Paul Tan's Automotive News » Proton Satria Neo

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

Anthony Lim — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:11:27 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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

Anthony Lim — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:30:41 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton wins Malaysian 1.6 Touring Car Championship

Anthony Lim — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:39:03 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton to continue building the Satria Neo, in Shah Alam

Anthony Lim — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:14:29 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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

Danny Tan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:43:06 +0000

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!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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

Anthony Lim — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:32:12 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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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

Anthony Lim — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:21:30 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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

Danny Tan — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:44:02 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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

Danny Tan — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:37:16 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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

Danny Tan — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:25:28 +0000

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!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton at Rally Hokkaido – Alister McRae finishes third, and APRC driver’s title goes down to the wire

Anthony Lim — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:02:57 +0000

UPDATE: Winner Gaurav Gill has been excluded from the results due to a technical infringement, and the APRC Driver’s title is now a two-horse battle between Proton drivers Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson.

Proton may not have been able to crown a champion at the Rally Hokkaido over the weekend, but three of its cars finishing on the podium in round five of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) was nevertheless a very good outing for the team.

Initial honours went to Indian driver Gaurav Gill, in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, though a technical infringement meant that his exclusion from the final classification results. As such, Toshihiro Arai, in a Subaru WRX STI, has been classified as the overall winner, with Gill’s MRF teammate Katsuhiko Taguchi coming in second. Alister McRae completed the podium by finishing third in his Satria Neo S2000.

Beginning the second leg of the rally 31.4 seconds adrift of Taguchi in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, McRae won two of the morning’s four special stages to close the gap to within 18.5 seconds, but in the end had to contend with third place despite closing the gap to within 8.8 seconds and being the fastest driver on Leg 2 of the rally.

The results in Japan will set the stage for a three-way battle for this year’s APRC crown, with McRae now leading Proton team mate Chris Atkinson, who retired on the first day, followed by Gill, with the title to be decided in the next and final round of the APRC, in Longyou, China in November.

“We had a good run in Japan, considering that the terrain and stages suited the turbocharged four-wheel drive cars better. The results might have been a lot different had it not been for McRae’s puncture and Atkinson’s retirement on the first day, but that’s the nature of rallying,” said Proton Motorsports head Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.

“Having said that, the Satria Neo S2000 performed well against the more powerful turbocharged cars and the results are testimony to the level of progress we have made in terms of development of the car, which we have demonstrated this season by winning three of the five rallies so far. One more round will determine the APRC championship and rest assured that we will be fighting hard to end the season on a high note,” he added.

Completing the good outing in Japan were the dominant drives demonstrated by Proton’s two Group N 1600 Satria Neos. The team secured two podium finishes with Karamjit Singh and Japanese team mate Akira Bamba finishing first and second respectively in the APRC 1600cc Two Wheel Drive category.

Bamba also secured the inaugural FIA APRC Junior Championship title, with the Cusco-prepared Satria Neo Group N rally car. Meanwhile, Gunaseelan Rajoo clinched the Class “A” title in the APRC 1600cc Two Wheel Drive category in a Class “A” Proton Satria Neo.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton scores double race wins in the MSS

Anthony Lim — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:22:50 +0000

Some winning news about Proton. Over the weekend, Syafiq Ali and Faidzil Alang powered to double race wins in the Malaysian touring car championship at the Sepang International Circuit.

Occupying the top two positions on the grid, the Proton R3 racing team dominated to lead the 10 lap race from start to finish. Pole-sitter Syafiq set a blistering pace in his Gen2 to take the honours, with team mate Faidzil making it a one-two finish in the Satria Neo R3. Finishing third in race 1 and 2 was Siah Wy Pyng, in another Satria Neo R3.

Syafiq and Alang also had a day to remember as they both dominated qualifying and finals in the MTC, ensuring a 1-2 front row as they both posted 24:34:990 and 24:39:300 respectively for the final rounds.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Basso finishes 10th for Proton in IRC San Remo Rally

Anthony Lim — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:07:14 +0000

Some late news about the San Remo Rally, which concluded on Sunday – Proton finished 10th when Giandomenico Basso reversed his misfortunes on the first day and made the most of his home rally advantage and knowledge to secure final championship point in round nine of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

Fighting from 13th, after conceding 8th position when an intercom failure forced him off the road and losing more than five minutes, Basso pushed on – not even an alternator problem on the final day could deny the Italian as he powered the Satria Neo S2000 past Swiss Peugeot driver Grégoire Hotz on the very last special stage of the rally.

