Team Proton R3 ready for return to S1k with new S70 racing car

Proton R3 (Race, Rally & Research), the Malaysian automaker’s motorsports and high-performance division, will make a return to the Sepang 1000km race (S1k) in November, and it will be doing so with a brand new racing car – the S70 R3.

Specially developed for the endurance race by the team, the S70 R3 is based on the S70 sedan launched just a year ago and currently the best-selling C-segment sedan in the country. The development work has drawn on R3’s experience of 2 decades in motorsports in Malaysia and overseas.

“Motorsports is a major component of Proton’s DNA and our competition heritage in races and rallies stretches back to the very first Proton Saga. Although we have not competed at the Sepang 1000km the last three years, Team Proton R3 has kept up with the latest developments in the racing industry while also consulting closely with their colleagues from the vehicle engineering division. The result has been the speedy development of our new racing car, which will enter track competition just one year after the production model was launched,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy CEO of Proton.

“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,” he said.

Two cars will be entered with Syafiq Ali and Fahrizal Hasan as drivers of car #81 while the young driver pairing of Alister Yoong and Ariff Azmi will take turns in car #82. The driver pairings are a mix of both experience and youth. Syafiq has the most individual wins in the history of the Sepang 1000km race, standing on the top step of the podium 3 times with Team Proton R3. His co-driver, Fahrizal has a long history of success in sportscar racing and also won his class twice in the Sepang 12-hour race.

The drivers of car #82 are the youngest pairing in the history of the team. Alister, 21, has a lot of accumulated experience in single-seater racing both in and out of the cars, while 18-year old Ariff is a multiple karting champion. Both drivers are products of Axle Sports Academy, which is run by Alex Yoong, Malaysia’s only Formula 1 driver and father to Alister.

“Team Proton R3 has a long history of helping to promote the careers of young drivers and giving their profiles a boost by driving with the team. We are excited to be working with such a talented driving team this year that offers us the best chance of lifting the title and adding to Proton’s record of being the most successful brand in the history of the Sepang 1000km,” said Encik Roslan.

In 15-year history of the event, Proton has had 6 wins, while Team R3 is the most successful team with 5 wins, including 3 in a row from 2017 – 2019.

The Sepang 1000KM race, which evolved from the Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race, will be held from November 22 – 24. The competitors will race for a distance of 1,000 kms, which is equal to around 172 laps over 9 hours of the 5.543-km circuit.