McRae and Hayes to pilot Neo S2000 in Indonesia

Proton Satria Neo Super 2000

It’s confirmed – Karamjit will not be driving the left hand drive Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 at the Rally Indonesia 2009 and the official reason given by Proton is that he is not available. Alister McRae will be joined by navigator Bill Hayes in Indonesia, which will host the 6th round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championships (APRC).

“I have had the opportunity to test the Satria Neo S2000 in the UK recently and am very pleased with the performance of the car. I will certainly be looking forward to competing in the Proton at the Rally of Indonesia against some of the best drivers in the region.” said Alister Mcrae.

Proton Satria Neo Super 2000

The press release did not say if this was a one time change or something more permanent, but I have a feeling Proton requires better results for the car for its own return on investment targets. They couldn’t switch the car so they switched the driver instead.

Up north in Europe, Team Proton Europe is tackling the current round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge right now (24th to 26th September). Performance of the car piloted by Guy Wilks and Phil Pugh in the previous IRC leg in Spain was described as ‘promising’, scoring as good as joint fourth place on SS15 but ended up crossing the finish line in 19th place out of a grid of 80 entries.

The rally was won by Skoda’s Jan Kopecky, who are trailing Peugeot’s Kris Meeke by one point with only two rounds remaining.

[zenphotopress number=99 album=515]

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • newbie on Sep 26, 2009 at 12:48 am

    Im first but Im not proud of it.

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  • newbie on Sep 26, 2009 at 12:49 am

    by the way, stock neo cps vs. swift sport, which one will win in your opinion?

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  • Halfclutch on Sep 26, 2009 at 12:56 am

    win what?

    Drag?

    Circuit?

    Uphill?

    Downhill?

    F/C?

    Air cond?

    Maintenence interval?

    Ride comfort?

    Resale value?

    Aftersales support?

    Looks?

    Image?

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  • newbie on Sep 26, 2009 at 1:01 am

    sorry, i forgot to mention the aspects. Well, you can throw it from any point of view heheh..lets say, price vs performance/handling.

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  • Alvin Toffler on Sep 26, 2009 at 1:31 am

    of course proton will win in every aspect. malaysia boleh maaa! :P

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  • swift sport will probably win in all aspect given by Halfclutch….

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  • oricon666 on Sep 26, 2009 at 1:46 am

    Poor K.Singh…

    "They couldn’t switch the car so they switched the driver instead."…???

    Hahahah… you are funny "Halfclutch"…

    Anyway… never tested both cars myself… (stock neo cps vs. swift sport)

    eager to know…

    someone with the experience can share?

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  • Halfclutch on Sep 26, 2009 at 1:56 am

    Paper specs =

    Swift Sport : 92kW at 6800rpm and 148Nm of torque at 4800rpm (1100kg)

    Neo CPS : 93kW at 6500rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4500 rpm (1212kg)

    Power to weight ratio, Swift Sport wins.

    Price-wise:

    Swift Sport OTR : from RM 97,593.50

    Neo CPS OTR : from RM 57,800.00

    Neo abt 40k cheaper.

    With the 40k you can lots of stuff to your Neo CPS. ;)

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  • NutzeyWagen on Sep 26, 2009 at 2:13 am

    The official reason given by Proton on Karamjit Singh being replaced is that he is not available. Now, is KS injured, sicked or what? None of that. He is simply not fast enough. And why is that?

    The Satria Neo S2000 is an immensely powerful car even though it's normally-aspirated. But if one had been driving a RH-drive car all this while, it might be a tad difficult to adapt to a LH-drive car and that is exactly what KS is experiencing. Difficulty in handling a LH-drive car. Mind you, steering with your left hand and changing gears with your right is not as simple as said than done. We're not talking about a Sunday drive here, please remember that.

    At the recently held APRC in Johor, it was obvious that KS had difficulty. The expression on his face (on-board cam) while driving and after showed just that. Guessed he was left a frustrated man.