The result represents a big leap forward in the development of the Satria Neo S2000, which finished 18th in its debut at San Remo last year. Frenchman Thierry Neuville won the 53rd running of the rally in a Peugeot 207 S2000 ahead of Skoda’s Andreas Mikkelsen.

“We had a fantastic drive on the second and final day with a lot of catching up to do. Despite the early and many setbacks faced, overall, it has been a very rewarding rally for both Proton and I personally. The results have certainly proven the car has grown even more competitive over the short span of one year. We believe the Satria Neo S2000 has every bit the potential of fighting for victories in the IRC,” said a delighted Basso, who last won the San Remo Rally in 2008.

Chris Atkinson’s rally, meanwhile, had come to an early end. with an electrical problem putting paid to his rally on the opening special stage. The challenging San Remo asphalt had also taken its toll on Peugeot’s Guy Wilks, who retired on the same stage after hitting a bridge.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton at the IRC San Remo Rally – Chris Atkinson returns

Anthony Lim — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:59:41 +0000

Proton is all geared up for the ninth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), the San Remo Rally, which takes place this weekend. Piloting one of the two Satria Neo S2000s will be Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) leader Chris Atkinson, while the other will be driven by double FIA European Rally Champion and former winner of the San Remo Rally, Giandomenico Basso.

Having won three of the rour APRC rounds so far this year, Atkinson currently leads the APRC standings, and requires only to finish when he competes in the following week’s Rally of Hokkaido to seal the 2011 championship. Nontheless, the Australian is focused on the matter at hand as he makes a return for Proton on the IRC circuit – his last outing on asphalt and in the IRC was the Rally of Monte Carlo in January this year.

“It’s great to be back in the IRC again. I’ve done the recce for this event before, but never competed in Sanremo. It’s fair to say that this is one of the events I’ve always wanted to do, being one of the classics and a really tough event. From what I remember some of the stages can be quite technical and then there’s the night stage, which is going to be a big challenge,” Atkinson said.

Meanwhile, Basso was enthusiastic about the upcoming weekend. “I love this rally. It’s a rally that I’ve done plenty of times before and I’ve got some good memories from San Remo. I’ve won it before and I nearly won there last year as well. I love the long stages; I’ve always liked long stages as you really have to think a lot about the car and the tyres over the whole stage – it’s not like the short stages where you just go,” said the Italian.

“This is a rally where experience definitely helps and you need to concentrate very hard because of all the corners. It’s a really technical event that is not easy to master; you have to be really on top of the car. The speeds are not that fast and that makes it more demanding, physically and mentally. Then of course you have the long stage at night, which is a really tough test for everyone.”

The San Remo Rally will be run over 13 special stages in the province of Imperia, with a competitive distance of 225.77km.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Chris Atkinson to drive for Proton in IRC’s Sanremo Rally

Danny Tan — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 06:16:41 +0000

Aussie driver Chris Atkinson will be racing for Proton in IRC Rallye Sanremo next week. Atkinson, who rallies for Proton in the FIA Asia Pacific Championship (APRC), takes the place of P-G Andersson, and will line up alongside Italian Giandomenico Basso. His last appearance in the IRC was the in season opening Rallye Monte Carlo.

From what I remember some of the stages can be quite technical and then there’s the night stage, which is going to be a big challenge. I haven’t competed for a while now, so I’m really keen to get back in the car, especially on asphalt as I haven’t driven on that surface since January,” he added.

The former Subaru WRC works driver is currently leading the APRC Drivers’ standings after winning three out of four legs this year, while Proton is also top in the Manufacturers’ league. APRC’s next event is the Hokkaido Rally in Japan, one week after Sanremo, so Chris won’t have an extended break on the gorgeous Italian Riviera.

“Competing in Sanremo will definitely help me for the following week in Japan. There’s nothing like time in the car to keep you sharp,” said Atkinson, who will be co-driven in Italy by usual partner Stéphane Prévot.

“The competition in IRC will be really tough as usual. Those boys have been out racing pretty much every other week and that really gets you on the ball as a driver. I’m pretty fortunate having a team-mate like Giandomenico [Basso], he’s got plenty of knowledge on setting the car up on these roads and for tyre choice if the weather closes in.”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Double retirement for Proton in IRC’s Hungarian Rally

Danny Tan — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:13:58 +0000

Click to enlarge

The International Rally Challenge (IRC) was in Hungary over the weekend for the inaugural Canon Mecsek Rallye. The event was previously an IRC Supporter Event upgraded to a fully-fledged round of the IRC this year. Based in the town of Pecs – named the 2010 European Capital of Culture – in the south-west of Hungary, the 2011 event is the 44th edition of the rally.

