Below are three video reports covering the three days, you will get a good impression of the fun and excitement surrounding the rally in Kota Tinggi,
We particularly like the specially constructed Special Stage near Plaza Angsana shopping complex,
For the first time Malaysian rally fans get a chance to see their drivers in action without having to travel far to see them zoom past in oil palm estates.
It was well worth braving the dust cloud because the Proton Satria Neo S200 was quite a sight at full tilt in the hands of McRae and Atkinson.
The two Proton Satria Neo S2000s of Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson demonstrated a blistering pace on a competitive opening day of the Malaysian Rally which saw the top six registered competitors in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship separated by a difference of just one second.
PROTON Motorsports’ McRae completed the 2.5km super special stage for spectators held near the Angsana Shopping Complex in a time of 2 minutes 02.5 seconds for second place, just 0.4 seconds shy of current rally leader Indonesian Rifat Sungar in a Mistubishi Evolution X. Team mate Atkinson rounded up the top five to deny an all-Mitsubishi front row.
“Today’s short run was an excellent testimony to the Satria NEO S2000’s competitive and newly-charged pace and performance,” said McRae whose result also places him second in the Asia Cup category.
PROTON’s exposure in the rally was also given a further boost with the inspiring debut of the PROTON Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neos. Japanese drivers Akira Bamba was placed 11th, 20 seconds behind the top APRC contenders, but leads the APRC Junior Cup category ahead of team mate Kosuke Takashino.
“It’s a strong start for PROTON with all four Satria Neo’s occupying the top positions in their respective classes. This certainly helps to generate a lot of exposure, and with the APRC beamed to 129 countries with a worldwide audience of 390 television viewers, we believe our involvement in rallying will go a long way towards establishing brand awareness and interest globally,” said PROTON Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.
The Malaysian Rally has attracted a total of 35 entries, of which 18 cars are Protons, with 12 cars competing for APRC points
Day 2 of the rally involves seven special stages, with another seven special stages being run on the third and final day.
The 2.5, kilometre dirt track that snaked around Plaza Angsana near Johor Bharu was packed with people as rally cars screamed their way around the circuit.
It seems like a small innovation but I think this is what rallying needs, a special stage or two in the city for regular people who are not dedicated rally fans to enjoy the proceedings...
Video and more photos after the jump
We will upload a video of day one ina few hours so do come back, in the meantime look at pictures here and read the Press release below and a short video of the shakedown at the special stage
PRESS RELEASE
JOHOR BAHRU - Japan's Yuya Sumiyama is the fastest of them all alongside Indonesia's Rifat Sungkar on the opening day of the Malaysian Rally 2011 in Johor Baru.
Over the purposes built 2.5km dirt track for the special stage race on Friday, the two of them in a similiar Mitsubishi Evo X, clocked a similiar 2mins 02.1secs to finish at the top.
The achievement from the two of them will certainly give them the physcological boost as the Rally move into the rugged terrains of the Tai Tak Estate on Saturday and Sunday where the real action will take place.
The Scottish driver Alister McRae of the Proton Motorsports Team came in third fastest in 2mins 02.5secs with India's Gaurav Gill in a Mitsubishi EvoX fourth in 2mins 02.7secs.
The best Malaysian finisher was Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya, the overall Malaysian Rally defending champion in a Subaru Impreza who came in 13th fastest in a time of 2mins 18.9secs. "The special stage race is designed for the spectators who want a close up look of the car in action. So there is no need to go flat out and take unnecessary risks. "But I feel comfortable in my car and finished the race feeling very good. That's more important as we prepare for the real rallying action tomorrow and Sunday," said Muhammad Rafiq.
A total of 35 cars took part in the special stage race, adjacent to the Angsana
Shopping centre and the organisers were happy with what they saw.
"The special stage race gave the spectators the chance to catch the drivers in action from close-up. That's the purpose. But we believe things can be done better next year to add more excitement to the fans. "We are thinking of widening the track to allow for a two-car race instead of the one car system we just used. Having two cars side by side would be more competitive and more challenging," said Clerk of Course Tengku Shaharin Abu Bakar.
