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.

Satria R3 with plate number WMY 5956 was stolen at 4-5am yesterday morning.  Has black Spoon Sports Rim 15″. If anyone seen or has any information on this car, please contact The R3gister.

PROTON’s Alister McRae and co-driver Bill Hayes fended off more misfortunes on the third and final day of the International Rally of Queensland to finish in fourth place, in what is considered the strongest field in the Asia Pacific rally championship in recent years. The duo began the day with an 8-second advantage over Australian Gaurav Gill, but was forced to relinquish the rally when the S2000 started misfiring after a water crossing in one of the day’s seven special stages.

Beginning the day with an eight second advantage over Mitsubishi’s Gaurav Gill, the pair was forced to relinquish the rally when the Proton Satria Neo S2000’s engine began misfiring after a water crossing in one of the day’s seven special stages. To make matters worse, they were dealt another blow when they suffered a broken drive shaft and had to slow down for 50km over the last three special stages of the rally. Despite the setbacks, they managed to hang on to 4th place.

“With no service interval, we were forced to slow down and nurse the car to the finish. It was a tough event, one that presented us with a lot of challenges. McRae and I are obviously disappointed in not being able to secure a podium finish but considering the circumstances, finishing fourth at least sees us heading to the next APRC round with valuable championship points,” said Hayes.

Another consolation for PROTON – its 1600cc group N Satria Neos finished 9th and 11^th overall in the rally, and 1^st and 2^nd in class at the hands of Karamjit Singh and Proton Cusco Rally Team mate Akira Bamba.

Congrats, Team Proton R3! Official Press Release after the jump.

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL RALLY OF QUEENSLAND
ROUND 2, FIA ASIA PACIFIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

DATE: 15 MAY 2011

PROTON FINISHES 4^TH IN AUSTRALIAN RALLY

Alister McRae and co-driver Bill Hayes braved the odds to fend off a series of misfortunes on the third and final day of the International Rally of Queensland to give PROTON a strong fourth place finish in what is considered the strongest field in the Asia Pacific rally championship in recent years.

Beginning the day with an eight second advantage over Mitsubishi’s Gaurav Gill, the pair was forced to relinquish the rally when the Proton Satria Neo S2000’s engine began misfiring after a water crossing in one of the day’s seven special stages.

Their charge back to the top was dealt an even serious blow when they were forced to slow down considerably as a result of a broken drive shaft over 50km of the last three special stages of the rally, causing them to lose more time.  Despite this, they managed to hang on to 4^th place in front of a charging Rifat Sungkar of Indonesia, in a Mitsubishi Evolution 10.

“With no service interval, we were forced to slow down and nurse the car to the finish. It was a tough event, one that presented us with a lot of challenges. McRae and I are obviously disappointed in not being able to secure a podium finish but considering the circumstances, finishing fourth at least sees us heading to the next APRC round with valuable championship points,” said Hayes.

Rejoining the final day of the rally after an early retirement on day two, PROTON team mate Chris Atkinson endured a second electrical failure which ended his rally.

The rally was won by British driver Mark Higgins, who finished 16 seconds ahead of Gill, while in third place was Japanese driver Katsuhiko Taguchi.

“It was a hard fought rally. While we were hoping for a better result after a strong start, fourth place amidst an unfortunate last day will nevertheless go a long way in extending our position in the overall manufacturer’s championship, with full points on Leg 1 and some good points on Leg 2 with a 4^th overall and 1^st in Class 2” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the head of PROTON Motorsports.

“Credit goes to Alister and Bill who were able to use all their experience to steer the car to the finish. The Satria Neo S2000 has clearly demonstrated that it has good pace and performance, and this is something we will work to further build on in our fight for the championship.”

Another consolation for PROTON was the fact that its 1600cc group N Satria Neos finished 9th and 11^th overall in the rally, and 1^st and 2^nd in class at the hands of Karamjit Singh and Proton Cusco Rally Team mate Akira Bamba.

PROTON’s Alister McRae bounced back from a stall in Special Stage 3 to clinch victory and a deserving lead on the opening leg of the International Rally of Queensland. McRae recovered strongly to take three stage wins to open up an 8-second lead over Nathan Quinn of Australia, in a Mitsubishi Evolution, in the last special stage.

“It was such an incredible day, one that went from making a brilliant start to so nearly threatening to prematurely end our rally, and subsequently pushed us back to the head of the field,” said a delighted McRae who is gunning for his first victory in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship this season.

Official Press Release after the jump.

