Kiki Sak Nana, Daigo Saito, Manabu Orido and Robbie Nishida

Defending champion Daigo Saito of Sparks Achilles Drift Team clinched the Achilles Formula Drift 2011 Malaysia and the overall Drivers’ Champion titles at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur earlier today. Saito drove consistently and flawlessly throughout the competition, humbling the rest of the world-class field. The much-anticipated Final 2 battle against compatriot Manabu Orido, a familiar figure here in Malaysia from his exploits at the Super GT, proved interesting but ultimately one-sided. Drift legend Orido made a rare error as he spun out going into the first clipping point, giving Saito an advantage going into the second run. Saito did not disappoint, although Orido did not make it easy the second time round. Driving aggressively yet with pinpoint accuracy, Saito showed why he also convincingly swept through the Singapore and Indonesian legs earlier this year.

Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia Final: Daigo Saito vs Manabu Orido

Kiki Sak Nana clinched the final podium place with some impressive displays throughout the day. Malaysia’s best finisher was Mervyn Nakamura, who made it into the Top 16.

Saranon Pornpatanarak vs Mervyn Nakamura

The Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011 was organized by ESPN STAR Sports and title sponsored by Achilles Radial. The event had full support of Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and the following proud Sponsors & Partners – Mansion 88 (Official Sponsor), Tune Talk (Official Telco), Chevrolet (Official Car), Hypertune & SHIFT (Official Partners), Tyrepac (Official Online Portal), DRIVE (Official Energy Drink), Tayaria (Official Tyre Changer), Spritzer (Official Water) and Doubletree Hilton (Official Hotel). ESPN STAR Sports is the official broadcaster for the Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011, and provided coverage across its networks, covering 24 countries to a cumulative reach of more than 300 million viewers in Asia.

Japan's Manabu Orido in his first appearance in Malaysia

There were thrills and spills on the opening day of the Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011 at Dataran Merdeka today, as world-class drifters battled for places in the qualifiers affected intermittently by rain.

Malaysia’s Ser Ming Hui leads Malaysia’s charge at tomorrow’s knockout Round of 32 tomorrow, currently ranked a commendable 8th with 78 points.

Last year's Malaysian leg champion Daigo Saito breezes through the qualifying rounds

Defending champion Daigo Saito from Japan continued his impressive form, topping the field with a total score of 94.5 points, in the quarterfinals.

Veteran racer and a familiar face to Malaysians at SuperGT, Manabu Orido is set for a head-to-head battle with fellow countryman Daigo Saito after impressive runs in his RSR Toyota Supra. It is Orido’s drifting debut in Malaysia.

Ser Ming Hui from Malaysia throttles his way to the finish

The Round of 32 will kick off tomorrow at 12.30pm, and will see exciting head-to-head tandem driving between the world-class drift riders at the high speed, tight Dataran Merdeka circuit.

The live broadcast of the Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011 will be on ESPN STAR Sports, at 4-6pm tomorrow (Sunday, 18 December).

Original Source: The Car Guys Malaysia (TCG)

Will be in touch! Cheers and thanks for your patience and support!

Team R3gister

Is this a Proton Saga R3 prototype? From first impressions it’s got a very familiar front bumper (like the Satria Neo R3 2010) and the R3 Advanti rims from the new Satria Neo R3 2011. Looking pretty fierce don’t you think?

Submitted by Kamarul Zainuddin. Got tips? Send them to us at info[at]r3gister.org.

Date: August 12, 2011
Time: 10.00pm onwards
Venue: Chida’s, TTDI (opposite Maxis TTDI)
For more info and directions, call 0176560696 – Skellig/Sailesh
Come one, come all!

See ya guys there!

Late last year, Proton Motorsports or R3, showcased a saliva-inducing 180bhp turbocharged Satria Neo R3 shocker at KLIMS 2010. Never to be ones to rest on their laurels, they unveiled a supercharged prototype, outputting a yummilicious 180bhp and 200Nm torque, last month. Exterior-wise, the car houses a bodykit similar to last year’s Satria Neo R3 Lotus Racing edition, with a black paint finish, red highlights and gold trimmings. The interior features the contrasty red and black combination, synonymous with previous generation R3 vehicles.

The supercharger is sourced from Australia, from a company called Sprintex. Early in the year Proton design house Proreka signed a MOU with ATG to establish a JV Sprintex supercharger manufacturing facility in Malaysia and to market and distribute ATG’s Sprintex® supercharger product range in the ASEAN region and Japan. The establishment of JV with Proreka would reduce ATG’s supercharger costs by approximately 50%.

