Proton S70 R3 Racecar Set To Reclaim S1K Glory

The Proton S70 R3 S1K racecar undergoing a round of testing recently at the Petronas SIC ahead of its planned entry into this year's annual S1K endurance race.

National automaker Proton has officially acknowledge its latest motorsports programme revolving around its new S70 C-segment sedan offering. In a press release issued earlier today, Proton revealed that the S70 R3 racecar build has been finalised, pending only its racing livery.

“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, Proton’s deputy CEO.

The exec also expressed his excitement to see the Proton marque returning to the S1K grid after a three-year absence. Given their history of wins and victories at said event, both Proton and its full-fledge R3 works team will be gunning for victory once this year’s edition takes place next month.

Proton's deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah with the near-final version of the Proton S70 R3 S1K racecar. The exec highlighted that the R3 division overcame a lot of challenges when building their first Geely-based racecar.

As reported prior, the S70 R3 racecar is built by Proton’s renowned Race Rally Research (R3) motorsports engineering arm, and saw plenty of changes inside and out. Much of which were meant to make the car both safe and certified for competition, but it still retains the stock base car’s bodyshell.

Besides a stripped and fully caged cabin primed with the usual on board ancillaries and amenities required for racing, the S70 R3 race machine also saw a complete powertrain swap. Proton did not shed light regarding what’s under the hood, but we’re certain it’s not the standard roadcar’s package.

Based on the teaser shakedown video released earlier this month, it’s widely believed that the S70 R3 racecar harnesses a race-built 1.6-litre CamPro 4-cyl naturally aspirated screamer – the very same mill powering past Proton R3 S1K race machines, albeit adapted to fit in the S70’s engine bay.

Besides the race-spec rear spoiler added on, the Proton S70 R3 S1K racecar retains the standard S70's bodyshell.

Apart from ditching the stock production model’s 1.5-litre 3-cyl turbo lump, the S70 R3 racecar also ditches the production version’s 7-speed DCT automatic in favour of a straight-cut, H-pattern manual transmission. In turn, this ought to give it the performance and durability for racing competition. 

Notably, the S70 R3 racecar project marks a first for Proton and R3 as it stands as their first competition build underpinning a Geely-based product. It follows in the footsteps of its race-built predecessors such as the Wira, Satria, Waja, Satria Neo, Preve, Suprima S, Iriz, as well as the current-gen Saga.

In the S1K event’s 15-year history, Proton stands as the most successful OEM entry, having won it six times. Concurrently, Proton’s full-fledged R3 works team also stands as the most successful team in S1K history with five wins charted, including a hat-trick of which from 2017 to 2019.

On board, the S70 R3 S1K racecar sees its cabin stripped and caged in accordance with racing regulations. It also gains a number of racing ancillaries whilst up front, it underwent a complete powertrain swap as well.

Held a the Petronas Sepang International Circuit (SIC), this year’s edition of the S1K enduro takes place next month from Nov 22 to Nov 24. Ahead of which, Proton also confirmed that the R3 team’s entry consists of two S70 R3 race machines.

“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 further.