returns to the grueling Australian rally having finished fourth last year, while for Andersson, this weekend’s three-day event will be his first time out Down under.

    Meanwhile, out to defend his title in Australia will be reigning 2WD APRC champion Karamjit Singh and defending APRC junior champion Akira Bamba in the Proton Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neos – they will be joined by a third driver, Kenneth Koh.

    Ahead of the race, Proton celebrated an early “victory” when the Satria Neo S2000 piloted by Andersson won a sprint test against a helicopter – the event was organised for the second year running to promote the Rally of Queensland.

     

  • APRC: Proton fails to convert pace into results in New Caledonia – Gaurav Gill leads Team MRF to a 1-2 finish

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 5 comments

    Round 2 of the 2012 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) has ended, and the New Caledonia rally was won by Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill. The Indian driver’s teammate Chris Atkinson made it a 1-2 for the Skoda Fabia S2000 powered team. In third spot was Kiwi Brian Green in his Mitsubishi Lancer.

    Team Proton headed to the Pacific island with high hopes but failed to convert strong pace into strong results. APRC debutant PG Andersson led the rally from the start and set fastest times in three of the four special stages, but the second day saw the Swede’s car experience an abrupt loss of power as a result of a water crossing, a predicament that would later cost him to lose more than 14 minutes.

    After a new head gasket at final service. Andersson’s final day fightback lasted only 6km before the engine stopped once again, this time for good.

    Things didn’t go well in the other Proton, too. APRC defending champ Alister McRae retired in SS2 but continued on the final day under Super Rally format, winning three of the day’s six special stages to secure seven championship points. But he wasn’t eligible for a podium finish.

    “We had hoped for a repeat of last year’s double podium results in New Caledonia but the reality of rallying is such that all the hardwork and preparation is never a guarantee of a strong finish,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports.

    The next APRC round is the Rally of Queensland in late May. The Aussie rally will be the third of six rounds this season, and it’s vital for Proton to get back to winning ways Down Under if they are to prevent Team MRF from running away with their title. Still early days, though.

     

  • APRC: Proton ready to roar in New Caledonia, PG Andersson aims to bounce back from Kiwi misfortune

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 2 comments

    The second round of this year’s FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) will happen in New Caledonia this weekend. Defending champions Proton return to the Pacific island in search of their first win of the year, after finishing second and fourth in the opening rally in New Zealand.

    The drivers in action are APRC reigning champion Alister McRae and Swedish driver PG Andersson – the latter is in his first full APRC season and will be competing in New Caledonia for the first time. Proton’s main rivals will once again be the Skoda Fabia S2000s of Team MRF.

    As defending champion, McRae will again be in the unenviable position of having to start the rally first, clearing the road for the other drivers behind him.

    “Winning the championship last year means I am first on the road on all the rounds this year and that was quite a disadvantage on the first round in New Zealand, but I don’t think it will be so much in New Caledonia. The rain is likely to have washed away much of the loose gravel from the surface before we got there and it’s possible that running at the front might even give us a small advantage,” said the optimistic Scot.

    Teammate PG is ready to bounce back from the Kiwi bad luck which cost him an outright victory in the opening round. Comfortably setting fastest times en route to winning 11 of the 16 special stages in New Zealand, Andersson caught a puncture to surrender the lead. “One thing for sure is that I’m starting this event as I start every event – to win. I have never been to this rally before, so it’s always exciting to try some new roads,” he said.

    Based in Noumea on Grande Terre, the largest island in New Caledonia, Rally New Caledonia moves through beautiful lush vegetation and farming plains, and will be contested over a competitive distance of 252.82 km covering 19 special stages.

     

  • Proton extends its lead in the S-WRC at Monte Carlo

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 25 comments

    P-G Andersson has stretched Proton’s lead in the Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC) category in Monte Carlo. Combing the icy roads through snow, rain and fog on the third day of the rally, Andersson’s Satria Neo S2000 held on to 9th overall and extended his overnight lead from 23 seconds to 1 minute 40 seconds over the second-placed S-WRC car, Kevin Abbring’s Skoda Fabia S2000.

    Abbring dropped two places to 12th overall, while Irishman Craig Breen remains third – and 15th overall – in the S-WRC class, a further five minutes behind in his Ford Fiesta S2000. Bryan Bouffier, in a Peugeot 207 S2000, continues to hold 4th place in the S-WRC class, but has moved up to 18th overall.

    The third day saw three special stages being contested in the mountainous region of Southern France, which included tackling what is reputed to be one of the most difficult stages of the rally, the 24.13km Cimetiere de Vassieux – Col de Gaudissart route.

    Reigning world champion Sebastien Loeb continued to dominate Monte Carlo, leading Dani Sordo’s MINI by more than two minutes. Sordo, in the meantime, has taken advantage of Petter Solberg’s misfortunes to build a gap of more than a minute – the third-placed Norwegian damaged the wheel of his Ford Fiesta and subsequently suffered a puncture.

