The Grand Final of the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure happened over the weekend of 11-12 August 2018. The economical driving competition took contestants from Kulai, Johor all the way to Juru in the state of Penang. What happened was that everyone really wanted to prove that they could do 700km and more on a single tank in a Proton Saga, Iriz or Persona and it was a fantastic, incredible, tiring, scary, intimidating and an unbelievable experience.
The Grand Finals of the Proton 1 Tank Adventure started at the Proton Edar branch in Kulai with 31 participating teams covering a total distance of 700km as they competed against each other to see who would be crowned overall champion in each of their respective categories.
Unlike the regional rounds, competition was actually stiff but the atmosphere still jovial. This was because every contestant had competed in one of the five regional rounds; in most cases they had won their category. While it was like a repeat of the regional rounds, the distance covered was at least 100km further than before, and even so, the results achieved by the finalists were astonishing with two new records being set along the way.
It was also the first time each winning car in each category achieved a theoretical range exceeding 1,000km, demonstrating what was possible from a Proton car when driven economically. I mean you could drive from Kulai, Johor to Hatyai, Thailand or Juru back to Kulai, if you wanted to from the results achieved.
As a run down to the finals, contestants for each leg of the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure consisted of owners, Proton car club members, celebrities and members of the media (which was the category I participated in). In each round, the owners and Proton car clubbers achieved the best overall results. This was hardly surprising as they knew their cars intimately. The final however brought a surprise turnaround for the media guys and gals where suddenly they showed how its supposed to be done ...
Well, mainly because we actually drove like normal drivers in the regional rounds, or Zachary Ho (of Autoworld.com.my) and I did in the Proton Persona category - (My report of it is here if you want to read it - with videos too). We did hit 100kmh on some stretches with 70kmh seen most of the time if the roads weren't congested.
However, this being the finals, and since Zachary had to be elsewhere, I partnered with his colleague, Malaysian motorsport icon, Y.S Khong (pictured to the left of Yours Truly). He decided to put his back into it and drove like a total grandpa, saint, priest, good boy, belia 4B and even like Mother Theresa.
We were really slow compared to the regional rounds, with an average speed of 58kmh over 700km or so. And we won the media category for the Proton Persona with a lot of petrol to spare. So the same Proton Persona achieved 4.0L/100km compared to over 4.8L/100km during the regional rounds. The speeds were more realistic then...this was to prove a point. And, for bragging rights of course! We still had over 360km left in range remaining. We could still make Kuala Lumpur without refueling if we wanted to.
Anyway, after the final stop at the PETRONAS station in Juru, where everyone refueled and the judges tallied the amount of fuel used, the best team in the Proton Saga category was the media team of Ross Hadi and Stanley Raymond (both from goheadgostan/dsf), who lapped the field with an average fuel consumption of 3.72L/100km. This wasn’t quite the best figure achieved throughout the competition for a Saga but it was still nearly half a litre better than the next best team. The best figure was also done by Ross during the East Coast regional round actually.
The best team in the Proton Iriz category was also from the media with Yap Kam Foo and Brenda Yang (a husband and wife team) smashing the previous record of 4.95L/100km by posting 3.5L/100km, matching the overall competition record set by a Proton Saga in the very first round. He was very, very consistent and actually achieved something which most thought was quite impossible considering the fact that according to specification, the Saga had the better aerodynamics therefore better efficiency.
The Proton clubbers and owners did however set the best figure in the Proton Persona category with Khairul Ashraf and Zuhairie claiming the top spot with a record figure of 3.92L/100km.
Now all of this also included some stops for food, durian, drinks and photographs. We also had checkpoints to pass so there was also time constraints to adhere too. No such thing as driving too slow (under 50kmh) as we were already having a hard time maintaining a 60kmh average on the highways. It was easier on the trunk roads where speeds were slower. But again...one cannot be too slow and firstly, it is bloody dangerous, and secondly, you will NEVER make the checkpoints in time.
The top three finishers in each category were rewarded with trophies as well as cash prizes during a grand prize giving ceremony at the Park Royal Hotel in Penang held on the same night after the contestants arrived in Penang. Owners and car clubbers competed in a separate competition from the media so there were plenty of happy faces amongst the ceremony attendees as 18 teams received their prizes. Everyone was tired but everyone actually felt as if they achieved something great. Well, the achievement is a personal one but isn't that the most meaningful achievement?
