PROTON R3 TAKES POLE AT MERDEKA MILLENNIUM ENDURANCE 2006

TEAMCAR - Reigning champion Proton R3 Racing will have a perfect start to their title defence of the Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance 2006 after securing pole position in qualifying at Sepang Circuit yesterday.

Driving an enhanced Lotus Exige 300RR winning machine, the partnership of Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel, Faidzil Alang and Australian Damien French clocked an aggregate time of 2 minutes 27.098 seconds seconds to outpace 84 other cars in the seventh edition of Sepang's prestigious 12-hour endurance race.

Amprex Motorsports - featuring top Japanese drivers Genji Hashimoto, Takashi Inoue and Akira Hirakawa - is sensationally out of tomorrow's race after Hashimoto crashed at Turn 1 following an accident between his Lamborghini Murceilago and Team Hayashi's Porsche GT3.

Proton R3 would be joined on the front row by the trio from Thailand - Kamasuta Apathon, Piti Bhakdi and Supaphong Grant who had an aggregate time of 2 minutes 35.187s in their Mitsubishi Evo 5.

2003 overall winner comprising Firhat Mokhzani, Chin Tzer Jinn and Eric Yeo, who drove a Nissan Skyline R34G and prepared SHIFT Race Car Engineering from Japan had the third fastest aggregate time of 2 minutes 37.056 seconds.

TOP TEN QUALIFIERS(Aggregate time of 3 drivers)*

1. Tengku Djan Ley/Faidzil Alang/Damien French (Lotus Exige 300RR) 2:27.098s2.
2. Kamasuta Apathon/Piti Bhakdi/Supaphong Grant (Mitsubishi Evo 5) 2:35.187s3.
3. Chin Tzer Jinn/Firhat Mokhzani/Eric Yeo (Nissan Skyline R34) 2:37.056s4.
4. Mokhzani Mahathir/Tommy Lee/Sven Herberger (Porsche GT3 Cup) 2:37.403s5.
5. Ian Ross Geekie/Dilantha Malagamuwa/ Nick Thomas xnxnxn (Porsche GT3) 2:38.193s6.
6. Ian Lee/Leonardo Tefinkjian/Rhommell Singh (Honda Integra DC2) 2:38.678s7.
7. Hiroki Katoh/Farriz Fauzy/Eddie Lew (Honda Civic) 2:39.002s8.
8. Mok Seng Sun/Tan Ian Mao/Ringo Chong (Porsche GT3) 2:40.155s9.
9. Alan Tan/Chris Tan/Ron Lim (Honda Integra DC2) 2:41.678s10.
10. Choo Yong Choon/Lau Seng Kiat/Siah Woei Pyng (Satria GTI) 2:41.935s