The opening round of the GR Vios Challenge, part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival, got off to a great start for Season 6 at the Sepang International Circuit over the weekend. Besides being able to watch the races live at the track, spectators from all over the online world also got to follow the excitement with live streaming on the two days.
In total, more than 3.5 million viewers watched the races which also featured a line-up of five new celebrities, 6 new rookie drivers and a grid of 45 cars.
After 5 seasons, the GR Vios Challenge now sees a diverse mix of newcomers and veteran racers, youngsters from a new generation that grew up with simulators and karting and the older drivers who have the experience of numerous races over many years. It was apparent during the weekend that the new generation has an impressive pace, in spite of less years of racing.
“Motorsports has not only had a very profound impact on the brand but we are extremely happy that we have been able to make a meaningful contribution to its development, namely with the emergence of young drivers,” said UMW Toyota Motor President Datuk Ravindran K.
“At the start of this 6th season of racing, you can already see a very large pool of young drivers beginning to exert their dominance especially in the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes for professionals and amateur racers respectively. This is a very positive development for the sport,” he noted.
The evolution of these young drivers has come at a very rapid pace, more so over the past 3 years, due to the GR Vios Challenge’s unique format of a one-make race which levels the playing field between the experienced and young drivers. With the more accomplished racers providing benchmarks, the younger proteges have been able to develop their driving skills and racecraft on an accelerated learning curve.
Weather conditions varied over the weekend with rain later in the day and Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Mitchell Cheah made the most of a reverse grid format for the 20-lap race in the Super Sporting Class. Placed up front, he never let go off his lead from start to finish, ending the race 0.4 second ahead of Laser Motor Racing’s Putera Adam. while coming in third was Axle Sports’ and defending Super Sporting Class overall champion Hayden Haikal.
Putera was subsequently handed a penalty dropping to fifth and that promoted Hayden to second position and Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Tengku Djan Ley into third spot. Winning the second race made up for the disappointment Cheah endured the day before when a 10-second post-race penalty stripped him of a race win dropping him to 6th.
“It’s good to be back on the podium again. Technically, I won both races but the penalty cost me the win in Race 1. Race 2 was tougher than I had expected because the younger drivers are very fast,” said 25-year old Cheah. “I had to manage an understeer towards the end of the race and had to do whatever I could to protect my position.”
In the Rookie Class, Ariff Azmi clinched victory in Race 2 ahead of Nazmir Azlan and Iman Danish in third position. “In the first race, I was leading but halfway through the race I suffered an ABS failure which pushed me down to 6th, and that wasn’t the result I was hoping for especially after claiming pole position,” said the 16-year old.
“The transition from karting to saloon car racing has been challenging but with a lot of help I’ve received via the GR Young Talent Development Program and from so many people on the grid it’s been really good. It eased me into the car a lot better instead of just being thrown into a race without any development program. I have to thank Toyota for this opportunity they have given to develop drivers like us,” said the 2019 Rotax Max Malaysia junior champion. With the overall Rookie Class championship being won by simulator racers in the previous two seasons, Ariff also appears confident of becoming the first karter to win the title in 2023.
For simulator racers Nazmir and Iman, it was their second visit to the podium in two races. Nazmir finished third in Race 1 while Iman went on to win the opening Rookie Class race. “Race 2 was a roller coaster ride. I got collected in an accident but I still managed to carry on. Overall, it was fun,” said Iman.
In the Sporting Class, Race Rally KL’s Mohd Syafiq Samsudin made the best of a front row start to lead the race and build a healthy 1.7 seconds ahead gap of Crestmax Motorsport’s Bradley Benedict Anthony by the very first lap. A Safety Car being called out on Lap 2 however, quickly erased all his hard work. Despite pulling away to establish an 0.8 second lead when the race restarted 3 laps later, he was served a drive-through penalty for a false start.
The turn of events essentially led to a showdown between Bradley and Season 5’s Rookie Class champion Nabil Azlan for the lead. Halfway through the 20-lap race, Bradley inched ahead with a gap of 1.3 seconds ahead of Nabil and 23 Motors’ Abdul Miqail in tow for third position a further 2 seconds behind
It was a straight fight to the finish but in the end, Bradley took the chequered flag 0.7 seconds in front of Nabil and Abdul Miqail claimed third. “I was being pressured all the way from the start to the chequered flag. I saw Abdul Miqail really pushing. He started 9th on the grid but midway through the race he was already fighting for second position,” said Bradley. “I just did my best to maintain my tyres to ensure I retained the level of grip needed to get me to the finish.”
As the race commentators correctly put it, the Promotional Class race was still a “Zizan-Shukri Show”, referring to the two well-known celebrities Zizan Razak and Shukri Yahaya who have been participating for a number of years now.
“I expect this duel on the track to continue throughout the season. I have to admit that Zizan is a better driver. It is difficult for me to not only overtake him but to also get away from him when I am in the lead! Unlike Zizan, my only exposure to motorsports has been confined to competing in 6 seasons of the GR Vios Challenge,” said Shukri, who is also a former Promotional Class overall champion.
“What I can say however, is that the experience gained on the track has helped to enormously develop me into a better, more capable and confident driver, especially when I am on the road and I would like to thank Toyota for this giving me this opportunity,” he said.
Meanwhile, actor and host Ezzrin Loy, who is also an avid motorcycle enthusiast, said the experience of racing a saloon car has been an eye opener. “Both driving and riding on the track is challenging, but what is important is to have a strong foundation. Personally, I would say racing a car is more challenging but if I keep focusing on making progress, I hope to continue being on the podium for the remaining four races,” he said.
The GR Vios Challenge will continue with Round 2 in June, also at the Sepang International Circuit. Besides the two rounds (with 2 races each), the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia calendar includes the GR Vios Sprint Cup and GR Vios Enduro Cup, the latter incorporated in the Sepang 1000km endurance race. Having more events not only gives the teams more chances to run their Vios sedans but also gives their drivers more racing time.