After a very close fight, Jan Kopecký from Skoda won the rally, which was led by Skoda UK’s Andreas Mikkelsen right till the penultimate stage. But the Norwegian slid wide on gravel in a fast right-hand corner in SS13, damaging his Fabia. Peugeot’s Thierry Neuville made a great late charge to finish second, just short of overall victory by a slim 0.8s. Freddy Loix was third in a Skoda.

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As for Proton, both the Satria Neo S2000s were forced into retirement. PG Andersson began the two-day rally conservatively, finishing the opening special stage in 17th. His charge however, was dealt a blow when he hit a kerb and severely damaged a wheel through the 28km second special stage.

This forced him to make an unscheduled wheel change that cost almost 8 minutes, dropping him to 42nd overall. The car’s rear differential was also damaged. The Swede then fought back up to 39th place in SS5 before a technical problem eventually ended his rally in SS6.

Click to enlarge

It wasn’t much better for PG’s two-time FIA European Rally Champion teammate Giandomenico Basso. The Italian was also forced into retirement due to an abnormal mechanical issue on the first day. The extremely rare failure of the oil filter seal caused all the engine oil to leak out, giving Basso no choice but to stop.

With a competitive distance of 251.86 km, the Canon Mecsek Rallye was run mainly on high-speed roads with more than 100 teams and 20 IRC regulars taking part. Next up, IRC will head to the beautiful Italian Riveira for the Rallye Sanremo on 22-24 September.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton scores points in Skoda dominated Czech Rally Zlín

Danny Tan — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:03:21 +0000

Proton scored points in last weekend’s Barum Czech Rally Zlin, Round 7 of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge. In front of a 300,000-strong crowd, the Satria Neo S2000 of P-G Andersson finished in ninth overall, but teammate Giandomenico Basso ended the weekend in 13th, after a puncture killed his hopes for points.

The rally was won by Jan Kopecký in a Skoda. Freddy Loix, also in a Fabia S2000, was just beaten by 1.2 seconds and had to settle for second. Championship leader Juho Hänninen finished third, giving Skoda the entire podium in its home rally.

The competition in this round was tougher than ever, with 29 Super 2000 cars making the start in a field of 123 competitors. Based in Zlin, the rally is known for attracting big crowds, but with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees for much of the event, attendance hit a record-breaking 300,000 on the bumpy asphalt roads in the south-east of the Czech Republic.

There were 248.48 km of competitive stages run over a total distance of 619.73 km. 34 cars failed to finish.

“We’re very pleased with the way the weekend has gone. Although we’ve had some punctures and some minor off-road excursions, but at the end of the event we have shown a significant step forwards in the development of the Proton Satria Neo S2000. From where we were 12 months ago, we have halved the gap to the cars at the front of the field and that represents real progress,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports.

“We have shown what we are capable of. We also have no illusions here and know that there is still much work to be done with the car. We believe we are on the right track here and know what areas of the car we will focus our attention on next,” he added.

Buoyed by its improved IRC pace, the Proton team now heads to Hungary for the next round of the series, the Canon Mecsek Rally on September 9-11.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton set to take on IRC champs Skoda in their home rally

Danny Tan — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:17:23 +0000

The Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) resumes this weekend in the Czech Republic, and Proton will be there at the Barum Czech Rally Zlin with their yellow Neos piloted by two-time FIA Junior World Rally Champion P-G Andersson and double FIA European Rally Champion Giandomenico Basso. This is round seven of IRC 2011′s 11 races.

Based in the south-east of the Czech Republic, some 300 km east from capital Prague and about 200 km north from the Austrian capital of Vienna, the 41st edition of the Zlin Rally will be contested through the forests close to the city of Zlin. The event will consist of 15 special stages with a combined competitive distance of 248.48 km. High-speed and tricky asphalt roads will be waiting for the drivers.

Rallying begins with a 9.36 km test along a super special stage in the town centre which will be run in the dark before day two takes teams through another nine SS totaling 133.4 km. The third and final day will feature six special stages with a distance of 115 km. The event will see 29 S2000 cars battle, 14 of which are Skoda Fabia S2000s, from a total of 123 registered entries. This is the home race for Skoda, the IRC champions.

“The roads on this rally can be quite bumpy with some broken tarmac, which is good for me – this kind of condition suits me quite well. I haven’t competed in Zlin before, but I have heard a lot about the rally. I’m looking forward to getting out there and driving again to chase a good result,” said ex-Suzuki man Andersson.

