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.
Thanks to Proton, we got a chance to experience what it is like to be a navigator in a full blown works rally car, well at least what it is like to sit in the navigator's seat while the car is driven at speed by a world class rally driver like Chris Atkinson.
Of course he made it look like a Sunday drive but the blur of hand and feet twirling the steering this way and that way, with the right hand flicking the sequential cogs and tugging on the handbrake and feet dancing away like they are avoiding fire ants is proof enough that rally driving is not for everyone.
Video after the jump
Bear in mind that Chris was driving on roads so rough that if we were driving our own cars, the speedometer would probably never go past 20km/h.
We thought we should share the experience with you so with the help of two on-board cameras and at least four passes on the same route, we managed to capture these footages.
With the first round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship kicking off this weekend, Proton is busy carrying out shakedowns for their Mellors Elliot Motorsports-prepped Satria Neo S2000 is Sepang and they invited us to experience the car in the hands of their ace pilots, Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson.
The car continues to wear the same bright yellow livery but even from the outside there are some obvious changes to the car. The windows have all been changed to perspex and the bonnet now has cutouts for quick adjustments to the team's all-new Reiger suspension system.
Video of the car in action after the jump
We had the privilege of riding the car in its first year here three years ago and we can report that the Satria Neo S2000 is not such a boneshaker anymore, the Reiger suspenders give the car something like 160mm extra travel and the result is a car that is far more stable and predictable.
The wheels may be pounding the uneven oil palm estate service roads but the car is sitting steady atop the new spring and damper units.
The car now has new cams and exhaust system and the improved breathing has resulted in 30 extra lb ft of torque, it mow cranks out just over 300lb ft of twisting force.
The engine is normally aspirated so you can hear the driver working it to the redline most of the time unlike turbo cars which don't need the revs exiting some corners as the torque is delivered early thanks to forced induction.
Everyone seems confident that the car will do well in Johor Baru, I certainly hope this is the case because Proton is bringing down a busload of journos to cover the rally this weekend.
The team has done a lot of winter testing and even conducted a reliability test covering 350 miles, and the car passed without a glitch.
Proton to campaign full-season of Intercontinental Rally CHallenge with the S2000
Team also takes part in full APRC calendar
Syed Zainal expects podium finishes all around
Proton will kick off its 2011 international rallying campaign with the Rally of Monte Carlo from 18-22 January which will be the opening round of this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).
The Proton Motorsports team today received the Jalur Gemilang from Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Bin Cheek. Also present were PROTON Advisor, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and PRroton Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.
Full story and video after the jump
Proton will compete in the full season of the IRC and Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) with the Satria Neo Super 2000 rally car.
The national car manufacturer’s IRC campaign on the European front will be led by Chris Atkinson and newly-signed Per-Gunnar Andersson, while Alister McRae will lead the team’s charge in the APRC which will get underway with the Rally of Malaysia from 1-3 April.
Atkinson was formerly with the Subaru World Rally Team and is also two-time winner of the Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship in 2003 and 2004. Newly-signed Andersson is a double FIA Junior World Rally Champion having driven for the Suzuki and Ford World Rally Teams. McRae, whose family name has been synonymous with rallying for over three decades and a former Mitsubishi World Rally Team driver, has played an instrumental role in the testing and development of the Satria Neo S2000 since 2009 which culminated with a 1-2 victory recently in the APRC category of the China Rally in November.
“Motorsports is one of several key strategies being pursued to enhance the PROTON brand especially in markets that we are actively exporting to, and PROTON’s objective of participating in both the IRC and APRC will significantly support our aspiration of becoming a respected and competitive global car manufacturer,” said PROTON Group Managing Director Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin.
“Rallying not only serves as a proving ground for PROTON, but the viewership for both the IRC and APRC range in the millions, hence this brings invaluable brand exposure to PROTON and its partners on a global level. In addition, it also enables us to promote the brand and increase awareness in new and potential markets.”