     

  • Proton leads S-WRC category in Monte Carlo, 9th overall

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 27 comments

    Proton is currently in the lead in the 2012 FIA Super World Rally Championship (S-WRC) category on the second day of the Monte Carlo Rally, with P-G Andersson running in ninth spot overall.

    Only 59 cars of the 89-strong entries remain at the end of the second day of the event, which has already claimed some 30 retirements. Among them was the S-WRC front runner, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, who was running sixth overall and leading the class in his Skoda Fabia S2000 when his car was involved in a high-speed crash five kilometres from the finish, ending his race.

    Ogier’s retirement saw Andersson inherit the lead in the S-WRC class, with Germany’s Kevin Abbring in the Skoda Fabia S2000 in second place and 10th overall, some 23 seconds behind. In third place – and 15th overall -is the Ford Fiesta S2000 of Craig Breen, while fourth and 20th overall is Bryan Bouffier in the Peugeot 207 S2000.

    “The Monte Carlo Rally is all about pacing yourself to the finish. There is a very fine line between driving at your limit and being careful enough not to be caught out by the tricky and changing conditions of the terrain. We’ve had a good run so far, and with two more days of rallying remaining we are going to be extra cautious, as the changing conditions on the special stages make it extremely difficult and tricky,” Andersson said.

    “Our goal here is to get the Satria Neo S2000 to a strong overall finish and, if all goes well, a podium finish in the S-WRC category on our debut,” he added.

    Current world champion Sebastien Loeb extended his overall lead in Monte Carlo, claiming victory in five of the day’s six special stages. The Frenchman overcame the icy conditions to currently hold a one minute 37 second lead ahead of Spaniard Dani Sordo in the Mini, while Ford’s Petter Solberg is in third, a further three seconds adrift.

     

  • Proton wins Malaysian 1.6 Touring Car Championship

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 48 comments

    Proton clinched the 1.6 Touring Car Category in the 2011 Malaysian Super Series Championship (MSS) over the weekend – Faidzil Alang drove a textbook race in the fifth and final round of the season at the Sepang International Circuit to take the coveted title behind the wheel of a Satria Neo.

    His team mate, Syafiq Ali, in a Gen 2, sealed a Proton 1-2 in the 10-lap race as well as the championship, with the two drivers concluding what has been a dominant performance all year long.

    “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 Director of Group Marketing and Branding, John Doody Chacko.

    “We’ve done very well in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, winning all the eight major individual titles. We are now we focusing on our R3 Racing team and after completing all five rounds of the MSS, we are now in our final phase of preparation for the Sepang 1000 km or S1K next week, with most of the development work completed,” Proton Motorsports boss Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood added.

     

  • Proton to continue building the Satria Neo, in Shah Alam

    In Cars, Local News, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 70 comments

    Proton has stated that it is not stopping production of its Satria Neo hatch, despite a report saying that it was set to do so. Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin said that the company was shifting the manufacturing of the model to its main plant in Shah Alam, from Tanjung Malim, and that it was rearranging its facilities at Tanjung Malim in order to bring in its new model (in this case the P3-21A Persona replacement set to arrive next year), according to Bernama.

    “There is no truth in the report that we are ceasing production at the Tanjung Malim plant and shifting to Shah Alam. People may misinterpret that we are stopping production in Tanjung Malim to “kill the brands produced there,” Syed Zainal said at a press conference yesterday, in response to an earlier news report that the Satria Neo was nearing the end of its production cycle.

    He was speaking at a press event to shout the company’s clean sweep of APRC titles this season, and hinted that a special edition Satria Neo to commemorate the APRC victory would be coming about. “Expect some exciting derivative of Neo, perhaps some special edition,” he said, adding that a “yellow Neo” with “some of the DNA of the S2000″ could be coming out in Q1, 2012.

    Syed Zainal did however say that the company has decided to discontinue the sale of its Savvy hatchback, which was introduced in June 2005, and was also phasing out the Gen.2 model from the domestic market. “We are shifting the production of Gen.2 and as you know, we are talking to our partners in China and Iran to assemble the model there. We are still in negotiations,” he said.

     

  • Proton celebrates APRC title clean sweep, we’re told to expect a special edition “yellow” Satria Neo soon!

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 116 comments

    They’re not a football team, so no open top bus parade around the city, but Proton proudly paraded their multiple trophies gained from this season’s FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The six-leg championship ended in China earlier this month, where Alister McRae won the rally to clinch the Driver’s title from teammate Chris Atkinson.

    That title was one of eight titles won by Proton in this season’s APRC – a clean sweep underlining total domination. The eight titles are the Overall FIA APRC Manufacturer’s title, FIA APRC Driver’s title, FIA APRC Teams Trophy, FIA Asia Cup Driver’s title and the FIA Pacific Cup Driver’s title. Those were won by the Satria Neo S2000s.

    Proton’s Group N 1600cc 2WD Satria Neos won the Manufacturer’s title in the FIA APRC Rally Cup (2WD category), the FIA APRC Rally Cup Driver’s title and the FIA APRC Junior Cup Driver’s title. Karamjit SIngh, driving the Cusco prepared Neo, won all five events he entered in 2011.