“The most important thing is to find a good confidence in the car on the bumpy surface. Barum is not like a normal tarmac rally, it is very specific. The bumps make finding the right set-up complicated so there is a lot of work to do with the dampers. The roads in Zlin can be especially difficult when there is rain,” said the experienced Italian Basso.

I went to the official Czech Rally website, and guess what greeted me? Hint, it’s not a Skoda!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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A successful race for Satria Neo rally cars in New Zealand

Paul Tan — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 07:23:31 +0000

Proton’s Satria Neo S2000 surged ahead to claim its third victory in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), winning the Pacific Cup and with driver Chris Atkinson finishing first outright in the International Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand.

Alister McRae finished seventh overall in the rally but was second amongst the registered APRC contenders to give Proton a 1-2 finish for maximum points in the championship. He was in 3rd overall for most of the day in a battle with Kiwi Richard Mason who was fourth. Unfortunately, a spin in SS15, the 2nd last stage of the day dropped him to 7th.

Satria Neos also went on to clinch first and second places in the two-wheel drive category of the APRC championship with drivers Karamjit Singh and Akira Bamba in the Proton Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neos. Karamjit and Akira finished 4th and 5th overall in the APRC classification, 18th and 19th overall for the International Rally of Whangarei respectively from a field of 48 cars that restarted the second day of rallying. A third 1600cc Satria Neo at the hands of Indian driver Sanjay Ram finished 21st.

For Atkinson, victory in New Zealand was his third after Malaysia and New Caledonia. The Australian and former World Rally Championship (WRC) driver ran a trouble-free rally over the final day’s eight special stages contested against the backdrop of intermittent rain, setting fastest times on five special stages to seal victory for Proton 12.4 seconds ahead of local favourite Hayden Paddon in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Atkinson maintained great consistency throughout the two-day event and had even gone on to set a new record in the 10.99km special stage 14 with a time of 6 minutes 48.5 seconds, bettering the previous record held by Paddon by five seconds.

While the stages were generally fast and smooth flowing, the cold and wet conditions did provide a degree of challenge to drivers who were forced to contend with puddles and slippery patches. Among those who retired from the rally were the Team MRF’s and defending APRC champion Katsuhiko Taguchi and team mate Gaurav Gill, and Pertamina Cusco Racing’s Rifat Sungkar, all three driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

Round five of the APRC moves to the Rally of Hokkaido in Japan in September with the final round being the China Rally in November.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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APRC: Proton heads to New Zealand in mid winter

Danny Tan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:27:02 +0000

The FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) will move to New Zealand this weekend (15-17 July) where the International Rally of Whangarei will take place in the middle of a Kiwi winter.

We’re into the second half of the six-race calendar now, and after rallies in Malaysia, Australia and New Caledonia, Proton is sitting pretty in the Manufacturers’ standings tied with Mitsubishi in the lead with 93 points, while Chris Atkinson is leading the Drivers’ standings with 70 points. Teammate Alister McRae is third with 60 points.

Proton finished second in this event last year and will be aiming for no less than the top step of the podium this year. The Whangarei event consists of 16 gravel stages with some heavy cambers.

While the surface is smooth and relatively kinder to the cars than in some other events on the APRC calendar, two runs through the 40 km Bull stage and more than 300 competitive kilometres across two days means that it isn’t a walk in the park. The cold temperatures (typically between 5 and 15 degrees) and the possibility of sudden rain are also challenges.

“We have made a number of changes to the car from the start of the year and all of them are taking us in the right direction. You only have to look at the times the car is doing in the IRC against the cream of the Super 2000 factory cars to see how close we’re getting. We’re down to fine-tuning with the Satria now; it’s very exciting to see where the car is now and where it’s going to be in the very near future. We have a huge amount of potential,” said team principal Chris Mellors.

They’re in yellow and they’re joining a rally, but there’s nothing illegal about our Satria Neo S2000s! Good luck boys!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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P-G finishes treacherous Ypres Rally in 19th, Basso falls

Danny Tan — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:02:42 +0000

The Geko Ypres Rally happened over the weekend as the fifth leg of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). The Belgian asphalt rally was a treacherous one that claimed many big names, including local favourite Thiery Neuville and Skoda drivers Andreas Mikkelsen and Jan Kopecky. Proton’s Giandomenico Basso also failed to finish but teammate P-G Andersson managed to complete the rally in 19th place.

Proton’s Swede was among the 61 finishers of 124 cars that started the two-day 18-stage rally. 31 entrants were S2000 cars. Racing across narrow farmland roads, the extreme wet, cold and slippery conditions made the event extra challenging.

