Chance of a lifetime

ALL GEARED UP: John Doody Chacko (left), director of marketing, branding and motorsports, and Syed Zainal addressing the media

SUBANG: Proton’s motorsports heroes will be out to thrill fans at the “POWER OF 1”, a five-day mega event at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

The event is being organised to commemorate the national car manufacturer’s technology advancements, engineering achievements, innovation and motorsports success.

“We have a specially-constructed mini circuit at the heart of the event site, where the public can catch Proton’s Alister McRae demonstrating the power and performance of the Satria Neo S2000 rally car, which lifted him to the 2011 Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) Driver’s title and Manufacturer’s title for Proton,” said Proton’s Group Managing Director Datuk Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir.

“He will be joined by our very own drift king, Tengku Djan from R3 and Faidzil Alang, winner of the Malaysian Super Series Championship last year,” he said.

For motorsports enthusiasts, there will be stunt driving demonstrations by Lotus Cars Malaysia and R3, which is Proton’s performance arm. Also scheduled to make a track appearance is the Lotus F1 car which will be in town for the 14th running of the Malaysian GP.

Proton will also be organising an autocross and time attack using Proton and L otus cars with the final race to be run on March 18.

To add to the excitement, bookings for Proton’s highly-anticipated new model, codenamed P3-21A will open nationwide from March 14 onwards, and visitors can catch a glimpse of the car at the POWER OF 1 event.

“Over the five-day period, people will be able to watch teasers of parts of the car being put together. This will give the general public a much greater insight of how we work, and they will better understand the processes a car goes through before it is ready.

“This event promises to be both exciting and enlightening, and is a way for us to bring the brand closer to the people — to give Malaysians the chance to interact and experience the Proton brand in a new and unique way as we push forward with efforts to build the brand globally,” he added.

Meanwhile, one out every 10 visitors to the POWER OF 1 will stand to win a list of prizes in the ‘SMS and Win’ contest, including three Proton cars as grand prizes. Other attractive prizes include complementary tickets to the upcoming Malaysian GP, Proton merchandise and vouchers, and a Lotus track day experience.

In conjunction with the event, Proton will also be running an exclusive “Buy and Win” contest, with the grand prize of two I-Race Day tickets, which entitles the holders to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be an F1 driver for a day, under the Lotus F1 I-Race programme.

The POWER OF 1 runs from Wednesday to Sunday. Doors open daily from 10am to 10pm, and admission is free.