Bandar Malaysia Archives

MOTORSPORTS – Day 2 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Toyota Vios Challenge Season 3/Round 2

The action continued for the second day of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge Season 3/Round 2 at Bandar Malaysia, the former TUDM airbase in Sg. Besi, Kuala Lumpur. Given the nature of the track, the more experienced (or braver) racers had wished for rain to gain some advantage but other than a few drops, the track remained dry and hot so strategy was of great importance.

SPORTING CLASS
The best action of the day came from the 3-way battle in the Sporting Class which saw SMS Motorsports’ Haji Sutan Mustaffa Salihin clinching victory ahead of 17-year old Bradley Benedict Anthony of Dream Chaser and Dannies Ng in third position.

TGR 2019 — *Although Bradley Benedict Anthony and Dannies Ng were fighting for second place, Haji Sutan Mustaffa Salihin (No 12) was kept under pressure not to make any mistakes.*

Sutan led the race from pole position but was forced to work hard during every one of the 20 laps as he came under tremendous pressure to defend his lead from Bradley, who was determined to get past. Too focused on Sutan, Bradley lost his track position to Dannies momentarily before regaining it 2 laps later when the latter missed a gear.

“It was a tough 20 laps with Bradley and Dannies behind forcing me to be on my toes throughout the 20 laps. I had to be super careful at every corner, trying to visualize what to do next in order to avoid making any mistakes that could have cost me the race victory. Their fight for second position did give me some much needed breathing space but it wasn’t enough to have a comfortable gap ahead,” said the 47-year-old competing in his first season of street racing in the Toyota Vios Challenge.

“The first round in Kuala Terengganu was extremely tough for me. In fact, my blood pressure was borderline high as I was just too nervous!” he revealed. “Although I have been racing for more than 20 years, street racing is something new to me and it is super challenging. It is not easy to fight against younger drivers who are aggressive and talented.”

Like Sutan, Bradley was equally elated as he clinched his first ever podium finish after transitioning from karting to saloon car racing this year. “I am quite satisfied with today’s result. It was a close fight but all three of us finished a clean race,” said the young driver.

SUPER SPORTING CLASS
In the Super Sporting Class for the professionals, Kegani Racing’s Kenny Lee drove to a textbook race after taking off from pole position. He successfully denied veteran Tengku Djan Ley of a second race victory, with Laser Motor Racing’s Mark Darwin finishing third.

Kenny (above) made a brilliant start to lead into the first corner with M7 Japan Project Team’s Syafiq Ali in close pursuit. But it was Tengku Djan who gained the most, managing to slingshot himself all the way to third position from sixth on the grid (starting positions were reversed for the first 6 finishers the day before). The race, however, was suspended as the Safety Car was called out to convoy the racing cars after a collision between Toyotsu Racing’s William Ho and Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang.

“I made a good start and managed to make another good getaway during the restart after the safety car peeled away and that gave me a little bit of gap. Towards the finishing stages of the race, the tyres and brakes were beginning to heat up and I had to brake early, but at the same time try to maintain a competitive pace without pushing too hard. This was an exceptionally challenging and technical track,” said Kenny.

For Tengku Djan, second place as well as winning yesterday’s Race 1 was the perfect way to conclude the race weekend. Though he did not win, he has enough points to leading in overall standings in the class. “Today’s race was a combination of luck and strategy. I believe luck played a very big part. There was an incident in front of me and I managed to gain two positions,” he said.

All the racing cars in the Toyota Vios Challenge have identical specifications and performance levels. (Below) After each race, they are inspected to ensure that no unauthorised modifications have been made which can give an advantage.

Also celebrating a triumphant weekend was Mark who finished third in today’s Race 2 and earned second spot in Race 1 yesterday. “The start of the race was good for me and I too capitalized on the incident between William and Freddie but then suffered a moment on the track, and that dropped me to sixth place with a lot of catching up to do,” said Mark.

