Proton looks to the future after Ypres exit

The Proton R3 Rally Team’s return to the Intercontinental Rally Challenge ended in disappointment yesterday when its two works cars of Chris Atkinson and Alister McRae, plus the factory-assisted entry driven by Tom Cave, all stopped on the fourth stage of the Geko Ypres Rally.

All three Satria Neo Super 2000s suffered identical valve spring failures and will not be able to restart under SupeRally regulations today.

Australian Atkinson said: “Naturally we’re disappointed but we’re trying to improve all of the time. We’re going up against teams that have been racing their cars for three or four years. We’ll take it step by step but we’re looking at a longer term view and hopefully we will keep improving.”

For Cave, his early exit was particularly gruelling as he was playing catch up after he slid into a ditch on the first stage of the rally.

“It was a novice mistake,” said Cave. “I just ran wide on some gravel into a post, which pulled me into a ditch. We were actually resting on the post and needed 50 or so spectators to get us back on the road.”

The Proton team’s next scheduled IRC appearance is Sata Rally Açores from 15-17 July.