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL RALLY OF QUEENSLAND
ROUND 2, FIA ASIA PACIFIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
DATE: 14 MAY 2011

MCRAE DRIVES PROTON INTO THE LEAD IN THE AUSTRALIAN RALLY

PROTON’s Alister McRae fought a hard day’s battle to claim a deserving early lead on the opening leg of the International Rally of Queensland.

Conceding more than 50 seconds which dropped him from second to 12^th when his Proton Satria Neo S2000 stalled coming out of a water splash in special stage 3, McRae charged back to register three stage wins to eventually open up an 8.4-second lead over Nathan Quinn of Australia in a Mitsubishi Evolution on the last special stage of the day.

Leg one of the rally consisted of 10 special stages, two of which included a super special stage designed for spectators run on Friday night.

“It was such an incredible day, one that went from making a brilliant start to so nearly threatening to prematurely end our rally, and subsequently pushed us back to the head of the field,” said a delighted McRae who is gunning for his first victory in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship this season.

“The car was fantastic and judging from how it has performed thus far, we certainly have plenty of pace to contest for victory. I began the day with a choice of narrow tyres which did not seem to suit the terrain well but switching to wider tyres during the second part of the day gave us the traction we were looking for and it allowed us to put much more power down.”

For team mate Chris Atkinson, victory at his home rally in Australia has again eluded him with a repeat of last year’s misfortunes. After setting a blistering pace to lead the first two opening super special stages on Friday night and winning the first stage on Saturday morning,  his run came to an abrupt end on the next stage due to an electrical failure. Atkinson however restarted the same evening under super rally rules at the repeat of the two stage super special, coming 2nd in the first stage, and 1^st in the second stage.

“We had a good start to the rally, finishing 1st and 2nd at the rally shootout (super special stages) last night in front of more than a thousand spectators. Despite the setback, we ended the day still in the lead of the rally,” said Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, the Head of PROTON Motorsports.

“The Satria Neo S2000 has clearly demonstrated that it has good pace and performance and barring any unforeseen circumstances on the final day, we should be well in contention for a podium finish or even victory.”

Another great boost in confidence for PROTON meanwhile, was in the performance of its 1600cc Satria Neos. The Proton Cusco Rally Team currently leads the two-wheel drive category with multiple APRC champion Karamjit Singh in the lead ahead of team mate Akira Bamba in third place.

The third and final day of the rally will be contested over seven special stages. The rally has attracted a record entry of 96 cars, including 16 overseas participants, representing 10 countries.

PROTON’s Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson demonstrated blistering pace on Day 1 of the Malaysian Rally where the top six in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship is separated by a mere one second difference. McRae completed the 2.5km super SS for spectators held near the Angsana Shopping Complex in a time of 2 minutes 02.5 seconds to take second place, just 0.4 seconds shy of current rally leader Indonesian Rifat Sungar in a Mistubishi Evolution X. Team mate Atkinson rounded up the top five to deny an all-Mitsubishi front row. The rally also saw the inspiring debut of the PROTON Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neos with Japanese drivers Akira Bamba placing 11th, 20 seconds behind the top APRC contenders. Bamba leads the APRC Junior Cup category ahead of team mate Kosuke Takashino. For more news, visit http://protonmotorsports.wordpress.com.

PRESS RELEASE
MALAYSIAN RALLY
ASIA PACIFIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
DAY 1, 1 APRIL 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROTON RUNS HIGH IN MALAYSIAN RALLY

JOHOR BARU: The two Proton Satria Neo S2000s of Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson demonstrated a blistering pace on a competitive opening day of the Malaysian Rally which saw the top six registered competitors in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship separated by a difference of just one second.

PROTON Motorsports’ McRae completed the 2.5km super special stage for spectators held near the Angsana Shopping Complex in a time of 2 minutes 02.5 seconds for second place, just 0.4 seconds shy of current rally leader Indonesian Rifat Sungar in a Mistubishi Evolution X. Team mate Atkinson rounded up the top five to deny an all-Mitsubishi front row.

“Today’s short run was an excellent testimony to the Satria NEO S2000’s competitive and newly-charged pace and performance,” said McRae whose result also places him second in the Asia Cup category.

PROTON’s exposure in the rally was also given a further boost with the inspiring debut of the PROTON Cusco Rally Team 1600cc Satria Neos. Japanese drivers Akira Bamba was placed 11th, 20 seconds behind the top APRC contenders, but leads the APRC Junior Cup category ahead of team mate Kosuke Takashino.