In conjunction with the launch of its 2011 IRC and APRC campaign, PROTON Motorsports also welcomed on board the Yasmin Group and Sime Kansai Paints as team partners. The contribution of both companies amounted to RM1 million in sponsorship for the team.
The Satria NEO S2000 made its competition debut in the IRC 2009, and despite being a vehicle that was still undergoing development, consistently posted top 10 finishes. The team’s best finish in 2009 was a second placing at the Rally of Scotland and a fourth placing in the Rally of Russia. In 2010, PROTON went on to secure second place in the APRC Manufacturer’s Championship with its best finish being a 1-2 victory in the APRC category at the recent Rally of China and a 2nd place finish in the APRC category of Rally New Zealand.
PROTON last competed as a factory-backed team at the 2004 Rally of Canberra. Throughout its years of international rallying, PROTON has won the APRC title three times in 2001, 2002 and 2004. In 2002 PROTON also won the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship on its debut.
PROTON MALAYSIA R3 RALLY TEAM
PROTON is proud to carry the Malaysian flag globally – with Alistair McRae, Chris Atkinson and Per-Gunnar “PG” Andersson as the drivers for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) for the 2011 International Rally season. The IRC is the fastest growing Rally Championship with a huge following worldwide and the APRC is one of the premier regional championships in World Rallying.
PROTON’s rally cars participate in high profile international events around the world. We’ve been to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge(IRC) and FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). These events, which are held in all types of terrain and weather also provide a great testing ground for the development of the Proton Satria Neo S2000 which is critical in our journey to produce a winning car.
Alistair McRae, Chris Atkinson and PG Andersson are considered as one of the most exciting driver line-ups to be fielded for both the IRC and APRC. Their wealth of experience in the World Rally championship coupled with many rally, stage wins and podium finishes will give PROTON and Malaysia a much needed boost in their Global rally campaign.
The team was consistently running in the top 10 positions while racing against more established Manufacturer Teams such as Peugeot, Skoda, Abarth, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc.
In its short history, the Team has achieved a 2nd place finish in the Rally of Scotland, a 4th place finish in the Rally of Russia, 2nd place in the Rally of New Zealand, and a 1-2 finish in the Rally of China.
As a car maker, our re-entry into the rally scene is significant as we strive to push forward our aspirations to be a global car manufacturer. Motorsports is an avenue for us to showcase our cars, their performance, technology and capabilities. What’s more important is the opportunity to learn and discover our cars’ capabilities in the extreme conditions of motorsports which we will be able to then translate into product development and improvement.
2nd Outright 2005 Australian Rally Championship – Co-Driver
1st Outright 2004 Australia Cup – Co-Driver
1st Group APRC 5 – 2004 Australian Rally Championships 3 Times Western Australia Rally Co-Driving Champion
CHRIS ATKINSON (DRIVER)
Date of birth : November 1979
Nationality : Australia
Marital Status : Single
Career in brief:
·2002 - Winner, Australian Privateers Cup
·2003 - Winner, Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship
·2004 - Second, Australian Rally Championship
·2004 - Winner, Asia Pacific Super 1600 Championship
·2005- 12th, World Rally Championship
·2006- 10th, World Rally Championship
·2007- 7th, World Rally Championship
·2008- 5th, World Rally Championship
·2009- 14th, World Rally Championship
Notable Achievements:
·2003 Champion of the FIA Asia-Pacific Super 1600
·2004 Champion of the FIA Asia-Pacific Super 1600
·2005 Rally Japan – 3rd Overall
·2008 Rally Monte Carlo – 3rd Overall
·2008 Rally Mexico – 2nd Overall
·Number of World Rally Championship events competed: 67
