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

January 21, 2012 at 8:11 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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.

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

January 20, 2012 at 5:30 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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.

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Proton wins Malaysian 1.6 Touring Car Championship

November 28, 2011 at 11:39 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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.

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Proton to continue building the Satria Neo, in Shah Alam

November 17, 2011 at 1:14 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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.

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

November 16, 2011 at 7:43 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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!

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

November 7, 2011 at 12:32 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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.

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

November 2, 2011 at 4:21 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

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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Rally of Scotland: Proton’s good pace ends with two DNFs

October 11, 2011 at 4:44 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) Rally of Scotland has been won by Skoda’s Andreas Mikkelsen, who has waited very long for his first win in the series. Juho Hänninen came in second, also for Skoda, sealing the manufacturers’ title for the Czech brand. Frenchman Bryan Bouffier was the best placed Peugeot in third.

Mikkelsen’s win in Scotland sets up a six-way fight for the IRC drivers’ title in the next and final rally in Cyprus. The others in contention are Bouffier, Hänninen, Jan Kopecký (Skoda, Czech), Freddy Loix (Skoda, Belgium), and Thierry Neuville (Peugeot, Belgium). Of them, Kopecky leads the pack with 131 points, six ahead of teammate Hanninen. Neuville is third with 115 points.

It was another frustrating IRC outing for Proton, who had home boy Alister McRae driving in place of regular man Basso. McRae, who is leading the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), retired due to a damaged oil sump.

The Satria Neo S2000 ran as high as fourth overall in the three day rally and came within 1.2 seconds of claiming its first ever stage win in IRC courtesy of former JWRC champ PG Andersson.

The Swede then met with an electrical problem, which was repaired but incurred a time penalty. PG then fought back from 12th to within the top 10 but retired with only a few more stages left. The culprit was a broken driveshaft that damaged the crank sensor, stopping the engine.

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McRae to drive for Proton in IRC’s Rally of Scotland

October 4, 2011 at 10:37 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

Proton is handing its APRC rally driver Alister McRae a chance to compete in his home race – the RACMSA Rally of Scotland, which happens this weekend (7-9 October) and is the second last round of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). He will take the place of regular Proton IRC driver Giandomenico Basso, lining up beside teammate PG Andersson.

McRae, the younger brother of rallying legend Colin McRae, last competed in the IRC one year ago. He finished second in the inaugural Rally of Scotland in 2009 and will be bidding to emulate that performance in his homeland.

“It’s always nice to come home to compete again. Obviously, I have good memories of rallying in this part of the world and it’ll be great to see the (Scottish) Saltire flags out there flying high. We had a good finish here a couple of years ago, when we finished second in the Proton. But the competition is going to be really tough, there’s a good, quality entry for the rally,” McRae said.

He will be up against 17 other drivers in Super 2000 machinery out of an exciting 38-car entry. The rally features 15 stages over a competitive of distance of 196.96 km. If he does well, McRae will be bringing momentum into his next assignment, the APRC’s China Rally, where he will be fighting Proton teammate Chris Atkinson for the Driver’s title. McRae leads Atkinson by seven points going into the season ending rally after a podium finish in the recent Rally of Hokkaido.

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Rally of Hokkaido – Gaurav Gill excluded from results, Proton assured the FIA APRC Driver’s crown

October 3, 2011 at 3:25 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Malaysian Makes, Motorsports, Proton, Proton Satria Neo

Proton finished third in last weekend’s APRC Rally of Hokkaido in Japan, with Alister McRae standing on the podium with MRF drivers Katsu Taguchi and Gaurav Gill, the latter winning taking the honours in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. This meant that the Driver’s title race would have gone down to the wire in China, with a three-way battle between McRae, his Proton teammate Chris Atkinson (who retired in Japan) and Gill.

However, the latest news is that Indian driver Gill has been excluded from the results after a technical infringement found during the post-event scrutineering. This means that he’s out of reckoning, and the Driver’s title battle will be between Proton teammates McRae and Atkinson – who will take the title?

Congratulations! Now, let’s seal up that Manufacturer’s title as well!

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