Over the weekend at the Malaysia Championship Series 2019, Proton R3 celebrated one of its most successful outing at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). The team made a clean podium sweep in Race 2 of the Malaysian Touring Car (MTC) category – Fariqe Hairuman and Syafiq Ali finished first in their Proton Iriz, Mitchell Cheah in second with the Proton Suprima S, and James Veerapen in third with the Proton Saga.
Mitchell also bagged first place in Race 1 of the same category. The prodigal 21-year-old, who is a fresh member of the Proton R3 team, also races with Volkswagen Team Oettinger in the ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship.
Prior to the race, we were given an exclusive tour of the pit, a taxi ride in the Suprima S R3, plus the opportunity to meet the drivers and their weapons of choice. The trio comprise of the Saga R3, Iriz R3 and Suprima S R3, all of which share the same S4PH 1.6 litre naturally-aspirated engine.
Before that, it’s worth noting that MTC regulations stipulate that participating race cars must be built based on production cars with no less than four seats, runs on the factory engine (but can be modified), and with a naturally-aspirated engine with capacity between 1,401 cc to 1,600 cc.
However, the R3 race cars have been completely stripped to bring weight down to just under 1,100 kg. Visible mods include a custom-made exhaust system and air intake, and the beefed up 1.6 litre engine has been upgraded to produce roughly 200 horsepower. That’s nearly twice the output of the standard CamPro engine, mind you.
The engine, Proton R3 says, is designed to withstand the stresses (it revs up to 8,000 rpm!) involved in endurance racing such as the Sepang 1,000 km Endurance Race. A five-speed manual transmission, limited slip differential, and race-bred Motec M800 engine control unit (ECU) are fitted as well.
Other upgrades include a six-point roll cage, Recaro TS-G bucket seats with five-point Beltnick harness, Momo steering wheel, Willwood pedal box, 60-litre ATL fuel tank, as well as a Dry-Break quick refuel system. Speaking of which, the R3 cars run on standard RON 97 fuel instead of racing fuel.
For suspension, the standard factory configuration is retained – all three cars use McPherson struts up front. For the rear, the Iriz and Saga utilise the regular torsion beam setup, while the Suprima S gets the multi-link setup. Of course, this is as per MTC regulations, although the shocks are upgraded to high-performance Ohlins TTX units.
Interestingly, the Iriz and Saga R3 both have negative cambers, and this is achieved by using shims installed between the suspension and wheel hub. In terms of braking, the front uses Alcon 294 mm ventilated rotors with four-piston calipers, while the rear gets 295 mm discs with two-piston calipers. These reside within original Proton R3 15-inch wheels, shod with 195/50 Yokohama Advan Neova AD08 tyres.
We know what you must be thinking – wouldn’t it be great if Proton introduced some version of a souped-up R3 model again? Well, according to Proton R3 team principal Gary Lee, his division works very closely with Proton’s R&D department, and any special edition, performance-oriented model is possible if the management sees fit.
In fact, Geely admits that Proton is one of the most experienced motorsports outfits in the Group, and that is no small compliment. Currently, it’s unclear what Geely plans to do with Proton R3, but the China-based automaker is keeping close tabs on its progress. For now, possibilities are limited as Proton remains focused on recovery.
The takeaway is this. We now know that the Proton Race Rally Research division is alive, well and kicking. With Geely keenly observing, Proton R3’s future certainly seems promising, don’t you think?
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Brave and committed Proton CEO Dr Li continued invest in R3. Bring glory to the national carmaker, their future certainly seems promising,
Well done R3. You have proven you are truly worthy.
ALL HAIL GEELY EMPIRE!
X lama lg, ada la volvo, geely r3 hahaha
Road legal 200-hp Saga, Iriz and Suprima S next?
That Campro S4PH 1.6 litre NA one helluva enjin.
Proton is better than Hyundai
Proton pre geely makes tye best cars in the world…lotus handling .nothing can beat it ..no like shiiit onli..miss the oldie days la
What happening to you?
Whats the 3 fluid reservoir on the firewall for?
What the purpose of the case which have the PCV hose going to?
This is the first gen Campro right? i cam see its still using the normal coil at the side of the engine.
Is that actual gold used as insulator on the air intake?
I have sooo many question…R3 might as well lend me car for few month so i can get the answer myself.
Just a wild guess
3 fluid reservoir – 1 for clutch, 2 for brakes, with 2 different circuits for front and rear.
the “case” is just a big breather / oil catch tank.
Looks like 1st gen campro there.
Not actual gold, just aluminium with gold colour.
Why u answer my question…why…
U just destroyed any chance of them lending the car to me….
hahahahah
lend car for you to do track days ah?
Nope…go to work, go to dusun durian, buy grocery at tesco..the daily stuff.
Just need to de-race the car a bit. by a bit i mean only remove the fancy bodywork.
Campro haters gonna have rabies seizures, can’t believes old skool tech engine car beats VVTI and GDi cars.
Curious about the gearbox that they used
Nobody used DITD Myvi to compete in MCS
Deep pocket with factory support, sure perform la
Oh yeah? Somebody must have forgotten to tell the TRD team that?
Seriously….seriously…
Racing require fund, winning require more fund, even 1MDB require fund…which is gone btw.
It normal ma with money anything possible.
Tahniah P1!
P1, Geely, Mesidis, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Lotus, L&C, Polestar, SMART > all
Congratulations on the win! Perhaps the next step is to compete around the region. Would be cool to see the cars in action.
A win is a win, but in this case the works Proton team competing with a field composed of privately run teams and drivers. Not something you should be boastful off. Get back into at least a regional event like the APRC Rally, and compete on that level. Good luck and all the best to R3.
But those gals on podium gotta cover up. Sigh
Haiyaa…my previous satria gti also had -2.0 camber. What’s so intetesting about race prep car have that as well. Surely they have more -ve camber. Are you sure you know what are your writing?
Only people who is not into modding cars thinks -ve camber is unique. Kaki kereta will see that as nothing special.
Higher cornering speed in the expense of uneven tire wear.
U must be a pro racer i guess..
Is it CPS engine? I can see the distributor akin to said engine