PROMOTIONAL CLASS
As expected, the Promotional class for celebrity racers was not without its fair share of drama. The drivers are not regular racers (with Shawn Lee perhaps having more experience than the others) but they did receive training prior to the start of the series.

Vocal TV presenter and comedian Nabil Ahmad (above) catapulted from fourth on the grid to lead the race right to the chequered flag, with singers Khai Bahar and Nabila Razali trailing in second and third positions respectively. En route to earning a second podium finish this weekend, Nabil said: “I’ve won races in the past, but this is the best first placing I’ve ever recorded because it was earned in the presence of Shawn Lee and Shukri Yahaya. It was a sweet moment for me.”

For the record, both beat boxer Shawn and actor Shukri were promoted to compete against amateur racers in the Sporting class for Season 2 before returning to the Promotional class in Season 3.

For third place winner Nabila (above in Car No. 92), the race weekend was also a fulfilling one. “I am extremely satisfied! So far, I’ve managed to not only finish all my races in Season 3 so far but unexpectedly claimed a few podium finishes. No more calling me a wall magnet and this is a very big achievement for me!” she said.

The biggest casualty in the race was Shukri who, despite running as high as third place, was taken out by Shawn in Lap 6 when the latter misjudged his braking point. Actress Diana Danielle meanwhile found herself pointing the car in the wrong direction on the track after being nudged by actor Syafiq Kyle.

“Yes, I am bit disappointed with the way Race 2 turned out, but I consider it a racing incident. As far as the competition goes this season, all the drivers in the Promotional class are extremely competitive and this makes the racing even more unpredictable and exciting,” said Shukri.

Meanwhile, UMW Toyota Motor’s Chief Motorsports Officer Akio Takeyama who finished fifth said the track at Bandar Malaysia was extremely fast but a rewarding experience for all drivers competing in the series. “The decision to hold this second round at Bandar Malaysia proved to be a rewarding experience, not only for the racers who enjoyed competing on a high speed and wider street track for the very first time, but also for Kuala Lumpur spectators due to its strategic location,” he said.

Although the country’s capital city has lots of activities on a weekend, some 10,000 spectators turned up for the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival. The location was convenient to get to and UMW Toyota Motor also offered to subsidize up to RM15 a trip for those who used the Grab service to get to the venue. As at all the other rounds, there was lots of activity for the whole family and for aircraft enthusiasts, there was even the opportunity to see some of the early aircraft used by the TUDM which were parked around the site.

TGR Racing Festival — *Malaysia’s first fighter jets – the Tebuan (left) and the Sabre. Other aircraft from the early days of the TUDM are also parked there but the site is no longer open to the public.*

The former airbase is being redeveloped as Bandar Malaysia which is to be a global financial, technology and entrepreneurial hub. The RM140 billion mega project on the 486-acre site will include housing and an integrated transportation hub like KL Sentral. So it is unlikely that the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Toyota Vios Challenge can be held again in 2020. As it is, special arrangements had to be made with the contractors involved in the construction work to accommodate the racing activities. Of course, it would be nice if a small racetrack could also be included in the Master Plan for Bandar Malaysia…

Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival — *Big screens inside the hangar allowed spectators to watch the racing in comfort.*

(more…)

MOTORSPORTS – Day 1: Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Vios Challenge Season 3, Rd. 2 (w/VIDEO)

One of the unique things about the Toyota Vios Challenge, part of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival that is now in its third season, is the fact that each track has been brand new and created just for the races (with the exception of the Sepang International Circuit used for the final round of Season 2). In fact, once the event is over, the track vanishes and the area reverts to what is usually a large carpark.

For the second round of Season 3, the uniqueness went up one notch as the location chosen was Bandar Malaysia, formerly an airbase of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) and before that, an international airport between 1952 and 1965, after which Subang airport replaced it. Motor vehicles would certainly have been driven on its runway but there were no races ever held – until this weekend.

Following the official departure of the TUDM from the airbase in March 2018, construction work has been underway to develop Bandar Malaysia (above). The circuit created this weekend on the runway (below) is unique and will be available just for this one time.

