Two time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm was delighted with the Proton Iriz R5 at a recent two-day, back-to-back test in Northern Ireland, claiming it “ready for the WRC”.
Grönholm, responsible for much of the early development work on the Iriz, returned to the drivers seat for a gravel and asphalt test and was delighted with the improvement made since it’s early inception phase when he last drove the Proton.
The first day took place in the forests conducting arduous gravel conditions, as well as some night testing to evaluate the available lighting options. Grönholm, winner of the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002 remarked that “we have something very good here” after the opening day’s session.
Day two headed onto a sealed surface and once again the Iriz R5 impressed the Finnish pilot, claiming that “it was ready for the WRC” after the session, despite tricky conditions. He also remarked that the Proton could take the R5 battle to the major R5 manufacturers in the World Rally Championship in 2020.
Images: DHarrigan
You must be logged in to post a comment.