Proton ‘devastated’ by engine problems in Hungary

The PROTON Motorsports team is now looking forward to demonstrating the potential of the Satria Neo S2000 on Rallye Sanremo later this month, after a couple of freak engine faults sidelined the cars on the Canon Mecsek Rallye which finished in Hungary yesterday (Sunday).

Both drivers P-G Andersson and Giandomenico Basso had enjoyed a positive pre-event test with the Malaysian manufacturer, but when the competition on the latest round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge got under way, they hit trouble on the first of two days.

There was frustration within the PROTON Motorsports team after the drivers weren’t able to capitalise on the pace which has shot the Satria to the top of this year’s FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Running out of Pecs, Hungary’s fifth largest city and into the Mecsek mountains close to the Croatian border, Andersson and Basso were looking forward to the event. New to the IRC for this year, the Canon Mecsek Rallye would have provided a level playing field for the crews, none of whom had competed on the fast asphalt lanes previously.

Unfortunately Andersson suffered a cambelt-related issue in SS6, having already damaged a wheel on the rally’s second stage. Basso departed near the end of the opener with a problem linked to the oil filter.

Attentions now turn to Rallye Sanremo (September 22-24), a 23-hour event which runs through the mountains behind the beautiful host town of Sanremo. Always one of the most popular rallies of the season, the dash around the Italian Riviera is particularly popular with Basso, who won his home round of the IRC in 2008.

P-G Andersson said:
“I hit a kerb on the second stage, which damaged the left-rear wheel on the car. I stopped to try and change the wheel, but it wouldn’t come off. We kept driving and eventually we could get it off. That cost us a lot of time and any chance of a result. The impact had damaged the transmission as well, so the team had to get the rear differential changed in service as well. Unfortunately, we retired later with a small problem with the engine. This was a very frustrating event.”

Giandomenico Basso said:
“We were very much looking forward to this rally after our test had gone well. Everything was moving in a good direction with the car after the last round in Czech Republic. We were in a very fast section near the end of the first stage when the engine seized, it’s a real shame – the stage had gone well and we I think things were looking good on this event.”

Chris Mellors (team principal) said:
“I have to say, as a team we’re devastated by what’s happened here in Hungary. We came here on good form, having done more work on the car and we’ve been ruled out by two relatively simple engine problems. It’s massively frustrating and these problems have spoiled the potential we had prior to the event. The team will now go back, regroup and come back stronger in Sanremo later this month. Onwards and upwards; we will fight on.”