Proton will be competing in the Geko Ypres Rally in Belgium for round five of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, which will take the team through an asphalt course through the Belgian countryside, alongside a total of 31 S2000 rally cars.
The course will run over 18 special stages totaling 287km. Apparently this particular rally is often made difficult due to unpredictable weather, and it is expected that 5 of the 18 special stages will be run in fading light or complete darkness.
“I’m looking forward to this event, I have won here before and it’s always a big challenge with a lot of really fast local drivers. The last rally we did (PRIME Yalta rally) with the car showed that we have made tremendous progress with the Satria Neo S2000. The car is getting better and better, we are really improving. I want to come out and be fast in Ypres,” said two-time European Rally Champion Italian Giandomenico Basso.
“I have never done this rally before, but I have seen the stages and the number of people out there spectating is just incredible. I think we’re in for a rally with a lot of atmosphere!” said P-G Andersson, Basso’s team mate.
“We have put in a lot of effort to develop the Satria Neo S2000 since the last round in the Ukraine. These improvements have so far worked in favour of better performance and reliability which we hope will see both Basso and Andersson being competitive in Belgium. We’ve still limited experience competing on asphalt but with Basso’s experience and the determination of the entire team, we look forward to Belgium becoming a good hunting ground for PROTON,” said Head of Proton Motorsports Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.
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GO proton GO!
Proton should keep this livery for years. Not only for rally but on sales as special edition. Historically, this is a successful brand positioning done by Subaru that keep State Express 555 decals, even after the cigarette brand can’t no longer advertise on motorsport. Today, I don’t think people remember the livery as 555, but call it Subaru Blue and Yellow.