The Proton Precision Driving Team
Way back in the 1980s, Malaysians saw a Proton on two wheels for the first time – that was when the Proton Knight Aeroback was launched and as part of its launch activity, the driving stunt was presented by a British driver who also gave some other examples of ‘precision driving’.
Fast forward to 2003 and we now have Malaysian drivers who can also do precision driving. Known as the Proton Precision Driving Team, this group consists of 20 drivers from within the national carmaker’s divisions, with many represented by test drivers and instructors from Proton and Lotus Engineering’s ride and handling departments.
The highly trained drivers demonstrate to Malaysians maneuvers such as reverse flicks (accelerating the car in reverse and then having it swing around in an arc), sideways action and other driving antics which show the good and stable dynamics of Proton models in extreme situations.
“More than just a brand building exercise, it’s to demonstrate what the Proton car is really capable of. Many people are unaware of just how much the car is capable of,” said head of the Proton Precision Driving Team, Tengku Azizan Tengku Ahmad. “Believe me, wherever we conduct a demonstration, people are amazed that the vehicles can perform such stunts and even more when they find out that the vehicles we use are all stock standard cars with absolutely no modifications carried out.”
Tengku Azizan said the objective of the driving team was also to clearly demonstrate to the people Proton’s strength and advantage in producing cars with exceptional ride and handling.
“Ride and handling is not something easy to communicate to the majority of car buyers unless of course they are car enthusiasts. Which is why we’re now trying to show to the people what the car can do,” he explained.
“Of course, we do not recommend that owners try such things themselves as they require some degree of training and skill,” he added
The cars used for the demonstration exercises include the Proton Perdana V6, Waja, Lotus Elise and even the Arena pick-up. They are of stock standard specifications without any modifications incorporated.
The driving team’s first public performance was when they mesmerized spectators at the car park of the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in conjunction with the recent Hari Belia celebrations. More recently, they put on a demonstration at Dataran Shah Alam at the launch of the 2003 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race.
Among the more difficult stunts to pull off include side parking (after driving from the opposite side and making a handbrake turn) a Perdana V6 in between two Proton Juara. Behind the wheel of a Lotus Elise, the driver also demonstrates the level of control and power possessed by the car by drifting around two people in a maneuver called “Spinning To Heaven”.
Tengku Azizan said plans are also in the pipeline to possibly introduce a Proton Driver Training Programme for Proton owners in the future.