    To those not familiar with the Satria Neo S2000, it is currently available only in LH-drive version and news is that the RH-drive version won't be available in the immediate future. So KS and Co would have to wait much longer for it.

    As for the upcoming APRC round to be held in Makassar, Indonesia, here's wishing the Proton team all the best, come rain or shine! CIAO!

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  • Littlefire on Sep 26, 2009 at 2:15 am

    This is rally not road race!

    Besides that Skoda win the previos race in Spain, follow by Peugeot's…

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  • rushdrift on Sep 26, 2009 at 2:57 am

    hmmm that's true left side drive, proton should actually make the gear change from the steering like some rally car, that would solve the problem.

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  • Fridz (Member) on Sep 26, 2009 at 3:13 am

    Neo S2000 maybe a good rally car to drive.but it may need a suitable driver to mix with this car..hope the change will give better result in indonesia.

    G wilks is a good driver.but he didnt found the consistency yet..(reaching 4th and suddenly drop to 19th..kecewa aku)

    Is it Neo S2000 purposely built to compete in europe?and MEM is long-live team with proton rally what?

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  • NutzeyWagen on Sep 26, 2009 at 3:33 am

    rushdrift said,

    September 25, 2009 @ 6:57 pm

    hmmm that’s true left side drive, proton should actually make the gear change from the steering like some rally car, that would solve the problem.

    ————————————————————

    The Satria Neo S2000 IS a true blue rally machine and is equipped with a 6-speed sequential transmission. The gear selector and handbrake levers are to the right of the driver and positioned vertically. To change gears, one only needs to push the selector forward or backward (movement measured at top of selector is about an inch). A lever (like a motor-cycle front brake lever) which is attached lower down the selector had to be depressed to go into neutral. Gear indication is shown in dashboard.

    Further to the right (about 6ins away from gear selector lever) is the handbrake lever. Top of lever is about shoulder height (gear selector lever is about 6ins shorter). Brake fluid is filled through this lever; top of lever can be unscrewed. This lever don't have a locking catch. Conventional levers when pulled up will make clicking sound and a button at the front had to be depressed to lower it.

    Hope these enlightens you, come rain or shine! CIAO!

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  • admin izyan.com on Sep 26, 2009 at 4:23 am

    i like satria Neo.. this car very cute..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • tolan on Sep 26, 2009 at 6:01 am

    admin izyan.com said,

    September 25, 2009 @ 8:23 pm

    i like satria Neo.. this car very cute..

    _______________________________________________

    So are u izyan ;)

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  • Proton on Sep 26, 2009 at 6:26 am

    neo…. aka mr anderson

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  • go go proton

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  • Djldracio (Member) on Sep 26, 2009 at 7:09 am

    Alister Mcrae is more than qualified for any rally & trailblazing events. Bill Hayes has been notable for good pacenoting so along with Mcrae, they should blow the competition away.

    RIP Colin Macrae, we'll miss him dearly, WRC has never been the same without him.

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  • theanswer on Sep 26, 2009 at 8:05 am

    u forgot to mention that swift sport accelerate faster than neo cps..neo cps is heavier than old neo..so the xtra cps power wont bring much different from the old neo.

    oh nway race in indonesia? i'm affraid indon gonna claim that satria neo is their national car.

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  • TrucK BesaQ on Sep 26, 2009 at 8:10 am

    admin izyan.com said,

    September 25, 2009 @ 8:23 pm

    i like satria Neo.. this car very cute..

    —-

    You too..meowww..hehe..

    by the way…Sweeping Malaysian will affect the event or not? ngeee =)

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  • why there's only ford n citreon in the wrc?

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  • Jawa Pendet on Sep 26, 2009 at 8:29 am

    Hi Izyan ..i have NeoCPS turbo-diesel with 6 manual gears , 2 reverse gears , dual clutch groin , wanna be my co-driver ? Hehe …you're cute!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • tonton on Sep 26, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    this is because KS is a suck driver, and not worth for this car. all that he worth for is he big mouth talk

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Entah on Sep 26, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    izyan tu mak orang la.