The runway that aircraft – which includes Malaysia’s first fighter jets like the Tebuan and Sabre – landed on was 1,199 metres long and on this runway, the event organisers created a track that is 1.96 kms long with two long straights (the longest being 600 metres). This track is one of the fastest and longest ever constructed for the series. Thus the stage was set for the fastest street racing action so far, presenting a new challenge of higher speeds than usual (140 – 150 km/h).

“I like the track because it is high speed and very wide. The long straight is awesome and I love the chicane. It’s both about being gutsy and a test of your skill in controlling the car,” said Dato’ Ken Foo, a competitor in the Sporting Class. “While the track is wider, overtaking will still not be easy because we are all driving identical cars. It’s about how you pace yourself the entire race, managing you speeds into and out of the corners, and looking at the opportunities. The weather will also make a lot of difference in the race, especially with the changing surface conditions from tarmac to concrete.”

SPORTING CLASS
In the Sporting Class for amateur drivers, S&D Tama Motorsports’ Tom Goh (Car 33 in the picture below) raced to his first victory of the season ahead of Crestmax Motorsports’ Adam Khalid in second place, in an incident-riddled 20-lap race which saw the Safety car coming out twice and leading the cars around. In third place was 15-year-old Hayden Haikal.

23 Motors’ Mirza Syahmi Mahzan led opening stages of the race from pole position but his race weekend was severely ruined by a 15-second penalty for a start infringement subsequently followed by a retirement. Three laps into the race, Saksama Motorsports’ Ricky Tan was too wide going into a left-hander and collided with the concrete barrier ending his race early. When the Safety Car peeled off the track 3 laps later, it didn’t take more than a few corners to bring it right back out due to a second collision between Distinctive Model’s Clement Yeo and Panglima City Racing Team’s Kenneth Koh.

“After Mirza’s crash, it was pretty much a race on my own at the front. I was however, trying to play it safe because the level of grip on the track was completely different during the race to what we had initially set-up the car for (wet conditions) during the unofficial practice session,” said Tom.

For Adam, second place was a solid finish considering he started fifth on the grid and missed out on scoring any championship points due to a badly damaged car in the opening round of Season 3 in Kuala Terengganu in September. “This is literally my first race weekend considering I was unable to compete in Kuala Terengganu after an incident during qualifying. It’s a great result for me!” he said.

TGR — *The Safety Car (below) was kept busy as accidents occurred in all the races and some of the cars returned to the pits on tow trucks, with body parts needing replacement.*

SUPER SPORTING CLASS
The pros delivered a sterling drive as expected in the Super Sporting Class with 23 Motors’ Tengku Djan Ley storming to victory from pole position in his black Vios (shown below). He would finish the 20-lap battle just 2 seconds ahead of Laser Motor Racing’s Mark Darwin and Telegamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang in third place.

Tengku Djan and Mark set a blistering pace and were locked in a private duel at the front. ”My car felt good throughout the whole race and I could keep a consistent pace. I saw the lead stretching so I just maintained my focus to retain a comfortable gap to the finish. The track in Bandar Malaysia is wide and it allows you to take many different lines of attack into the corners and that builds for closer racing which is good,” said Tengku Djan.

While drivers endured a wet track on the first day of unofficial practice, today’s race was run in perfectly good dry (and very hot) weather which made it difficult for racing crews to find the most ideal set-up for the cars.

“This is the best track we’ve been able to race in the championship. There are slow corners and also high-speed corners which really reward drivers who commit. It is also about how well you can set up the car. So it doesn’t just boil down to the driver but you’re talking about an entire package in order to excel,” said Mark.

“Frankly speaking, I prefer it to be a wet race tomorrow. In rain, anything can happen. You can be the fastest but all it takes is one mistake and you’re out. It’ll be quite exciting and I certainly hope it rains tomorrow,” added Mark.

