The opening round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) at the Malaysian Rally saw Proton working hard for a well-deserved victory that saw both their cars on the podium for 1-3 finish, giving their 2011 APRC campaign a major boost.
Chris Atkinson made full use of a new suspension setup and engine enhancements to steer his Satria Neo S2000 to victory to finish a commanding 1-minute and 36.6-seconds ahead of second placed Gaurav Gill of Team MRF in a Mitsubishi Evo X. Completing the podium was Alister McRae in the other Satria Neo S2000.
Going into the third and final day in first and third positions, the Proton team was in a strong position to claim victory. The third day started with Atkinson holding a 2-minute and 10-second lead in Kota Tinggi but some aggressive driving from Gill and a puncture on his rear-right tyre through the opening 12.24km special stage at the Tai-Tak Court House saw him lose 30-seconds.
With his spare tyre used up, Atkinson paced himself through the remaining 11.97km and 14.26km special stages to make it back to the service area safely. All that was left was for Atkinson to make it through the remaining four special stages with his comfortable lead.
“This is a fantastic result for Proton. The Satria Neo S2000 performed extremely well throughout the rally and it is especially satisfying to have been able to demonstrate the car’s true potential, competitiveness and its level of pace and performance in front of the home crowd,” said Atkinson, who celebrates his first ever victory and only second podium finish with Proton since joining the team last year.
Victory was made even more fruitful as Atkinson’s co-driver, Stephane Prevot, celebrated his 300th rally in 24 years on top of the podium.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for McRae though as he had to manage an overheating problem on the second day caused by debris blocking air flow to the radiator. He had to hold back from going all out as there was also a scare that the engine’s head gasket was blown.
Hence, a third placing was very rewarding and it also puts places him second in the Asia Cup category behind Gill.
“In a rally that was incredibly difficult, celebrating a victory and having two cars on the podium is absolutely rewarding for Proton and the entire team, as much as it is a big boost to the brand and consumer appeal in our products,” said Proton Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Datuk Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.
“The results are also a manifestation to all the testing, development, hard work and heart that have gone into building on the Proton Satria Neo S2000’s competitiveness. The Satria Neo S2000’s pace and performance in Malaysia forms a strong foundation for further development in preparation for the next round of the APRC which moves to Australia next month and with five more very competitive rounds to contest,” he added.
Proton also made headway with the two other debutante front-wheel drive 1600cc Satria Neos. The Proton Cusco Rally Team clinched 8 and 9 positions overall with Akira Bamba and Kosuke Takashino. Both drivers also finished 1-2 in the APRC Junior Cup category.