The rally was won by home boy Freddy Loix, who led from start and did not put a wheel wrong. The Skoda man is now top of the IRC driver standings. Peugeot’s Bryan Bouffier was second and debutant Hans Weijs completed the podium in a Fabia.

Proton pilots Basso and Andersson had both come within nine seconds of creeping into the top 10 places before being struck by misfortune. Pushing hard after finishing the first day in 11th and just nine seconds adrift, Basso’s rally came to an end in SS7 when he hit a low brick wall hidden in tall grass. That knock put his Satria Neo S2000 in a ditch.

Meanwhile, P-G began to pick up his pace in the rally and shot from 18th in the opening stage (SS7) to move up to 17th and then 16th over the next two SS. By SS10 he was 12th and with one stage to go in SS17, the double Junior WRC had brought the Satria Neo S2000 to 11th and within 8.9 seconds of a top-10 finish.

But it was not meant to be. Proton’s valiant charge was dealt a cruel blow when P-G’s final push saw him went wide 2km into the 10km final special stage (SS18). The Neo’s left rear wheel was damaged, but Andersson was still able to continue, losing 24 seconds in the process to eventually finish in 19th.

Despite the heartbreak, the team sees the encouraging pace as a “real competitive assessment of where we are currently in terms of development and how much more we need to do in the IRC” according to Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports.

“Although this is Proton’s first full year in the IRC, we are certainly making valuable progress and heading in the right direction as far as development of the Satria Neo S2000 and the brand is concerned,” he added. Chin up guys, better luck next time!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton wins Rally De Nouvelle Caledonia – Chris Atkinson takes top honours again, Alister McRae finished third

Anthony Lim — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:44:44 +0000

After the heartbreak in Australia, Proton has returned to winning ways in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), winning the Rally De Nouvelle Caledonie. Chris Atkinson and co-driver Stephane Prevot took the Satria Neo S2000 to victory in the third round of the APRC, finished ahead of Pertamina Cusco Racing’s Rifat Sungkar in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.

Teammate Alister McRae capped off a successful weekend in New Caledonia with a hard-fought third place, after having conceded his early lead in the rally due to a puncture and broken driveshaft. The result mirrors that of the Malaysian Rally, the opening round of the championship.

“It’s a phenomenal result for Proton – the entire team and for Stephane and I personally. Our rally wasn’t exactly trouble free, especially with a broken driveshaft on day 2, but we were lucky we had built a big enough gap to have it replaced and still hang on to the lead,” said Atkinson.

Atkinson moves into the lead of the APRC Driver’s Championship with 58 points, just two ahead of McRae. In third place is Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill, who retired in New Caledonia. McRae also reclaims the top spot in the Asia Cup Driver’s Championship ahead of Gill.

Victory in New Caledonia saw Proton claiming not only the overall victory, but also top honours amongst the APRC contenders, finishing first in the Pacific Cup and clinching the APRC Team Trophy at the event.

A further bonus for Proton came from Karamjit Singh, who won the Two-Wheel Drive Category in a 1600cc Satria Neo, extending his lead in the Driver’s Championship and Proton’s in the Manufacturer’s Championship. Karamjit finished ninth overall in the rally.

“Two victories in three rounds of the APRC certainly prove the competitiveness of the Satria Neo S2000. We’ve endured our fair share of misfortunes and mechanical issues, but the car has nevertheless proven time and time again that it is able to take on the more powerful turbocharged cars and more importantly, win rallies,” said Proton’s managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin.

“We have channeled a lot of effort towards development in terms of achieving both greater performance and reliability since the last rally in Australia and this has indeed paid dividends here in New Caledonia. This is a big step forward and with all the mechanical issues hopefully behind us, we now look forward to our next immediate event, which is the Ypres Rally in Belgium in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and New Zealand in the APRC,” he added.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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IRC Yalta Rally Ukraine: Two Protons in top 10 after Leg 1

Danny Tan — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:44:01 +0000

The Proton Motorsports team is now in Ukraine for the Prime Yalta Rally, which is the fourth round of this season’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). Their last IRC event was Round 2 (Rally Islas Canarias) in Spain, where the team collected its first points of the season. The yellow Neos then skipped Round 3 (Tour de Corse) to focus on the APRC’s Queensland Rally in Australia.

The three-day event sees Proton fielding its strongest line-up to date in the IRC. Against the backdrop of the Crimea region’s Ai-Petri Mountains on the north coast of the Black Sea, Yalta consists of 14 special stages run entirely on asphalt over a combined distance of 721.61 km.