Anyway, Y.S. Khong and I drove back the following day and this is where you folks should take note...
THE PROTON PERSONA 1.6 CVT STILL MANAGED TO DO 6.8L/100KM OR THEREABOUTS.
The trip meter showed lesser than that (6.3L/100km - above), but in order to be fair, I've added some extra decimal points to take into account any errors that may be showing in the display. We left Batu Ferringhi with a full tank and made Proton's Centre of Excellence with 3 bars of petrol to spare. This was also the same amount we had when we reached the PETRONAS station in Juru when we finished the challenge. This showed us that the Persona could sip petrol. Not gulp it down even though amongst the Saga and the Iriz 1.3 which was used in the competition, the Persona 1.6, which was heavier, did not fare too badly.
So actually, the current generation of the Proton Persona 1.6 CVT (auto) can actually hit its claimed fuel consumption figures. This is so unlike the previous one which actually sucked petrol consistently. By consistent I mean that there is no real difference if you drove fast, slow, cruised, blasted down a road, drove like the Pope or drove like Mad Max.
The previous Proton Persona, Gen-2, Satria Neo on a good day would achieve something like 11L/100km. Or more. Two of my friends, one a Satria Neo owner and the other a Persona, both Automatics say that they could be running the Proton Perdana V6 and consume the same amount of petrol (both of them have the Perdana V6 in their family garages).
So there you go...while it was tiring balancing the throttle pedal to save fuel, the end result was fantastic. We won. I won the regional round with Zachary Ho and I was on the winning team again partnering the great Y.S.Khong. It was also an eye opening experience to co-drive with someone who was once the Malaysian Rally Champion as well as a Champion on track too. You learn a lot of tricks.
Below are other interesting bits that happened and were observed during the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure...
Social Media Coverage of the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure Actually Helped Proton
One other thing that is quite interesting was the return of investment that Proton gained from organising this 1-Tank Adventure. Again, this is an adventure, not a challenge as everyone drove with a goal in mind but they had fun stopping here and there. This event was actually helpful in terms of the total media coverage PROTON garnered from it.
Over 2,500 entries were received from parties interested to compete in the 1-Tank Adventure and only 170 participants were selected, less than 10% made the cut. Despite the limited number or spaces available, the coverage achieved on social media was very impressive.
With frequent postings and updates on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, over 54 million viewings of content regarding the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure were recorded. Over 1 million likes were also collected together with more than 1,000 postings bearing the #proton1tankadventure hashtag.
“We are humbled by the interest the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure has received from Malaysians. The listening tools used by our social media agency also shows that 80% of the sentiment for the event is positive, which is a sign that many people support our attempts to showcase the ability of the current range of Proton cars,” said Abdul Rashid Musa, Chief Executive Officer of PROTON Edar Sdn Bhd.
An exclusive test track and design studio experience
As with all the regional legs, the PROTON 1-Tank Adventure grand final was run over two days. Since the finals was a special event, the midpoint of the journey was punctuated by a visit to PROTON's Centre of Excellence for an exclusive test track and design studio experience.
It was the first time most of the contestants had been let inside the PROTON plant grounds in Shah Alam, which in itself is a rare occurrence for members of the public but it was made doubly special by the activities that had been arranged for them.
Firstly, every contestant was taken on a taxi ride inside a Proton Iriz, Persona and Saga around the oval test track used to develop the ride and handling balance of every Proton car. Driven by members of PROTON’s ride and handling team, many were taken aback by the g-force generated when a car is driven at high speed on the banking of the track, likening the experience to being on a roller coaster. While some exited the cars feeling queasy, others kept coming back for more and PROTON team duly obliged.
After everyone had experienced their taxi ride, the next event was an ultra-exclusive visit to the design studio where all Proton cars started life on a computer screen. Contestants were ushered into the design studio and given an insight into the car design process ending with an up-close and personal look at a Proton Persona clay model and a car interior modelling rig.
More Photos - Kulai, Johor
The Visit to the PROTON Styling Centre and Test Track
Leaving for Juru on the Second Day from Glenmarie
At the Awards Ceremony...
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