“It’s a strong start for PROTON with all four Satria Neo’s occupying the top positions in their respective classes. This certainly helps to generate a lot of exposure, and with the APRC beamed to 129 countries with a worldwide audience of 390 television viewers, we believe our involvement in rallying will go a long way towards establishing brand awareness and interest globally,” said PROTON Holdings Berhad Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

The Malaysian Rally has attracted a total of 35 entries, of which 18 cars are Protons, with 12 cars competing for APRC points.Day 2 of the rally involves seven special stages, with another seven special stages being run on the third and final day.

PROTON’s newly-charged Satria Neo S2000s aims for a dominating performance at the Malaysian Rally which starts tomorrow (Friday, 1 April 2011). Drivers Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson will be at the helm of PROTON’s two-car assault which is also the opening round of the 2011 Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). Day 1 of the rally begins with a short 2.5km sprint on a Special SS for spectators at the Angsana Shopping Complex in Tampoi, Johor Baru. Visit http://protonmotorsports.wordpress.com for more awesome racing news!

Catch the Neo S2000 at the APRC 2011 test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONYNxZtR8Qg

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 31 MARCH 2011

PROTON OUT TO EXERT DOMINANCE ON HOME RALLY

Nothing would be sweeter than victory on home ground for PROTON, as the team’s newly-charged Satria Neo S2000s sets its sights on a more dominant performance at the Malaysian Rally which starts tomorrow (Friday, 1 April 2011).

Armed with greater performance and an entirely new suspension set-up, drivers Alister McRae and Chris Atkinson will be at the helm of PROTON’s two-car assault in Johor this weekend which is also the opening round of the 2011 Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).

Day 1 of the rally begins with a short 2.5km sprint on a super special stage for spectators at the Angsana Shopping Complex in Tampoi, Johor Baru.

“We led this event last year and I really think we’ve got what it takes to win in Malaysia and that goes for the whole championship…I can’t wait to get going with this one,” said Alister.

Leading the Malaysian Rally in 2010, a jump had severely damaged the Satria NEO S2000’s radiator denying Alister of an outright victory.

Team mate Atkinson on the other hand, clearly demonstrated the Satria Neo S2000’s competitiveness when he fought back from being 18 minutes behind due to an electrical problem, to finish 4^th overall.

Benefitting from vast suspension and engine enhancements, both drivers expect the Satria NEO S2000 to put on a much more dominant performance this weekend in front of the home crowd.

“The change in suspension gives us greater confidence and better traction while revisions to the engine now provides us with more horsepower and offers consistent torque throughout the rev range. These improvements have really honed the whole package, and everything flows much better and feels more natural,” said Atkinson.

The Malaysian Rally has attracted a total of 38 entries, with 11 cars competing for APRC points.

Day 2 of the rally involves seven special stages, with another seven special stages being run on the third and final day.

PROTON LAUNCHES R3 PERFORMANCE ACCESSORIES AND NEW IDENTITY FOR R3

Kuala Lumpur, 2nd December 2010: PROTON Holdings Berhad today launched its new line up of R3 Performance Accessories giving PROTON car owners, especially racing enthusiasts, the opportunity to redefine their car’s performance and aesthetics for more excitement on the road.

The new line up, developed for the PROTON Satria Neo and Gen2 models by its motorsports division, Race.Rally.Research (R3), is geared to significantly enhance performance through superior handling, improved drivability while providing a modern and distinct style through affordable quality parts and accessories.

The launch of R3 Performance Accessories was made official by YB Dato’ Seri Kong Cho Ha, Minister of Transport, Malaysia, when he unveiled the new logo which connote the attributes of a dynamic and futuristic brand. The Brand Name and Logomark are slanting to their right to denote the energy and positiveness of the brand in moving forward.

YB Dato’ Seri Kong Cho Ha was accompanied by PROTON Advisor Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, and Group Managing Director, Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

Addressing the media during the launch held at the KL International Motorshow, Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin said, “Through our market research, we found that many PROTON car owners have a keen interest in accessorising and modifying their cars, but our case studies have shown that often safety may be compromised when it is not done appropriately”.

“As part of our motorsports division, R3 has an extensive experience on the race tracks, and it was only natural, that we developed a line of performance accessories customised for PROTON vehicles as an extension of our commitment to provide Malaysians with the best in automotive at affordable prices.”

R3 Performance Accessories roll out six packages that offer car enthusiasts a range of enhancements from body kits, to exhaust systems, camshafts, spoilers, spring sets, and 15” and 16” wheels and tyres. Packages are currently available for the PROTON Satria Neo Baseline, CPS and non-CPS, , Gen2 and Gen2 CPS. Offered with easy financing, those interested can make their way to the PROTON Edar showrooms in Shah Alam (Centre of Excellence), Mutiara Damansara, Plentong in Johor Bahru and up north in Juru, Penang.