Things are off to a good start. Two of three Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 cars finished in the top 10 after Leg 1. Italian Giandomenico Basso, who scored in Spain for Proton, is the highest placed in eighth position after the opening day’s two SS and just 5.6 seconds adrift of current leader Thierry Neuville (Peugeot 207 S2000). Teammate P-G Andersson is a further three seconds behind to round up the top 10 dominated by Peugeot and Skoda.

Proton’s third entry, piloted by Ukrainian rally star and former USSR rally champ Oleksandr Saliuk Sr is 18th overall from a total of 42 registered competitors, 26.7 seconds down the order. Saliuk Sr’s son Alexander had earlier been scheduled to drive the third Neo S2000 but suffered a broken arm, so in came dad.

Special stage 1 began in the outskirts of Yalta over a short 2.12 km sprint before moving on to Livadija for the second special stage, which was run over a distance of 5.49 km. Leg 2 will consist of six special stages to be run today while the third and final leg on Saturday will also be run over another six special stages.

New to the IRC calendar, the Prime Yalta Rally has levelled the playing field somewhat, with teams not having the benefit of previous technical data to rely on. The changing weather conditions has also made it even more challenging with the varying levels of grip, according to Proton team members in Ukraine. Good luck guys!

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Team Proton R3 dominates Round 2 of the MSS

Anthony Lim — Mon, 23 May 2011 02:27:14 +0000

It was a successful weekend for Team Proton R3 at Sepang, with its two entries finishing first and second in the two races in Round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series (MSS). Faidzil Alang and his team-mate Syafiq Ali dominated the field to win both races in their Satria Neo and GEN.2 R3 race cars, each driver topping the podium once.

In Race 1, Faidzil made the most of his pole position and led the race from start to finish, with the only serious challenge coming from Syafiq. Syafiq, who qualified in fourth place due to a problem during qualifying, made a great start to overtake the second and third-placed cars to slot in behind team-mate Faidzil by the end of the first turn, and both drivers maintained their positions to the chequered flag.

In Race 2, heavy rain delayed the start by almost an hour and it eventually started as a wet race. Faidzil led the race from the start, trailed by Syafiq. A mechanical problem on the third lap saw Faidzil forced to relinquish his lead to Syafiq, and he ran the rest of the race fending off eventual third-placed finisher, Siah W Pyng, who also finished third in Race 1.

“We are thrilled with the results this weekend. Despite the stiff competition and challenging weather conditions, our team were well prepared to face anything. This is a testimonial of all the development work and testing we’ve done in preparation for this season as well as our experiences from previous races,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports Division.

Round 3 of the Malaysian Super Series 2011 will take place on July 2-3, while Round 4 runs on Oct 1-2, and the final round is on Nov 26-27.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Team Proton R3 aims to extend lead in MSS this weekend

Danny Tan — Sat, 21 May 2011 08:03:35 +0000

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UPDATE: Team Proton R3′s Faidzil Alang is on pole position with a time of 2:41.941. Second fastest is Siah W Pyng (2:46.056) and Mark Darwin is third (2:51.897). Faidzil’s teammate Syafiq Ali is fourth with 2:53.342 after having engine misfiring problems.

Round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series 2011 happens this weekend in Sepang, and as we type, the teams are preparing for qualifying, which starts at 4pm. Team Proton R3′s aim this weekend is to extend its lead at the top of the MTC Class 2 standings.

In Round 1, which was a support race for the Formula 1 Malaysian GP, Team R3′s Faidzil Alang was second in Heat 1 and first in Heat 2. Faidzil is no stranger to the Malaysian motorsports scene and is widely regarded as one of the most successful circuit drivers around.

This weekend sees the addition of a second car in the form of a Proton R3 GEN.2, piloted by young driver Syafiq Ali. His achievements to-date include winning the 2008 Asian Touring Car Series Championship for the 1500Max class and a Class B win in the Merdeka Millenium Endurance race in the same year. Both were done in a Proton Satria Neo.

“In the short time Syafiq has been a racing driver, he has built up a reputation for being quick, disciplined and a team player. We are happy to have him aboard again as a driver for Team Proton R3. Together with Faidzil Alang, we can’t ask for a better team this weekend,” said Tengku Djan Ley, Head of Engineering, Proton Motorsports Division.

“The old adage, win on Sunday, sell on Monday still holds true today for Proton R3. Much of the lessons learnt on the race and rally tracks have found their way into our showroom limited edition R3 vehicles.