Will we see supercharged Protons in the near future? We certainly hope so!

More from Paultan.org and Fastmotoring.com

The dynamic duo of Faidzil Alang and Syafiq Ali dominated Heat 1 and 2 to finish a double 1-2 for Team Proton R3 in Round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series held at Sepang International Circuit over the weekend. Weather at the track was as unpredictable as ever, scorching in Heat 1 then heavy downpour in Heat 2. Despite the varying conditions, Faidzil in his Satria Neo clinched the top spot after leading from pole position in Heat 1, whilst compatriot Syafiq in his GEN.2 took the top spot in Heat 2. Faidzil was in the lead in Heat 2 before forced to relinquish his lead due to technical problems.

“As always, it’s great for the team to be back on the podium again for round 2.  Race 2 was especially tough for me as a mechanical problem forced me to slow my pace.  Overall, the car and tyres were working very well, but we believe that we can further  improve on it for round 3.”  Faidzil Alang, Driver, Team Proton R3.

A great performance by Team Proton R3. Onward to the next round on July 3, 2011. Go Proton R3!

Team Proton R3 at the races:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 23, 2011

TEAM PROTON R3 DOMINATES MALAYSIAN SUPER SERIES ROUND 2

Team Proton R3 celebrated a successful weekend with a dominating performance in the 2^nd round of the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) with a 1^st and 2^nd finish in Race 1 and 2. Motorsports fans were treated to a stunning display of speed and control by Faidzil Alang and his team-mate Syafiq Ali as the pair dominated the field to win both Races in their Satria Neo and GEN.2 R3 race cars.

As usual, weather conditions at the Sepang Circuit was hot and dry with rain in the later part of the afternoon.  With in-car temperatures rocketing for race 1, both drivers kept their cool to capitalise on a good start In Race 1.  They later maintained their performance on the track to do the same in a rain-soaked Race 2.

In Race 1, Faidzil Alang made the most of his pole position and led the race from start to finish with the only serious challenge coming from his own team-mate, Syafiq Ali.  Syafiq, who qualified in 4^th due to a problem during qualifying, made a fantastic start to overtake the 2^nd and 3^rd placed cars to slot into 2^nd behind team-mate Faidzil by turn 1.  Both drivers maintained their 1^st and 2^nd position till the chequered flag.

In Race 2, heavy rain delayed the start by almost an hour and eventually started as a wet race.  Faidzil led the race from the start, trailed by Syafiq Ali.  Unfortunately for Faidzil, he had a mechanical problem on the 3^rd lap which forced him to relinquish his lead to team-mate Syafiq and forcing him to defend 2^nd place from 3^rd placed Siah W Pyng.

“We are thrilled with the results this weekend.  Despite the stiff competition and challenging weather conditions, our team were well prepared to face anything.  This is a testimonial of all the development work and testing we’ve done in preparation for this season as well as our experiences from previous races.  The lessons learnt on the track today will be utilised to help us build better cars for tomorrow.” Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, Head,  Proton Motorsports Division.

“As always, it’s great for the team to be back on the podium again for round 2.  Race 2 was especially tough for me as a mechanical problem forced me to slow my pace.  Overall, the car and tyres were working very well, but we believe that we can further  improve on it for round 3.”  Faidzil Alang, Driver, Team Proton R3.

“I’m thrilled to win my first race in the MSS especially when this is my debut outing with Team Proton R3 this year.  The crew were fantastic, working well into the night to ensure I get a competitive car for today. The next round is in July and I am already looking forward to it.” Syafiq Ali, Driver, Team Proton R3.

Malaysian Super Series 2011 Round 2 Results:

Race 1:

1.    Faidzil Alang    23:50.401

2.    Syafiq Ali         23:51.875

3.    Siah W Pyng   24:15.230

Race 2:

1.    Syafiq Ali         24:02.202

2.    Faidzil Alang    24:35.992

3.    Siah W Pyng   25:02.685

Remaining rounds for Malaysian Super Series 2011:

Round 3: 2^nd-3^rd July

Round 4: 1^st – 2^nd October

Round 5: 26^th-27^th November

PROTON R3′s Faidzil Alang driving a Satria Neo, and Syafiq Ali in a GEN.2, power to a strong 1-2 finish in Heat 1 of the Malaysian Super Series 2011 Round 2 at Sepang International Circuit today. Faidzil Alang powered to the finish from his pole position from qualifying yesterday. He currently leads the championship. More updates from Sepang soon. Catch the gallery after the jump.

Images courtesy of Proton Motorsports.

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