TEAM PROTON R3 CLAIMS TOP 5 CLASS FINISH IN 2024 SEPANG 1000KM
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Proton S70 R3 battles back from technical delays to maximise potential during race debut
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Development of current race car to continue as team targets a winning return in 2025
SUBANG JAYA, 26 November 2024 – Team Proton R3 (R3), the racing and performance division of PROTON, claimed a fifth place finish for the Malaysian Touring Car (MTC) class at the 2024 Sepang 1000KM (S1K) after an eventful race that saw one of the team’s cars retire early while another lost over 40 minutes due to a technical issue. Despite the challenges faced the team and the drivers of car 82, Ariff Azmi and Alister Yoong, persevered and fought their way back through the field, earning the respect of other racers and teams along the way.
This was the first time the Proton S70 R3 competed in a race with the S1K marking the racing debut for the car. Launched on 28 November 2023, the Proton S70 was the first C-segment sedan launched by the company in 12 years and has quickly established itself as the national leader in its class, displacing more established models from rival brands. The decision to go racing was made last year, allowing R3 to focus its resources to ensure there would be two units on the grid for the race.
Despite not having covered any racing miles prior to the event, both the team and its driver pairings of Syafiq Ali and Fahrizal Hasan in car 81 along with the aforementioned drivers of car 82 undertook intensive testing at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. As everyone got more familiar with the new car, incremental gains in outright speed were obtained with every change made and while R3 did not have a speed advantage over the over teams like in previous years, they were competitive from the first practice session on the Thursday before the race.
“Team Proton R3, its drivers and the Proton S70 R3 have added to PROTON’s proud racing heritage by delivering a strong performance at the 2024 S1K race. While we targeted another overall win, the team was aware of the daunting task that lay ahead to compete with a brand new car against teams who had competed in races for the last three years and were much further ahead on the vehicle development curve.
“Ultimately, we have no complaints although an accident early in the race caused the retirement of car 81 while a technical issue in car 82 caused it to lose time in the pits and dropped it out of overall contention. So, while the final result could have been better, a lot of data was collected over the weekend and finishing fifth in the MTC class has set a baseline for R3 to launch its assault on the 2025 racing season,” said Roslan Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Proton Edar.
The next competitive appearance for R3 and the Proton S70 R3 are still being planned but car 82 will be displayed at the PROTON booth during the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2024 where it will be presented exactly as how it ended the S1K race. Appearances by the drivers are also planned for and will be announced prior to the show.