“Any Proton owner can also equip their vehicles with our accessories and parts that have been inspired and honed through rigorous testing and competition,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head of Proton Motorsports Division, who adds that the road going Proton R3 Satria Neo uses similar components found on the MSS race car.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Alister McRae finishes fourth for Proton in the Rally of Queensland, Chris Atkinson retires from his home event

Danny Tan — Mon, 16 May 2011 02:14:30 +0000

Alister McRae and co-driver Bill Hayes fended off a series of misfortunes on the third and final day of the Rally of Queensland to salvage a fourth place finish for the factory Proton team. McRae was leading the pack after Leg 1, but mechanical problems means that the Scot is still waiting for his first APRC win.

Starting the day with an eight second advantage over Mitsubishi’s Gaurav Gill, earned after winning three stages on Leg 1, McRae lost the lead when his Satria Neo S2000’s engine began misfiring after a water crossing in one of the day’s seven special stages.

The fightback was dealt a serious blow when he was forced to slow down as a result of a broken drive shaft over 50 km of the last three SS of the rally. No service interval, so they had to nurse the car home.

Despite this disaster, McRae managed to hang on to fourth ahead of a charging Rifat Sungkar, the Indonesian competing in a Mitsubishi Evo 10.

McRae’s teammate Chris Atkinson was hoping for a successful home rally, but it was not to be. After setting a blistering pace to lead the first two opening super special stages on Friday night and winning the first stage on Saturday morning, his run came to an abrupt end on the next stage due to an electrical failure. Rejoining the final day of the rally, the Aussie endured a second electrical failure which truly ended his rally.

This second round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship was won by British driver Mark Higgins, who finished 16 seconds ahead of Gaurav Gill. Japanese driver Katsuhiko Taguchi was third. Interestingly, Higgins is a three-time British Rally Champion and a stunt driver in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. With Welsh co-driver Ieuan Thomas, this was his first APRC rally.

The Cusco tuned Neos did better in the 2WD category. Karamjit Singh led a category 1-2 ahead of fellow Neo driver Akira Bamba. They finished 9th and 11th overall in the rally.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Karamjit Singh to make APRC comeback at this weekend’s Rally of Queensland, driving a CUSCO Satria Neo 2WD!

Danny Tan — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:13:34 +0000

The Rally of Queensland happens in Australia this weekend, and besides the yellow works Proton Satria Neo S2000s, we will be following the progress of another Neo, driven by Karamjit Singh. Yes, the Flying Sikh is back in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) after a six-year absence. He confirmed his entry on the last day of registration.

Karamjit, Asia’s most successful rally driver, will be competing as a privateer with Indian co-driver Vivek Ponnusamy. The multiple APRC champ and Production World Rally champ will be driving a CUSCO tuned Proton Satria Neo 2WD with private funding from close friends and family.

After opting out of the season opening Malaysian Rally, which Proton won, Karamjit’s 2011 APRC campaign starts this weekend. He will be gunning to be the 2WD category champion. “I’m very happy to be able to rally at one of the APRC rounds this year. My aim is to be challenging for wins right from my first race,” the 49-year old said.

But it all depends on the funds available. Karamjit is confident he will be able to attract “strategic partnerships” with government agencies as well as private companies to allow him race the entire season. For next year, Karamjit wants to make a comeback in the Group N 4WD category, if there’s enough support that comes in on time.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton to skip IRC Tour de Corse, back for Ukraine in June

Danny Tan — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:37:23 +0000

Proton Motorsports will skip next month’s Tour de Corse-E.Leclerc, the third round of this season’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) at Corsica. The team will instead put full focus on the Queensland Rally in Australia, which will be held from 13-15 May (Tour de Corse runs from 12-14 May).

The Aussie rally is the second round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), which Proton leads thanks to a 1-3 finish in the Malaysian Rally.

The striking yellow Neo S2000s will resume their IRC challenge in the following event, the Prime Yalta Rally in Ukraine. To be held in early June, Yalta is new to the IRC, but is a regular fixture in Ukraine’s national rally championship. It’s an asphalt event that includes stages in mountains overlooking the Black Sea city of Yalta in Ukraine’s Crimea region.

It’s uncharted territory for IRC drivers, but that’s the reason why Proton’s PG Andersson is looking forward to it. “I like to get to know a place where other drivers haven’t been before. Nobody has an advantage when it is like this and I like it when the stages are more rough and bumpy,” the 30-year old Swede said.