·Number of World Rally Championship stage wins : 40
·Number of World Rally Championship points scoring finishes: 32
STEPHANE PREVOT (CO-DRIVER)
Date of birth : January 1969
Nationality : Belgium
Marital Status : Married
Hobbies : My daughters, Watches, Reading,
Music, travelling and motorsport
Career in brief:
·1987 1st rally
·1990 Belgian gr.N rally champion (Mitsubishi Ralliart team Belgium)
·1991-1993 Belgian + WRC championships co-driver to Bruno Thiry (Opel team Belgium)
·1994-1998 WRC, co-driver to Bruno Thiry, Ford Motorsport World Rally Team (3rd RAC RALLY 1994, 3rd Sanremo Rally 1996, 3rd Rally Catalunya 1996, 3rd RAC Rally 1998)
·1999 WRC + ERC, co-driver to Bruno Thiry, Subaru World Rally team (European rally champion for co-drivers)
·2000 ERC, co-driver to Bruno Thiry, Citroen Sport
·2001 WRC, co-driver to Bruno Thiry, Skoda Motorsport
·Number of World Rally Championship events competed: 150
·Number of World Rally Championship podiums: 17
PER-GUNNAR “P-G” ANDERSSON (DRIVER)
Date of birth : March 1980
Nationality : Sweden
Hobbies : Motorsports, waterskiing
Career in brief:
·1990 Starts driving in rallycross with a Saab 99.
·1999 Starts rallying in a Volkswagen Golf. Wins 12 local events.
·2001 Sticks with the Seat but it's an unlucky season with no meaningful results.
·2002 Wins Norwegian Group N Championship in a Group N Renault Clio. Runner-up in the Swedish Group N Championship. World Rally Championship debut in Sweden, wins class.
·2003 Moves on to Super 1600 Renault Clio. In World Rally Championship, leads Super 1600 in Finland and finishes 6th in Sanremo. Also contests Catalunya and Britain
·2004 Joins Suzuki. Wins Junior World Rally Championship and Swedish Super 1600 title.
·2005 Entered from MSE, 14 rounds. Winning the 4th round of JWRC, Acropolis Rally.
·2006 Drove the whole JWRC, and it looked like he would be Junior Champion once again, but in Turkey he was disqualified. Entered from SSEUK, finished 3rd in the Junior World Rally Championship.
·2007 P-G and Jonas drove, once again, the whole JWRC with Suzuki. They took the gold medal and became the first crew to win the Junior Rally Championship title for the second time! After only competing on five of the six events.
·2008 P-G have piloting the all new Suzuki SX4 WRC car for the whole 2008 season.
EMIL AXELSSON (CO-DRIVER)
Date of birth : August 1983
Nationality : Sweden
Strengths : Goal-oriented and calm
Career in brief:
·2006 Junior World Rally Champion Co-Driver
Already at the age of five Emil knew that he wanted to become a co-driver. Only days after he turned 13 in 1996 he did his first rally together with his father in an Opel Kadett GTE. Emil´s first rally didn´t last long, as they got engine problems after only two stages. But the debut had made a big impression on him. He was trapped.
Eight years later Patrik called him and asked for help during one race – the new-formed team was successful from the beginning and fought for victory. What was mentioned to be a single rally has now lasted for several years.
PROTON SATRIA NEO SUPER2000 RALLY CAR
Making Strides on and off track
Famously known as PROTON’s sportiest product to date, the Satria Neo won an award for its sleek and sporty design. Likewise, the Satria Neo has been successful in domestic racing, as well as regionally; having triumphed in its class at the Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race 2008. It also secured the Championship for both Driver and Team in the 2008 AFOS ATCS1500Max Championship. At the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the Proton Satria Neo S2000 achieved a 4th overall finish in the Rally of Russia, and a 2nd overall in the Rally of Scotland. In the 2010 season, the Satria Neo S2000 finished 2nd in Rally New Zealand and culminated in a 1-2 finish in the Rally of China.
The new Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 rally car raises the performance bar for the rapidly expanding FIA Super 2000 rally series. Based on the Proton Satria Neo, the Proton Super 2000 Rally Car has been constructed to conform with the latest FIA homologation specifications. The car can be supplied in either tarmac or gravel specification as required.
