SUBANG JAYA: Proton has officially unveiled the car it will campaign at the 2024 Sepang 1000km race as it seeks to add to its record total of six wins in Malaysia’s premier endurance racing event.
The Proton S70 R3 was first teased at the 2024 Malaysia Autoshow in May while a development video was shared on the company’s social media channels on 1 October and today, the company has released pictures of the final product before its racing livery has been applied.
Established in 2003, Proton R3 is the factory supported motorsports division of Proton with the acronym standing for Race, Rally, Research.
Over the last two decades, R3 have successfully campaigned Proton models both domestically and internationally in racing and rallying events, while using the knowledge gained to develop
a range of performance enhancing components and limited edition models for sale to customers.
More recently, they have also ventured into the lubricants space, selling performance lubricants carrying the R3 banner.
Meanwhile, the Proton S70 R3 is the latest in a long line of Proton models developed for motorsports.
These efforts started even before the formation of R3 and range from the original Proton Saga and include the Proton Wira, Satria, Waja, Satria Neo, Preve, Suprima S, Iriz, and current version of the Saga.
With the debut of the Proton S70 R3, both Proton and its motorsports division are venturing into uncharted waters, campaigning a car co-developed with Geely and just one year after its market launch.
There are less than seven weeks to go before the Sepang 1000km race weekend on 22-24 November, final preparations are underway to ensure the cars and R3 team are ready for the challenge that lays ahead.
Proton is the most successful OEM in the 15-year history of the event with six wins, while R3 are the most successful team with five wins, including three in a row from 2017 – 2019.
“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 CEO, Proton.
The Proton S70 is Proton’s first C-segment sedan offering since the Proton Preve, which made its debut in 2012.
Launched on 28 November 2023, the S70 is the undisputed sales leader in its segment this year with nearly 15,000 units registered as of the end of September 2024.
Powered by a 1.5T engine paired to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT), it is also equipped with Proton’s signature voice command function as well as 13 ADAS level 2 technologies.
Following extensive development work from the Proton and Geely engineering team, the S70 is also widely acknowledged as the model offering the most driver engagement in its class.
“Despite being a new car, Proton is taking the challenge to field two units of the S70 R3 in the race instead of using a proven older model as a backup. We are determined to prove the abilities of the newest Proton sedan model in the racetrack and while we expect competition from teams who have actively competed the last three years, it is our belief the lessons learnt in racing will translate to us building better cars for our customers in the future,” added Roslan Abdullah.