The other Neo will be driven by Giandomenico Basso. The Italian scored Proton’s first points of the season by finishing ninth in the Rally Islas Canarias, Spain, earlier in the month.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton collects first IRC 2011 points at Rally Islas Canarias in Spain, two cars finished in 9th and 16th

Danny Tan — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:44:10 +0000

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After a heartbreaking season opening Monte Carlo Rally, Proton Motorsports has collected its first points of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) season. Italian driver Giandomenico Basso finished ninth in the Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés in Spain, the second round of IRC 2011. The rally was won by Skoda’s Juha Hanninen ahead of teammate Jan Kopecky and the Peugeot of Thierry Neuville in third.

The yellow Neo S2000 of Basso was the best placed car that wasn’t a Fabia or 207. Team mate PG Andersson completed the rally in 16th place. Proton now has 16 points, two behind Subaru, but a long way behind powerhouses Skoda and Peugeot.

“It is a positive result to start with the new team…I think we did a good job and now that the event is over, we will be discussing what further improvements we can make to the car with as there is still a long way to go in the championship,” Basso said.

Click to enlarge

PG Andersson lost a lot of ground on Day 1 of the rally due to two punctures. The Swede stopped to change a first puncture but with the absence of a second spare tyre, was forced to tackle special stage six nursing a slow puncture. That dropped him to drop to 19th overall, but the ex JWRC champ fought back hard on the second and final day to reduce the deficit to 16th.

After Monte Carlo, the team will be happy to see two cars finish the rally and put some points on the board. This also comes after Proton’s win at the APRC season opening Malaysian Rally earlier this month.

The next IRC event is the Tour de Corse at Corsica Island, France next month.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Proton Satria Neo R3 Supercharged – 180 hp, 200 Nm!

Anthony Lim — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 05:42:34 +0000

The boys from Proton Motorsports have certainly been a busy lot of late – the latest and brightest to emerge from the stable is a car that made a quiet appearance during last week’s Lotus Renault GP team visit to Proton’s headquarters.

It’s a Satria Neo R3 that’s been given the supercharged treatment, in this case with a unit from Australian-company Sprintex, mounted behind the Campro mill. Set to have 180 hp and 200 Nm on call, this is another Neo that has some serious muscle – late last year, R3 displayed a turbocharged concept at the 2010 KL International Motorshow.

Exterior-wise, the car wears the bodykit from last year’s Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing edition, with a black paint finish accented with red highlights and gold for trim and wheels making for this one’s clothes. Red is featured inside the cabin as contrast shade.

The sad news is that you can’t lay your paws on one – the supercharged offering is just a prototype study, part of R3’s constant exploration into improving the performance of Proton cars, as the division puts it.

In any case, we’re told that it’s still at a very early stage of development, where there are no benchmark performance figures (aside from the as planned rated power and torque above) to be had. Indeed, there are plenty of tests and evaluation cycles ahead for the car.

As such, there are currently no timelines on when or if this will enter production. However, if R3 were eventually to offer this for sale with a car, or as a kit, it should have all the standard Proton warranties, we’ve also been told. Now, supercharger, anyone?

Gallery after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 22:41:49 +0000.

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Paul Tan's Automotive News » Proton Satria Neo

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

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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

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

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

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

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Proton at Rally Hokkaido – Alister McRae finishes third, and APRC driver’s title goes down to the wire

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Proton scores double race wins in the MSS

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Basso finishes 10th for Proton in IRC San Remo Rally

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Proton at the IRC San Remo Rally – Chris Atkinson returns

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Chris Atkinson to drive for Proton in IRC’s Sanremo Rally

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Double retirement for Proton in IRC’s Hungarian Rally

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Proton scores points in Skoda dominated Czech Rally Zlín

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Proton set to take on IRC champs Skoda in their home rally

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A successful race for Satria Neo rally cars in New Zealand

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APRC: Proton heads to New Zealand in mid winter

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P-G finishes treacherous Ypres Rally in 19th, Basso falls

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Proton wins Rally De Nouvelle Caledonia – Chris Atkinson takes top honours again, Alister McRae finished third

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IRC Yalta Rally Ukraine: Two Protons in top 10 after Leg 1

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Team Proton R3 dominates Round 2 of the MSS

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Team Proton R3 aims to extend lead in MSS this weekend

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Alister McRae finishes fourth for Proton in the Rally of Queensland, Chris Atkinson retires from his home event

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Karamjit Singh to make APRC comeback at this weekend’s Rally of Queensland, driving a CUSCO Satria Neo 2WD!

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Proton to skip IRC Tour de Corse, back for Ukraine in June

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Proton collects first IRC 2011 points at Rally Islas Canarias in Spain, two cars finished in 9th and 16th

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Proton Satria Neo R3 Supercharged – 180 hp, 200 Nm!

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