Proton R3 Rally Malaysia Team

National carmaker Proton is well positioned between the main players in the World Rally Championship (WRC), with the launch of the Proton R3 Rally Team Malaysia yesterday.
The team will begin the season with a huge number of drivers present Scotsman Alistair McRae and Australian Chris Atkinson. Its main objective is to capture the championship FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) title for the team.
The search begins with the turn of the APRC in Johor Malaysia next weekend.
McRae and Atkinson have based a stable four-Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 specification cars to the mission of which are based two in this region for APRC, while the other two are in Europe for use in the Intercontinental Rally Championship (IRC).
Proton Motorsports CEO Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the man behind the success of Petronas Eon Racing Team (PERT), as several bags APRC and Production Car World Rally Championship title, before folding in 2005, leads this team.
The Proton Satria Neo S2000 on spec, was built by the British company Mellors Elliot Motorsport (MEM). The car has been tested in several rounds of the IRC and did in the past year, its Asian debut in 2009 Rally of Malaysia.
"We have, by now a rallying platform for our brand and global marketing will be decided. So we are more aggressive," said Abdul Razak.
"We have a car that has been tested and is competitive enough for us to go for the title. So that's what we do."
Abdul Razak said the future of the rally is in the S2000 specification cars, which will replace soon, the WRC specification, which are much more expensive to build and run are, which he said was an obstacle to the manufacturer for participation .
"From next year it is already a different specification of the WRC, of which 1,600 cc turbo cars, is based on the S2000 specification. So we are well positioned to be ready when the time comes to take the step in the WRC" Abdul Razak said.
S2000 cars are vehicles with four-wheel drive 2000 cc engine capacity, operation without Turbo. Proton has to be registered under seven producers to participate in the rapid growth IRC this season.
The 31-year-old Atkinson, the fifth overall in the World Cup finished in 2008, said the cars are much more exciting despite lower torque compared to the current WRC, but the development is only the S2000 spec cars more quickly.
After Rally Malaysia 2010 Next weekend, the team continue their challenge in the second round of the APRC Rally of Hokkaido in Japan May 22 to 23.