Proton is returning to the Sepang 1000KM endurance race for the first time since 2019 with the Proton S70 R3, when the carmaker won with the Iriz for a tally of three consecutive wins at the endurance race, including in 2017 and 2018.
The Malaysian carmaker has released footage of the production-class race car undergoing tests at Proton’s test facility, and it is scheduled for shakedown at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit today. The S70 R3 is the first Proton model jointly developed with Geely that will be campaigned by Proton’s motorsport division, R3 which will be entering two cars into this year’s edition of the Sepang 1000KM (S1K).
Externally the S70 R3 appears much the same as the road car it is based on, albeit with competition car additions such as the large rear spoiler, wheels as seen on the S70 R3 Malaysian Touring Car show unit which are a set of 15-inch Raxer RP10X flow-formed alloy wheels in 195/55R15 tyres. These house a set of high-performance brakes, and alignment appears to have been set for added negative camber.
The interior of the S70 R3 appears to be kitted with the expected fitout of equipment for competition cars, namely a rollcage, racing bucket seats, Motec instrumentation, racing driver’s pedal box, competition fuel tank, and more. In the clip, the S70 R3 being tested on the rolling road can be seen to employ a H-pattern manual gearbox.
Powertrain for the S70 R3 has yet to be revealed, though from the audio of the clip the car sounds more like a four-cylinder engine is under its bonnet, rather than the 1.5 litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine as specified for the road-going production car.
Being built to MTC specifications for the Sepang 1000KM and the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS), this is likely to be the 1.6 litre S4PH naturally aspirated Campro engine which has been built to produce around 200 hp in the Iriz race car.
GALLERY: Proton S70 R3 Malaysian Touring Car
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