New Malaysian BTCC challenger unveiled.

The newest marque to enter BTCC was unveiled today [Wednesday] in central London, just hours before the team joins other challengers for the first official BTCC test day.

Team Petronas Syntium Proton took the wraps off the striking new Proton Impian (Waja) challenger for the 2002 British Touring Car Manufacturer's Championship, as the first race car, resplendent in its eye-catching aquamarine, blue and red livery, was officially unveiled by Dato' Mohamed Idris Mansor, senior vice-president of exploration and production at Petronas.

"This is a proud day for all of us," team principal David Wong said, "The British Touring Car Championship is rightly seen as the pinnacle of touring car racing around the world and we're ready to face our toughest challenge to date.

"We've worked our way up to this over the last ten years by building a winning team involving engineers from Petronas that has achieved race and championship victories with a number of different marques in Malaysia, Australia, South Africa and Korea. We believe we have got the experience, the backing, the personnel and the car to mount a serious attempt on the BTCC over the next three years. With the support of Petronas and Proton, we're determined to win races."

Race preparation of the car has been carried out at Team PSP's new headquarters in Norfolk, close to the Snetterton race circuit that hosts rounds 13 and 14 of the BTCC race series on 27-28 July this year.

Team PSP's UK operations director is Ian Doble, who has worked with Wong to assemble the team for the entry into BTCC. A seasoned engineer, Ian Doble has nothing but praise for the efforts of the team.

"We've gone from a blank sheet of paper to an all-new team and an all-new car in just under five months," he said, "This is thanks to the total commitment of our team members, our associates at Petronas and Proton, and our many specialist suppliers around the world.

"This is a major achievement and signals our determination to take on the established teams in BTCC. We know we have a great deal to learn, and we won't make any wild claims for what we hope to achieve, but let there be no mistake - this team is made up of capable people eager to win races."

"It's clear from the depth of support at this launch that Team PSP carries the hopes and ambitions of many people with it," Wong concluded, "We're determined to justify this support fully, as we have in our previous motorsport campaigns."

The team has until the opening round on Easter Monday 1 April to get the cars race-ready and prepared to take on the might of Vauxhall and the rest of the BTCC field.