    By the way, this is Proton’s first APRC win after seven years, their previous three wins coming in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Proton returned for a full season last year, finishing second in the Manufacturer’s standings.

    At this afternoon’s event, Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin reminded all that while they’re happy with the trophy haul, their main agenda in joining motorsports is marketing and Proton’s in it to “race on Sunday and sell on Monday.” Proton says that events like the APRC provide the brand with enormous exposure, reaching out to an estimated audience of over 390 million viewers worldwide in 129 countries. “It will be a crime not to exploit the success of the Satria Neo in APRC,” Syed Zainal added.

    The boss also hinted at a special edition (a special edition, not Special Edition) Satria Neo to commemorate the APRC victory. “Expect some exciting derivative of Neo, perhaps some special edition,” he said, adding later that a “yellow Neo” with “some of the DNA of the S2000″ could be coming out in Q1, 2012.

    Could it be a Satria Neo R3 in the rally car’s signature yellow with matching interior accents? Or can we expect an even more powerful Neo with more serious kit? No harm in listing down your wish list, someone might be reading!

     

  • Proton wins China Rally – Alister McRae takes APRC driver’s title, Proton clinches manufacturer’s title

    In Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 118 comments

    Proton emerged victorious at the China Rally over the weekend, clinching both the Asia Pacific Rally Championship driver’s and manufacturer’s titles for the 2011 season.

    Alister McRae won the driver’s title in style, piloting the Satria Neo S2000 to its fourth victory of the six-round season, finishing ahead of Finnish driver Jari Ketomaa in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Chris Atkinson finished third to make it a Proton 1-2 in the APRC driver’s championship.

    The Satria Neo S2000’s dominant performance throughout the season also gave Proton the coveted APRC manufacturer’s championship ahead of Mitsubishi, with Subaru finishing a distant third.

    The results in China also saw Proton becoming the first car manufacturer to win all eight major individual titles in the FIA APRC, with the overall FIA APRC driver’s title and FIA APRC manufacturer’s title leading the honour roll.

    The other titles are the FIA 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 FIA APRC Rally Cup two-wheel drive driver’s title; and FIA APRC Junior Cup driver’s title.

    “The results in China sum up what has been a challenging, but nevertheless rewarding year for Proton. Excelling in competition serves a bigger purpose in that it significantly supports our aspiration in becoming a competitive global car manufacturer,” said Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin.

    “Motorsports is one of several key strategies being pursued to enhance the Proton brand especially in markets that we are actively exporting to. In addition, it also enables us to promote the brand and increase awareness in new and potential markets.”

    “Motorsports also injects excitement into the brand or a particular model, and it provides a platform in which technology and technical know-how can be developed and applied to future road-going models,” he added.

     

  • Proton looking for clean sweep of 2011 APRC titles – Atkinson and McRae to fight it out for driver’s title in China

    In Cars, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo / By / / 14 comments

    This weekend’s China Rally will see Proton drivers Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson fighting it out for the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) driver’s title. McRae currently leads the championship with 116 points, a mere seven points ahead of Atkinson.

    The APRC driver’s title is already in the bag – all that’s left is finding out which of the two Proton drivers is to be this year’s champion. McRae however said that the bigger objective in China will be to secure maximum points to give Proton the 2011 APRC manufacturer’s title. Proton currently tops the point standings with 162 points, and six points behind in second place is Mitsubishi, while a distant third is Subaru.

    “China is going to be extremely competitive, given its rough and challenging terrain, the enormous number of entries and especially the high level of competition. And you can bet that the boys in Mitsubishi will be going all out to clinch the title,” said Atkinson.

    “Whatever the outcome, Chris and I already have a strong reason to celebrate in that Proton has come out on top this season,” McRae added. The Satria Neo S2000 has been dominant in this year’s APRC, winning three out of five rallies so far as well as securing two second-place and two third-place finishes. McRae and Atkinson stormed to a one-two finish in the China Rally last year.

    Proton will also head to China having already won a host of other titles that include the APRC co-driver’s championship, the APRC Teams Trophy, and the manufacturer’s title in the FIA APRC Rally Cup for two-wheel drive. It has also won the FIA APRC Junior Cup driver’s and co-driver’s titles as well as the FIA APRC Rally Cup driver’s and co-driver’s titles through Japanese driver Akira Bamba and Malaysian Karamjit Singh driving the 1600cc Satria Neo.

    Additionally, depending on how McRae finishes, the Scottish driver also has a shot of clinching the FIA Asia Cup driver’s championship, in which he currently leads with 60 points. With sufficient points at stake this weekend, Indian driver Gaurav Gill and Japanese Katsuhiko Taguchi – currently at 37 and 35 points respectively – still have a clear shot at the title should either driver win the rally.

    Also gunning for a second title is Atkinson, who is currently leading the FIA Pacific Cup driver’s championship with 78 points, and he’ll need to fend off Indonesian Rifat Sungkar for the title.

     
 
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