Proton returns to S1k next month with S70 R3

Next month, Proton will make a return to Malaysia’s premier endurance racing event – the Sepang 1000km race (S1k) – with a brand new racing car. This will be the S70 R3 which was displayed at the 2024 Malaysia Autoshow in May, generating a lot of excitement among Proton fans and racing enthusiasts.

Proton is the most successful automaker in the 15-year history of the event with 6 wins, while the R3 (Race, Rally & Research) is the most successful team with 5 wins, including 3 in a row from 2017 – 2019.

R3, Proton’s 21-year old competition and high-performance division, has developed the S70 for racing drawing on its two decades of experience in motorsports at home and overseas, with many successes.

With the S70 R3, both Proton and R3 are venturing into uncharted waters as it is a brand new model, launched just a year ago. While other Proton R3 racing cars have been developed from the Saga, Wira, Satria, Waja, Satria Neo, Preve, Suprima S, and Iriz, the S70 is a model which was co-developed with Geely.

Seven weeks remain before the S1k and the team is in the final stages of preparation with the aim of adding another win to their record.

“Having not competed in the last three Sepang 1000km races, Proton is excited to be back on the starting grid in 2024. The Proton S70 R3 marks a new milestone for the brand as we take a model developed together with Geely into the heat of competition for the very first time. A lot of challenges had to be overcome to get to this point with a number of modifications made to the standard car to ensure it met the regulations set, but thanks to our dedicated team at R3, we have managed to meet our goal of being ready for the race in November,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Proton.

“Despite being a new car, Proton is taking the challenge to field 2 units of the S70 R3 in the race instead of using a proven older model as a back-up. We are determined to prove the abilities of the newest Proton sedan model on the racetrack. While we expect competition from teams who have actively competed the last 3 years, it is our belief the lessons learnt in racing will translate to us building better cars for our customers in the future,” he added.