Proton Motorsports is rally team of car manufacturer Proton, currently competing with the Proton Satria Neo S2000 in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship. The team partner is British based Mellors Elliot Motorsport (MEM).
Contents
History
Proton participated in international rally events such as the 2009 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season with the Proton Satria Neo Super 2000. Their best result in IRC is Alister McRae finish 2nd place at the 2009 Rally Scotland. Drivers in 2009 were Guy Wilks, Bryan Bouffier and Alister McRae scoring 13 points.
In 2010 Proton team had many retirements and did not scored a single point. Drivers for 2010 were Alister McRae, Chris Atkinson, Niall McShea, Keith Cronin, Gilles Panizzi and a privateer with factory support, Tom Cave. The best result from the 2010 season was Gilles Panizzi secured 22nd place at the 2010 Rallye Sanremo, although it was the only finish for the Proton Satria Neo S2000 in that season.
For opening round of the 2011 IRC season, the famous Rallye Monte Carlo Proton entered two cars. Chris Atkinson retired at the first special stage and Per-Gunnar Andersson at second special stage.
In November 2011, Proton tasted its sweetest victory yet, at the China Rally where it clinched the Asia Pacific Rally Championship driver’s and manufacturer’s titles and capped off a dominant season for the Malaysian car maker.
Alister McRae drove the Proton Satria Neo S2000 to its fourth victory of the season in six rounds when he completed the three-day China Rally ahead of Finnish driver Jari Ketomaa in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X with team mate Chris Atkinson finishing third to make it an all Proton 1–2 in the APRC driver’s championship.
The Satria Neo S2000’s dominant performance all year long also crowned Proton winner of the coveted APRC manufacturer’s championship ahead of Mitsubishi with Subaru finishing the 2011 season a distant third.
The results in China also saw Proton become the first car manufacturer to win all eight major individual titles in the FIA APRC which includes: the overall FIA APRC driver’s title; FIA APRC manufacturer’s title; the FIA APRC Teams Trophy; the FIA Asia Cup driver’s title; the FIA Pacific Cup driver’s title; the manufacturer’s title in the FIA APRC Rally Cup for two-wheel drive category; the FIA APRC Rally Cup two-wheel drive driver’s title; and FIA APRC Junior Cup driver’s title.
IRC Results
**Including 10 points that Wilks scored with Škoda Fabia S2000 at Rally Scotland. **Including 2 points that Basso scored with Peugeot 207 S2000 at Rallye Monte Carlo.
SWRC results
* Season still in progress.