After a magnificent run last year to finish second in the constructors’ standings in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championships (APRC), Proton R3 are aiming for the top spot this season with an improved Satria Neo S2000 in their garage.
The APRC, which will kick off this weekend with the Malaysia Rally in Johor Baru, will see Proton having two Satria Neo S2000 cars that will be driven by former world championship (WRC) drivers Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson.
The cars, developed by former rally driver Chris Mellors of the Mellors Elliot Motorsports, boast of improvements on the engine as well as the suspension package.
“We have improved the engine to churn out more mid-range power to enable drivers to quickly exit a turn and hence requires less downshift,” said Mellors after the launch of the team’s cars at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel and Spa yesterday.
Looking sharp: Proton drivers Alister McRae (right) and Chris Atkinson (second from right) posing with the Satria Neo S2000 car after the launch of the Proton rally team for the Asia Pacific Rally Championhips at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel and Spa Monday. — S.S. KANESAN / The Star
Looking sharp: Proton drivers Alister McRae (right) and Chris Atkinson (second from right) posing with the Satria Neo S2000 car after the launch of the Proton rally team for the Asia Pacific Rally Championhips at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel and Spa Monday. — S.S. KANESAN / The Star“We have also ironed out several smaller issues with the car on reliability.
“ I believe the car this year is well balanced in terms of performance and reliability.”
The cars were launched by Proton’s group managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.
Last year, Proton’s best result in the championships was in the China leg where McRae and Atkinson secured a 1-2 finish.
However, the Satria Neo S2000’s maiden season in the APRC was also marred by several technical problems, which forced the team to pull out from several races.
“Our target this year is to do better than we did last year, which means to win the manufacturers’ championships,” said Syed Zainal.
“We have done a lot of work to prepare for the new season and I believe we will bring a stronger challenge into the championships this time.”-thestar.com.my
No comments:
Post a Comment