BTC-T Proton Impian

Lore & Background

For the 2002 season, Proton announced its entry into the British Touring Car Championship with the Impian, run by Team Petronas Syntium Proton from a base in Norfolk. Because of difficulties importing bodyshells from Malaysia, the team was forced to buy cars from local dealerships, which hindered development as the car was not purpose-built from the ground up as a race car. Mountune Racing supplied the engines, which were praised by drivers during testing. David Leslie achieved several podium finishes in 2002, placing 7th overall, while teammate Phil Bennett struggled to match his 2001 form and finished 16th, ahead only of the independently entered Peugeot of Carl Breeze. Both drivers were retained for 2003, but the fully revamped car proved uncompetitive. Its best result was a 5th place in the first race at Mondello Park, gained mostly due to attrition among Touring-class cars. Leslie slipped to 11th in the championship, Bennett again finished 16th, and Proton remained 4th in the Manufacturer's standings. For 2004, a new driver lineup of Shaun Watson-Smith and Fariqe Hairuman was announced, but the season was even less successful: Watson-Smith finished 14th, Hairuman 23rd, and Proton again placed 4th and last in the Manufacturer's championship, 325 points behind third-placed Seat Sport UK. After the three-year BTCC deal ended, Proton withdrew and instead ran Hairuman, Mashlino Buang and Michael Briggs in the Asian Touring Car Championship, where the cars were rebadged as the Proton Waja. In a sparse field mixing Super 2000 and Super Production machinery, the Waja proved competitive: Hairuman finished second in both 2005 and 2006. In 2007, Team PSP retired the cars and switched to a Super 2000-spec BMW 320si.

Reader's Guide

The BTC-T Proton Impian represents a notable but ultimately unsuccessful attempt by a Malaysian manufacturer to compete in one of the world's premier touring car championships. Its significance lies in the unusual circumstances of its construction: rather than building a dedicated race car from the ground up, Team PSP was forced to purchase road cars from local dealerships due to import difficulties, a limitation that hindered development throughout the car's BTCC career. Despite this, the car achieved occasional flashes of competitiveness, particularly in the hands of David Leslie, who scored several podiums in 2002. The Impian's legacy is mixed: it never challenged for race wins or championships in the BTCC, and its best results often came from attrition rather than outright pace. However, after Proton withdrew from the BTCC, the cars found a second life in the Asian Touring Car Championship, rebadged as the Proton Waja, where they proved more competitive against a mixed field. Fariqe Hairuman's second-place finishes in 2005 and 2006 demonstrated that the basic design had potential in a less demanding environment. The car's story illustrates the challenges faced by manufacturers entering a top-tier championship without a purpose-built racing platform, and the eventual shift to Super 2000 regulations by Team PSP marked the end of the BTC-Touring class era for Proton.

Did You Know?

• The team had to buy Proton Impians from local dealerships because importing bodyshells from Malaysia was difficult.
• David Leslie achieved several podium finishes in 2002 and finished 7th overall.
• After the BTCC, the cars were rebadged as the Proton Waja for the Asian Touring Car Championship.