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  • brainwash on Sep 26, 2009 at 7:00 pm

    where karamjit singh will go now?

    retire??

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Neo CPS Owner on Sep 26, 2009 at 8:40 pm

    Yes correct, 'the answer'. Im using Neo CPS. im frustrated cause its heavier than the old neo. and thats why i have to modd my car a little bit to make it feel lighter.

    To those who ask comparison between Swift Sport and Neo CPS. first of all yes Swift Sport has better gearbox and a lighter weight which is 1100kg compared to 1250kg Neo CPS. That is more than 2 buncit guy in a car. Yes Swift is better in acceleration cause even if u compare Satria GTI R3(1.8cc) which Weight 980kg, the 0-100km/h is 8.6 seconds while Swift Sport(1.6cc) 0-100km/h is nearly the same. But dont forget that, if i not mistaken from race blog and sepang circuit, modded Campro will eventually have more hp compared to Swift Engine.I've seen in magazine the Swift Sport modded with turbo produced 175hp. I've never seen any Swift/Swift Sport has more than 200hp while there's a lot of 200hp plus campro on the Streets. Open ur eyes, is there any Swift dare to race in Sepang Drag? No…cause the'll know they will lose….In terms of handling, Swift can never beat Neo cause Neo has lower roof which results in lower gravity. Plz browse utube u'll see a lot of Swift accident while racing in the track and expecially Swift Rally, the one Guys Wilks drove before become driver in NEo CPS. there's one video Swift Rally Car going turtle. Have u seen Neo S200 going turtle? i dont think so. Safe driver but the better result is in NEO CPS. come on….the Neo S2000 beats Impreza and Evo Rally more t han 5 times in the race. check out previous post in S2000, someone put the details.

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  • NutzeyWagen on Sep 27, 2009 at 12:26 am

    A limited edition version of the Satria Neo R3 will be made available soon. Its N/A engine has now been re-tuned with an additional ECU riding piggy-back on the existing one and best of all is that this additional ECU can be fiddled with unlike the existing one. Lots of extras (about RM27K worth of it) had been added on too and will be retailed at approximately RM71K (price still pending approval).

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • NutzeyWagen on Sep 27, 2009 at 12:31 am

    Now hold your breathe guys n gals. Here's the good news.

    The Campro S4PH now churns out a very, very impressive………

    178hp!!! Yup, you read that right. Nothing wrong with your eye-sight. That's

    178hp at the wheels.

    More details will be made available in due time. As for now, hold on to your money and seek this out, come rain or shine! CIAO!

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  • Satria Neo R3 will be nice… but unless they can fix the sun visors not to block driver's view… and put 2 more doors behind (even suicide doors like RX8), then its not yet practical for daily use…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Love the satria Neo S2000… its awesome. How about a road version of it… I mean the skirting and all…R3 CPS?

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  • Tiadaid on Sep 27, 2009 at 3:33 am

    DC said,

    September 26, 2009 @ 5:35 pm

    Satria Neo R3 will be nice… but unless they can fix the sun visors not to block driver’s view… and put 2 more doors behind (even suicide doors like RX8), then its not yet practical for daily use

    ————————

    Neo's never designed to be a practical car. If you want practical, there's Saga, Savvy, Persona, Gen-2 & Waja to choose from, not to mention the very very practical Exora.

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  • karl_razlie on Sep 27, 2009 at 6:23 am

    bro satria neo r3 sudah ada la..but base on old version neo..produce 135hp 4 stage1, harga rm71k need to book first before buy (dah ada org pakai pun ori one nor replica R3) ..yg belum ada cuma satria neo r3 cps…this one coming soon,,i think can produce atleast 150hp…stage 1..btw if neo r3 old version vs swift sport…swift hi hi bye bye…if vs neo r3 cps…makan asap je laaa hahahaha

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  • mitlanevo (Member) on Sep 27, 2009 at 7:06 am

    178, bro… not 150…

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  • Fridz (Member) on Sep 27, 2009 at 7:55 am

    I thought that Neo R3 was stop production due to its emission dont meet local regulation..

