Proton - dismiss at your peril?

[touringlegend]

Some comments on BTCCPages in Shaun Watson-Smiths short Q&A caught my eye. He states there that he'll be dissapointed if he doesn't win a few races this year.

Does Shaun know that the car's a 'winner' or is that simply him dreaming. It's not the sort of statement I think any driver would make without good reason to.

[Jamie P-E]

I think the Proton will suprise this year

[nitromaster]

A car that is reasonably on the pace can easily be in the right place at the right time to bag a win. I think that the Proton may struggle to beat a Vauxhall but won't be far behind them - and quick enough to make it difficult for vx.

[SPARK Msport]

A car that is reasonably on the pace can easily be in the right place at the right time to bag a win.

I beg the question...was the Proton ever on the pace last year? :confused:

[ATF]

I actually think Proton will be the most improved car this year. Maybe not as good as the VXs but not far off either. They seem to have done lots of testing straight after 2003 finished and they were the 1st works team to commit to 2004. Hopefully they should have learned a lesson after the last winter break and get their acts together! I will cheer them on!

[coxmattycox]

proton have had pretty much 0 success
but still have the money+team to go on.

byt teams like mg and honda who have had succes, and generally bigger companies in the uk struggle for money

Hard to believe

[the_tsar]

Originally posted by coxmattycox
proton have had pretty much 0 success
but still have the money+team to go on.

byt teams like mg and honda who have had succes, and generally bigger companies in the uk struggle for money

Hard to believe

they did quite well in 2002, yeah 2003 was v. bad but they have been sucessful even in raising Proton's image

[speedy king]

I'll agree with the Image thing. I actually care to look at them now since they have started racing and i am aware of the brand much more now. There are also alot of those small sporty one's around too, and a fair few Impians

2003 was embarasing. Late 2002 was OK for example at Brands Hatch

[SPARK Msport]

Sticking to this image problem that Proton have, would you buy a Proton (Impian)?
Personally no. At the end of 2002 I might had, but since 2003 I would had put a big no no across the dealership after the poor results, sacking of two good drivers and the feeling of the team as the Minardi of the BTCC.

[ATF]

Minardi are still well respected in F1. Sure, everyone knows they won't win a WC any time, but they still keep going!

[touringlegend]

ATF I too hope they have learned the lesson from last year and have been working hard over the winter which I'd say is as important as the season is to a teams success.

Proton's are meant to be under rated road cars, it's just the loss of value that'll put too many people off. Competing in the BTCC is bound to have some effect on that, especially if they are succesful..

[BootsOntheSide]

Even though MG and Honda aren't Works-supported, I can't see Proton being as fast or reliable as them, especially as neither driver has BTCC experience. With some ETCC Alfas and many semi-works Hodnas, I actually see them being further down teh field for most of the season - by the end of the year they might be in position to take a lucky podium. Wins and Top 10 championship placings seem unrealistic though.

[cos]

Proton seem to have been doing more testing than anyone else over the off-season. I think they could genuinely surprise.
(See also this article from the Toca news page on them)

[Russfeld]

If they can afford to test at a Grand Prix track, in Malaysia no less; why dont they hire better drivers?

[kmchow]

Originally posted by Russfeld
If they can afford to test at a Grand Prix track, in Malaysia no less; why dont they hire better drivers?

Simple, they want to promote and build up their own Malaysian (Asian) talent! I don't want to sound racist, but I think touring cars and open wheel (F1, CART,F3000)racing has long been dominated by European drivers. In the last several decades, there has been an explosion of South American drivers. Now, most Asian countries want to build up Asian drivers.

Similarly, Canada has not been known for producing many top talent, but thanks largely to Players (Development), we have a lot more Canadian drivers out there.

The average sponsor/team won't give much non recognized drivers a chance so national sponsors have to step in.

[touringlegend]

Don't forget that the team also know Shaun Watson-Smith pretty well, as he has driven for them so obviously it's not silly of them to go with a known quantity.

[ATF]

Originally posted by touringlegend
Don't forget that the team also know Shaun Watson-Smith pretty well, as he has driven for them so obviously it's not silly of them to go with a known quantity.

That's what Williams did with JCB in 1999 but it doesn't always turn out as expected!!!

[Russfeld]

Id say Benett and Leslie are more known quantities. This isnt about working with the mechanics, its about knowhing how to drive a BTCC car on BTCC tracks. At the very least if you're going to bring in a rookie, keep one of the vets in your cars so you have a better grasp of where you are, where your rookie is, and an opportunity for him to learn from another's experience

[ADnet]

exactly what proton have missed! if they flop this year, it'd be down to that or a lack of reliability