PROTON partner Mellors Elliott Motorsport, (MEM), has designed the new Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 rally car, raising the performance bar for the rapidly expanding FIA Super 2000 rally series.
The concept was developed by using a combination of innovative engineering designs, the 25 years of experience of the team’s technical staff but, crucially, also the input from the team’s owner and extremely successful driver, Chris Mellors. The result is an astonishingly small and agile car which from the very outset was designed for the driver.
With an attractive and aerodynamic package for the front bumper, wings, rear bumper and rear spoiler complimenting the eye-catching Satria design, the Proton S2000 can achieve in full rally trim the smallest frontal area and the lowest roof height in its class even at rally ride height settings. Driver and Co-driver seat positions are fixed at the rearmost possible mounting points to maximise the car’s weight distribution but with the pedal box and steering column both adjustable to suit different pilots. The rollcage design uses 35 metres of lightweight Chrome Moly tube together with strategic body strengthening resulting in vastly improved torsional bodyshell stiffness and a no-compromise safety cell for the crew. The cleverly designed side crash protection bars are uniquely shaped to aid driver and co-driver access into and out of the car.
The 2 litre Proton Super 2000 engine is derived from the 1.8 litre engine fitted to Proton’s Waja model and has been further developed by engineers to produce a reliable 278 bhp @ 7600rpm with a usable power band from 5,500 to 8,500rpm. Combined with the best 6-speed sequential 4WD Super 2000 transmission currently available, (the “532” version from market leaders Xtrac), the car sets new standards for engine performance and driveability.
The fuel system innovates too with a quick-change fuel control cassette, (which includes all the fuel pumps, filters and valves), attached to the FIA FT3 safety fuel cell to aid rapid maintenance.
Alcon provides the braking power with their latest Super 2000 alloy 4-pot calipers and ventilated discs which combined with the Neo’s low overall weight of 1150kg gives astoundingly short braking distances. The ventilated disc sizes are independently maximised for both Gravel, (15” rims), and Tarmac, (18” rims), but for both simplicity and cost the brake calipers are common to both setups thanks to a simple mounting arrangement.
Engineers have designed the suspension with a relatively conventional layout of wishbone and MacPherson strut, which means it will be easy and relatively cheap to maintain whilst remaining super-reliable. However, the design has cleverly maximised damper travel to such an extent that the bump stops are the only part that stops the body sills hitting the ground on full bump travel! This translates into achieving both an ultra-low tarmac setup with go-kart levels of body roll and a long-travel gravel setup with enormous ability to soak up the biggest bumps. With various anti-roll bars available for both front and rear and with MEM’s 25 years of rally experience, the suspension setup can be easily fine-tuned for any rally surface or type
The latest technology is used in the electrical systems with a state-of-the-art Multiplexed wiring system capable of managing the entire car’s electronics from a central unit ideally placed in the centre of the car in-between the driver and co-driver. Apart from the weight saving reduction that this achieves, it is simple to operate and, with automatically resetting circuit breakers, this is technology and reliability at its best.
The result of all this is a car which not only has well-proven technical advances and novel design but also has simplicity where appropriate to ensure the best possible combination of performance and reliability.
Chassis
The existing Satria Neo bodyshell is extensively modified to accept the S2000 components including the 4 wheel drive system. It is then strengthened considerably to comply with FIA regulations by fitting a safety roll cage using 35 metres of ChroMo Steel Tube.
Engine
The engine is based on the Waja 1.8 engine with racing internals and increasing the capacity to 1998cc, which is positioned transversely and producing a power output of 278bhp at 7600 rpm.
Transmission
The transmission is a four wheel drive system specifically developed by Xtrac for S2000, using a 6 speed sequential gearbox with 3 plated limited slip differentials, and handbrake release system.
