What do Tengku Djan Ley and Alex Yoong have in common? Aside from being motorsport professionals, both started off their illustrious careers behind the wheel of Malaysia’s first homegrown car, the Proton Saga.

More than just a source of national pride, the original Proton Saga has a storied history when it comes to grassroots motorsports. From the old Super Saga Championship to the current Saga Cup series, the first Saga was and is the best gateway for anyone looking to take up racing.

Unlike other forms of racing, entering a Saga or even turning one into a bonafide race car doesn’t cost a lot. One of the cars that entered the Saga Cup race series is even shown at last weekend’s Retro Havoc at The Curve in Mutiara Damansara. But just how did the first Malaysian car go from the rakyat’s mobility to a car made for the circuits?

A racing saga begins

When the Malaysian carmaker was first established 40 years ago in 1983, its main aim was to bring affordable mobility to the people as well as lift the nation from a mostly agricultural economy heavily reliant on natural resources to an industrialised one. Two years later, the Proton Saga was launched and went on a nationwide tour bringing throngs of Malaysians close to their dream of owning a new car.

Also read: That one time when the Proton Saga was sold in the US, sort of

Very early on from its inception, Proton wanted more than just selling its cars to the masses, so it took part in various motorsport events across the country to add some cool pedigree before eventually branching out across the region.

Petronas and Proton’s then exclusive distributor, EON would join forces to form the Petronas-EON Rally Team (PERT) in the 1980s and would form lots of success in regional rally events in the next decade but Proton also didn’t forget about tarmac races.

Also read: EON and USPD - When Proton had separate dealer networks like Toyota in the 1990s

Inspired by the aerodynamic Japanese Silhouette Series and Group A touring cars, Proton would eventually introduce its own race car specifically for the one-make Saga Cup racing series. Petronas and EON would again form another partnership to set up a racing team, maintaining the original PERT name with the R now standing for “Racing” in 1990.

Under this new racing partnership, the team decided to compete in the Super Saga Championship which ran in 8 races at the Batu Tiga Circuit in Shah Alam and the Johor Circuit in Pasir Gudang. Unlike the standard Saga race series which saw unmodified Sagas racing against one another, the Super Saga Championship saw teams with a bigger budget compete against one another in silhouette-style Sagas with unrestricted modifications made to the 4G15 engines.

Also read: Batu Tiga was once Malaysia's motor racing playground, what the heck happened?

For amateurs by amateurs

Despite the spectacular looks, the Super Saga Championship didn’t last for long and once the Saga was replaced by the Iswara, the series ended. Yet, that did not end the spell for those looking to race Malaysia’s original automotive pride and joy.

While Proton still participated in motorsports, they were mostly focused on rallies with the Satria S2000 and later the Iriz. As for circuit races, Proton took part in a few endurance races in more modern machines like the Suprima S and the newer Saga.

Also read: Comparison: Proton Iriz R5 vs Satria Neo S2000, which local rally car would you take back?

However, in 2016, after years of being in the dark, the Malaysian Speed Festival (MSF) revived the Saga Cup and its philosophy remained the same as the original format in the 1980s and 1990s. The one-make race is intended to make racing more accessible to the rakyat and the MSF Series is at the forefront of amateur grassroots motorsports.

By reintroducing the Saga Cup, it provided a gateway for many Malaysians to take up racing as a pastime or even as a stepping stone to a career in motorsports. The strict regulation of only allowing Sagas with a standard naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre 4G15 carburetted unit provides both a challenge as well as a way to level up and train one’s skills on the track before moving on to more powerful machines.

Today, it's one of the biggest race series in Malaysia with around 80 cars competing.

An affordable gateway?

The white Saga shown at Retro Havoc belongs to a Saga Cup veteran, Engku Muhammad Hadri bin Engku Hassan. Local autophiles might know him as the Malaysian who drove a Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 from Malaysia to Germany but he has been a huge petrolhead ever since he was a child.

Also read: The cult of the Toyota AE86 in Malaysia - An over-glorified anime car?

Unlike a lot of us petrolheads who only envisioned driving a car as a kid, Hadri himself started learning to drive at the age of 9 and eventually during his teenage years, he would seek out an apprenticeship at a workshop in Taman Melawati where he grew up.

When he was 17 years old, Hadri joined a local racing team as a pit crew and it was then that he started to take part in motorsport activities. Fast forward to 2016 and Hadri decided to convert a 1990 Proton Saga Automatic which was passed down from his mother into a race car.

The Saga went through an extensive diet with every interior bit from the seats to the carpets to the roof lining stripped away. In came lightweight bucket seats and a 5-speed manual transmission to swap out the original automatic. Also taken out was the air-cond for the sake of lightness and the only things that remain from the original hand-me-down are the dashboard and the front door trims.

While the carburetted 4G15 engine remained mostly untouched under the Saga Cup rules, competitors are allowed to add a few light modifications to improve airflow or make it run smoothly around the track. The main idea for the Saga Cup race cars is that drivers would get to the track, run a few laps around, and go back home all in the same car so this race-prepped Saga has its road tax sticker and number plates attached.

Besides the front splitter air ducts, and front and rear tow hooks, Hadri’s Saga still looks standard from the outside. For safety reasons, the Saga race car is attached with a 6-point roll cage, an engine kill switch along with a fire extinguisher.

Elsewhere, the Saga race car also had Project Mu brake pads as well as a custom-made front and rear suspension set-up. Hadri told WapCar that the suspension settings took about 2 weeks to be perfectly calibrated.

Hadri said he has spent around RM 40,000 to turn his Saga from a daily driver to a formidable race car and he has the trophies to prove it. Between 2017 and 2022, he took part in a few races with the Saga taking podium place finishes at the Asia Classic Car Challenge as well as a few races organised by MSF.

However, don’t let that price dissuade you if you wish to take part in a race with a Saga as Hadri says it can cost as low as RM 10,000 to RM 15,000 to convert a Saga into a race car. He said that a lot of the money would be spent on the roll cage as well as tuning up the suspension, exhaust system, and engine.

Mind you, the price quoted does not include the car but since old Sagas can cost as low as RM 2,000 or even less, it is an affordable way to dip your toes into motorsports. You might say it's a more affordable entry than even the one-make Vios Challenge races organised by Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Malaysia.

While karting is the proving ground for budding race car drivers and many Formula One driver did make their start in go-karts, for Malaysians who want to experience motorsports, the good ol’ Saga is a great place to start and if you’re looking to get one, you could consider Hadri’s car as he is looking to sell it off. The asking price? RM 28,800 for a racing Saga with a winning pedigree.

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