“Together with our vehicles’ superior Lotus Ride and Handling feature that improves steering precision, cornering and handling capabilities, the R3 Performance Accessories is the perfect complement to enhance our drivers’ experience on the road,” Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin added.

Another highlight of the event was the PROTON Satria Neo R3 Concept car, which boasts one simple objective – ultimate performance. Kitted with R3’s very own force induction system that allows it to produce 200hp and 250NM of torque, the Satria Neo R3 Concept is by far the fastest Neo developed by PROTON to-date.

Besides superb engine performance, the Satria Neo R3 Concept Car brings drivers one step closer to the world of motorsports with its AP Racing brakes & Ohlins suspension system, R3 designed bodykit with front splitter for optimal down force, and a lightweight carbon fiber bonnet and FRP fenders with reduced overall weight. Other features of the car include Recaro full bucket motorsport seats that provide the driver with ultimate support during spirited driving, a MOMO steering wheel for added control and a colour coded half cage to give the driver added protection. The car also features a motorsports digital multi-information display dash and integrated 2-DIN multimedia built- in navigation system.

The PROTON Satria Neo R3 Concept Car will be on display at the PROTON booth during the KL International Motorshow at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) until 12th December 2010.

About PROTON

PROTON, established in 1983, is Malaysia’s largest manufacturer of automobiles, and the only full-fledged OEM car manufacturer in South-East Asia. With operations in key markets from UK to the Middle East, and across South-East Asia and Australasia, especially in countries like China and Iran, PROTON produces cars to suit a range of consumer demands and preferences. Its offerings include versatile and reliable four-door family vehicles, two-door hatchbacks for the young-at-heart, luxurious and stylish executive sedans, spacious and affordable multi-purpose vehicles, as well as the world-renowned sports cars from Lotus. Most importantly, PROTON models are now developed with Lotus Engineering, offering customers superior ride and handling experience in every drive.

PROTON’s inception as a key driver of national development has seen the brand accelerate its learning curve through technology transfer with strategic partnerships and technical collaborations. By listening to the needs of customers, PROTON cars are now steadily on track to achieve the mission for the future, with PROTON set to become a marque which builds cars with passion and soul; cars that are a delight to drive – and a pleasure to own.

For further information, please contact Group Marketing & After Sales Division:

Gary Lee at hp: 016 2166515 / tel: 03-80269514 / email: leekh@proton.com
Norhani Ahmad at hp: 010 4000 868 / tel: 03-8026 9512 / email: norhanaj@proton.com

Final top 10 position:

1) Team Porsche Club Singapore -308 laps

2) Kencana – Hong Leong – 305 laps

3) Danville Motorsports (Class O) – 292 laps

4) Petronas Syntium Team – 288 laps

5) VRD Motorsport – 287 laps

6) ARC Bratislava – 286 laps

7) Mal Rose / Peter Leemhuis – 283 laps
Pineapple Motorsport – 280 laps

9) J’S Racing Labs – 279 laps

10) Danville Motorsports (Class A) - 279 laps

Congratulations especially to Team Proton R3 who won Class B with the Satria Neo. Awesome guys, well done! The R3gister is proud of Tengku Djan and the Proton R3 team!

The sign-up list after the bump:

01. Vernon aka Crash – SR3
02. Harun aka sousuke – SR3
03. Rosmi aka fenriz – NR3
04. Daniel aka Maxi – SR3
05. Shan aka Shanashi – SR3
06. Hlm aka haslam – Gen.2 MME
07. Sufi aka ApeX – SR3
08. Alzaim – NeoR3
09. Effie – SR3
10. Ashraf – Waja MME
11. Fitri SR3
12. Amir SR3
13. zulkifli aka mzs – SR3
14. Akmal Hasyeem – SR3 (072)
15. Zainal aka carbonok – SR3
16. Andrew Lee aka jAkuuZeeMan© – SR3
17. Farouk – SR3
18. handsome_lala – SR3
19. ninja_iga aka Stanley – SR3
20. redwacko – SR3
21. incube – SR3

Since its introduction Down Under in the early 2000s, the Satria GTi hot hatch has become quite a cult hit amongst petrolheads. With adequate power, sleek styling and great handling to boot, the SGTi has been an enthusiasts hot hatch of choice due to its affordability and overall performance. With the introduction of the Satria Neo R3, the aging SGTi has finally found a worthy, more updated successor although whether the SGTi name will be retained is not yet known.

Expected to be unveiled at the Melbourne International Motorshow come February 29, no details of specifications nor pricing has been revealed.Source: Autounleashed.com