Mr. Edmund Lim Meng Thong, VP Sales & Aftersales, Proton Edar; Mr. Lee Yeet Chuan, CEO of Proton Global Sales; Alister Yoong, Fahrizal Hasan, and Ariff Azmi at the driver reveal event at PROTON’s Centre of Excellence headquarters.
Team Proton R3 has announced its four drivers who will be racing the Proton S70 R3 for the upcoming 2024 Sepang 1000km Endurance Race. Syafiq Ali and Fahrizal Hasan are confirmed as the drivers of car 81 while the young driver pairing of Alister Yoong and Ariff Azmi were presented as the pilots of car 82 during a media event at PROTON’s Centre of Excellence headquarters.
Also shown to the media during the event was the Proton S70 R3, which was making its public debut. Team Proton R3’s newest racing machine is based on the Proton S70, the best-selling C-segment sedan in the country, and will be competing for the first time at the race in November, carrying the hopes of the team to achieve a record extending sixth victory in the country’s premier endurance racing event.
The Proton S70 R3 has confirmed to be racing with a 1.6L Campro engine, which is naturally aspirated due to the endurance race rules and regulation. The team also confirmed that the race car is still under development as the next step is focusing on fine tuning and reducing the car’s weight.
“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 race just one year after the Proton S70 was launched,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.
The driver pairings selected by the team offer a mix of both experience and youth. Car 81 driver Syafiq Ali has the most individual wins in the history of the Sepang 1000km race, standing on the top step of the podium three times with Team Proton R3. His co-driver, Fahrizal Hasan, 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, meanwhile, are the youngest pairing in the history of Team Proton R3. 21-year old Alister Yoong has a lot of accumulated experience in single seater racing both in and out of the cars, while 18-year old Ariff Azmi is a multiple karting champion, who also competed with Alister in the 1000km race last year. 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,” added Roslan Abdullah.