McRae praises Proton team after NZ podium

4th July 2010

By Giles Wade

Alister McRae has praised the Proton R3 Rally Team after he achieved the Malaysian manufacturer’s strongest Asia Pacific Rally Championship finish of the season with second on the International Rally of Whangarei this weekend.

Despite leading the opening round of the APRC, McRae and Proton have struggled to put points down on the board this season – but the Scotsman turned that around on New Zealand’s third round.

“This was just what the team needed,” said McRae. “We weren’t pushing too hard, we started this event with our sights firmly set on the finish and on picking up some much-needed points. We’ve done that and I’m really pleased for everybody involved. Everybody is working themselves to a standstill to get the car right and a result like this is a timely boost for everybody involved.”

The next round of the APRC is the International Rally of Queensland at the end of the month.