SUBANG JAYA: Team Proton R3 has revealed the four drivers and the race-prepared Proton S70 R3 which will be competing in the 2024 Sepang 1000KM Endurance Race (S1K) this later month.
The motorsports division of Proton is entering Syafiq Ali and Fahrizal Hasan as the drivers of car 81 while the young pairing of Alister Yoong and Ariff Azmi will take the steering wheel of car 82.
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.
The team is aiming for a record extending sixth victory in S1K, the country’s premier endurance racing event.
Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said motorsports is a major component of Proton’s DNA and its competition heritage in races and rallies stretched 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.
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 S1K, 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.
(From left) Proton Edar sales and aftersales vice-president Edmund Lim Meng Thong, Proton Global Sales CEO Lee Yeet Chuan, Yoong, Fahrizal and Ariff at the reveal event at Proton's Centre of Excellence.
The drivers of car 82, meanwhile, are the youngest pairing in the history of Team Proton R3 consisting 21-year old Alister Yoong and 18-year old Ariff Azmi.
Yoong has a lot of accumulated experience in single seater racing both in and out of the cars, while Ariff is a multiple karting champion who also competed with Yoong in S1K 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 Yoong.
Roslan said 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," he said.
