Getting a ride in the Proton R3 Suprima S Malaysian Super Series Touring Car

Being a motor journalist has a habit of taking your preconceptions of what a job should entail and setting them on fire. Having started my stint at paultan.org less than a month ago, I was all set to just sit in the office hammering out news while my colleagues were out covering cool events or driving the hottest new cars. I mean, that’s what a newbie is supposed to do, right?

UPDATE: We’ve just been informed that the Proton R3 Suprima S Touring Car draws 155 hp at 7,500 rpm and 185 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm from a modified 1.6 litre IAFM engine (same setup as R3 Preve racer), and not 178 hp and 224 Nm from a CPS as previously stated.

But then an email came in about a Proton test session for a race series I had never heard of at the Sepang International Circuit, and an invitation to ride with one of their drivers out on the track. The editorial team thought it was a good idea for me to get a taste of racing and of the track itself and told me to have fun out there. These guys are nuts, I thought to myself, entrusting this to someone like me.

Not long afterwards, I braved my way through the suffocating haze to Sepang, and as soon as I parked and got of my car my ears were inundated, no, assaulted by the sound of engines buzzing around at full chat, some of them I knew were very serious race machinery. I was about to get my first taste of the Malaysian Super Series.

For those of you who don’t know, the MSS works pretty much like the VLN championship at the Nürburgring – it consists of five rounds all held at Sepang (the first race is a support race for the Malaysian Grand Prix later this month), culminating in the Sepang 1000-km endurance race at the end of the year. Each round consists of two races – one for touring cars, one for GT and Sports Production cars.

The paddock really was a spectacle to behold. Walking down the pits, I spotted race-prepped Porsche 911s and Ferrari 458s nestled in their specific garages, while Lamborghini Gallardos and Audi R8s roared down the main straight. There was variety too – further down the pit lane sat a Honda Civic Type R and even a Caterham Seven.

But I wasn’t here for those cars. I was instead gestured to Garage 5, where Proton’s R3 boys competing in the Malaysian Touring Car class were stationed. There I met Gary Lee of Proton Motorsports, who showed me the car I was actually here for: the Proton R3 Suprima S Touring Car. Here for its track debut, it will be racing alongside the Prevé, which was also present.