The slippery and slidey Day 2 of the Rally Malaysia ended with both of the Proton’ factory efforts in the top three, paving the path to a winning start for their Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) 2011 campaign.<b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b><b></b>
A hot and dry track was turned into a muddy affair courtesy of a heavy downpour just hours before the start of Day 2’s special stages. Nonetheless, Proton’s Chris Atkinson managed to power his Satria Neo S2000 to the top of the time sheets, taking the lead from the start of the second special stage and building a commanding gap over the chasing pack, including teammate Alister McRae.
Atkinson managed to put four seconds between himself and McRae by the end of the 32.3km stage at the Tai-Tak plantation in Kota Tinggi, Johor. On the third special stage of 24.9km, Atkinson expanded his lead to 37.8-seconds over Gaurav Gill of Team MRF in the Mitsubishi Evo X as McRae was forced to drop his pace due to overheating problems caused by debris blocking the air flow through the front bumper to the radiator. It ended up costing him over four minutes in time.
“The conditions were extremely tricky and difficult, and we too had our moments. The morning rain made the terrain very unpredictable as certain stretches were dry but just when you least expect it, the next corner can be muddy and slippery,” said Atkinson.
The entire team were taking no chances and the service crew took the decision to replace a slightly worn right rear driveshaft on Atkinson’s Satria Neo S2000. They managed the feat in just nine minutes during the first interval.
Following that, Atkinson was able to give it his all, further building on his lead to 1 minute and 17.4 seconds in the fifth special stage that was a repeat of the 32.2km Tai-Tak special stage. Atkinson was on fire as he continuously lengthened his lead, gaining three seconds in the sixth special stage and a further 24-seconds in the next special stage. However, he dropped four seconds in the day’s final super special stage that was a 2.5km run, ending Day 2 with a 1 minute and 40.4 second lead over Gill. McRae managed to recover from the overheating problem to end the day in third.
It was a day of many retirements as well, with former APRC champ Cody Crocker the first to head for an early shower, going off the road. Japanese driver Katsuhiko Taguchi, Pertamina Racing’s Rifat Sungkar and teammate Yuya Sumiyma, former British rally champ Mark Higgins and Malaysian Saladin Mazlan, all driving Evo Xs. were among the other casualties of the day. Even multiple Malaysian Rally and former APRC champion Karamjit Singh was forced to retire to with a mechanical gremlin in his Evo 9.
“Conditions have been extremely difficult with an unexpectedly large number of retirements. We’re extremely pleased that both Satria Neo S2000s have not only been able to demonstrate exceptional pace and performance, but Atkinson and McRae delivered a solid and sensible drive to place Proton in contention for a podium finish,” enthused Proton Motorsports Team Manager Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood.
There were more reasons to smile too for Proton as the Proton Cusco Rally Team’s 1600cc Satria Neo had a good run, allowing Japanese driver Akira Bamba to take eight overall and lead the APRC Junior Cup category, making him the fastest 1600cc two-wheel drive car. His teammate Kosuke Takashino was just behind him in, occupying the ninth spot overall.
The third and final day of the Rally Malaysia will be run over seven special stages, with a total of 79.8km now standing between the Proton’s and a win in the opening round of the APRC.