    I dont realize where does i got this information from.sorry for that.

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  • bmpower on Sep 27, 2009 at 8:19 am

    Fridz said,

    September 26, 2009 @ 11:55 pm

    I thought that Neo R3 was stop production due to its emission dont meet local regulation..

    I know.. you get it from ur friend that is a Myvi salesman … right?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • munaz743 (Member) on Sep 27, 2009 at 9:17 am

    I have been driving the Neo CPS since earlier this year. I let my sister borrowed it for the Raya trip to Pahang. She said "Thank you for a fun weekend". All the cars give way to the Neo CPS on the highway. Can the Swift do the same?

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  • LeBronJames on Sep 28, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    Swift Sports versus Satria Neo. when the topic started? Satria Neo cps Rocks!!! Never like Suzuki Swift even for a second, hahaha…

    Karamjit it's their lost not to take you. All the best.

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  • YetAnotherAnon on Sep 28, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    Offtopic:

    If I've got the $$$ to buy a Swift Sport, don't you think I can also dump $$$ in mods to make the Swift Sport fast? And that said, how many people drive drag cars as their daily rides.

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  • mitlanevo (Member) on Sep 28, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    if u got $$$ to buy Swift Sport, u can ignore this post, dont comment anything silly.

    and if u really got lots of $$$, why not get something better like Porsche or Ferrari? u can save the modding fees :-)

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  • farghmee on Sep 28, 2009 at 8:04 pm

    NutzeyWagen..more news please :)

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  • farghmee on Sep 28, 2009 at 8:06 pm

    plain neo campro r3…done

    cps neo campro r3

    or

    turbo plain campro r3

    or

    turbo cps campro r3?

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  • Price you paid for going into the longkang Karamjit ! LH car is just not for you Karamjit.

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  • Fridz (Member) on Sep 29, 2009 at 1:54 am

    bmpower,

    I know.. you get it from ur friend that is a Myvi salesman … right?

    ——————–

    maybe laa…i totally dont realize.that Myvi salesman said that my Savvy use 1984 Clio engine.those perodua guy blatantly condemn proton without research.

    sorry for giving unrectified data.

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  • I read somewhere in this blog that SAVVY has an award winning small

    engine built in 2005 – 2007, as for MYVI I thought it was an old engine used in Kembara and Rusa.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • mr anderson on Sep 29, 2009 at 7:12 am

    ermm compare lor satria neo tu dgn ape pun.. it still cute swift tu bukan tak cantik kene tgk duit gak lah kit pun mahal neo leh kombet kombert jadi mcm macam kit.. heheheeh off topiceekek.. kalau betul neo cps r3 keluar baek buat yang memang betul betul leh tapau semua swift,honda civic tec ker price dosent matter kalau kete tu memang cun high tech n easy tu retune … go to proton u can tune it to next leve l alallaal …

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  • mitlanevo on Sep 30, 2009 at 6:45 pm

    nanti ada pulak PLOFESENAL yg compare neo ngan jazz….

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  • Ford_GT on Oct 01, 2009 at 7:09 am

    Go with the wind, Alistair. Mcrae's will be proud of you.

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  • high hp is ok, but we hope that the car is docile at low and fierce at high,

    and the answer is campro vvti turbo ,already officiated.

    how about CAMPRO iVC-T

    itelligent variable cam+turbo

    how about using 'cam' as the term, instead of we are bored with vvti,cvvt, vv.vv.

    because cam is the is valve actuator, so intelligent actually comes from the cams.

    intelligent could mean timing and lift management togather.

    or the name CAMPRO INTELICAM -T

    -proton, orait aaaa,

    ,

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  • scrap car neo

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