Brakes
The Brake callipers are Alcon 4 piston calipers front and rear. The front discs are 350mm for the tarmac version and 300mm for the gravel version. The rear discs are identical for both specifications.
Electrical System
Featuring the GEMS integral engine ECU and power management system with data logging and glass dash display.
Suspension
The suspension is MacPherson strut and wishbone design by MEM using Dynamics dampers. Anti Roll bars front and rear.
Wheels
Fitted with 8 x 18 inch alloy wheels for tarmac and 6.5 X 15 inch alloy wheels for gravel
Weight
1150 Kg for the tarmac version and 1200 Kg for the gravel version
CAR SPECIFICATION
Proton Super 2000 Rally Car
Engine
No Cylinders
4
cc
1998
Bore/Stroke
91mm x83.5..
Max Power (bhp)
278
@rpm
7600
Max Torque
200 lb ft
@rpm
7000
Induction
16v
Aspiration
Normally Aspirated
No and Position of Cams
2 ohc
Location
Front transverse
Transmission
Clutch (Manufacturer)
Alcon
No of Plates
2
Gearbox
Xtrac“532” 4WD Super2000 6 speed sequential
Location
Transverse
Manufacturer
Xtrac
Brakes
Manufacturer
Alcon
Front gravel
300mm
asphalt
350mm
Rear gravel
300mm
asphalt
300mm
Steering
Type
Rack and Pinion Power Assisted
Electronics
Type
GEMS Multiplex System
Power Management
Data Logging
Glass Dash Display
Suspension
Manufacturer
Dynamics
Type
MacPherson strut
CAR SPECIFICATION(cont...)
Proton Super 2000 Rally Car
Wheels
Manufacturer
Speedline
Size
8 x18 asphalt 6.5 x 15 gravel
Dimensions
Length (mm)
3905
Width (mm)
1800
Wheelbase (mm)
2440
Weight (kg)
1150 (Tarmac), 1200 (Gravel)
THE INTERCONTINENTAL RALLY CHALLENGE 2011 (IRC)
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) is a rallying series organised by SRW Ltd and sanctioned by the FIA, aiming to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers competing in recognized regional and international rallies, while offering organisers an innovative TV format concept, created by Eurosport." This series focuses on Group N and Group A spec cars up to 2000cc (including Super 2000, R2 and R3).
The series was born in 2006 with the name International Rally Challenge, switching in 2007 to its current name.
2011 IRC Calendar
18-22 January
Rallye Monte Carlo - New Zealand
11-13 March
Rally de los Alerces - Argentina
06-08 May
Tour de Corse – France
02-04 June
Prime Yalta Rally – Ukraine
23-25 June
Geko Ypres Rally – Belgium
04-06 August
Rali Vinho Madeira - Portugal
26-28 August
Barum Czech Rally Zlin – Czech Republic
09-11 September
Mecsek Rallye – Hungary
22-24 September
Rallye Sanremo – Italy
14-16 October
RACMSA Rally of Scotland - Scotland
THE ASIA-PACIFIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2011 (APRC)
The Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) is firmly established as one of the premier regional championships in World Rallying. The quality of events and the level of competition continues to go from strength to strength.
Taking place in one of the most diverse regions of the world, in a climate of rapidly expanding economies, the FIA APRC continues to attract drivers and teams from across the world. Some of the best Gp N drivers in the world feature in this exciting and exacting championship, where television audiences around the world are measured in hundreds of millions.
Each of the seven events of 2011 APRC has its own unique characteristics, adding to the allure of rallying in this part of the world. From the dust and dirt of Queensland, to the tropical paradise of New Caledonia, to the wintery conditions of Whangarei, to the home of Gp N rallying in Japan, to the steaming jungles and plantations of Malaysia and Indonesia, to the majesty of China, APRC offers each and every participant something to savour. With its diversity of climate, topography, culture, language, cuisine and history, APRC is truly a regional championship offering the very best of what this region has to offer.