PROMOTIONAL CLASS
This class for celebrities has always been a big crowd-puller, especially fans who have followed celebrities like Janna Nick, Diana Danielle and Shukri Yahaya. Starting with the same experience – which was none – as all the other 35 competitors in the Vios Challenge, beat-boxer Shawn Lee made a textbook start from pole position to win the 20-lap race ahead of actor Shukri Yahaya and presenter Nabil Ahmad who finished third.

Shawn drove almost unopposed as the top 3 drivers broke away from the rest of the pack early in the race. It wasn’t that their cars had more power but their personal driving skills gave them an advantage. “I really love this track. It’s really high speed,” said Shawn, who crossed the finish line 2.2 seconds ahead of Shukri. Finishing fourth and fifth were actress Diana Danielle and singer Khai Bahar.

The battle for sixth and seventh positions was also intense between singers Wany Hasrita and Nabila Razali, and it lasted for a good 16 laps before Nabila managed to successfully overtake. “Today was a very difficult day for me but thankfully, I managed to overcome these challenges. I love the track but I must admit that it is very tricky,” said Nabila.

The race was not without incident as, in the 10^th lap, actor Syafiq Kyle crashed into the wall. For model Ain Edruce, finishing eighth was a consolation considering she started tenth on the grid after running into the wall during the qualifying session.

tgr — *Street circuits allow spectators to be closer to the track and get a more vivid experience of the racing.*

Race 2 of the three classes will run tomorrow with the top six finishers today lining up on the starting grid in reverse order. So Tom Goh and Tengku Djan Ley will be starting from the back and have to fight their way through the pack.

Visit Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia for updates on the event.

Round 2 of Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge is on this weekend in Kuala Lumpur!

For Round 2 of the third season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge racing series, the purpose-built circuit is in a unique location – the former Kuala Lumpur airport of the 1950s/1960s which became a RMAF airbase after Subang International Airport was opened. Following the closure of the airbase some years back, the 488-acre site was to be a huge commercial development known as Bandar Malaysia.

While construction works are underway, the 1.99-km long runway offered an opportunity for the organisers of the Toyota GAZOO Racing event to create a racetrack that is 1.7 kms long with exceptionally long straights.

Bandar Malaysia circuit — *Aerial view of the circuit for Round 2 at Bandar Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Jalan Sg. Besi over the SMART Tunnel is on the left side of the picture.*

“As a street racing series, one of the most challenging tasks is to find a venue that is not only large enough to accommodate both the racing circuit and festival ground but more importantly, accessible and as close as we can to fans and spectators. These challenges however, also present us with the unique opportunity to explore venues never before used or envisioned as a racing circuit,” said UMW Toyota Motor’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama. “In the case of Round 2, the former airport is as unique as it gets and the location as central as you can be in Kuala Lumpur.”

Circuit must meet international safety requirements
Construction of the circuit at Bandar Malaysia took approximately 3 weeks. This work involved transporting, positioning and interlocking hundreds of 4-tonne concrete blocks and debris fencing to form the inner and outer parameters of the track. The track must meet FIA (the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) safety specifications.

TGR safety — *Hundreds of 4-tonne concrete blocks must be positioned around the circuit to ensure that spectators are protected if the cars crash against the barriers.*

“Street racing brings out the best in Malaysian racers. The absence of run-off areas makes it extremely unforgiving, more intimidating and even more difficult to master. It requires 110% concentration, focus and precision from the drivers. For spectators, a street race is even more exciting visually as they are able to be closer to the action,” said Mr. Takeyama who has been a participant in the Vios Challenge sine the first season.

In three seasons of the Toyota Vios Challenge series, the race has been held at various stadium and exhibition grounds in Terengganu, Johor, Penang and the Klang Valley, as well as at the Sepang International Circuit.

Emulating street races such as the historic annual Macau Grand Prix, the Toyota Vios Challenge is no less exciting. More importantly, Mr. Takeyama added, it provides drivers with a more challenging race, an even greater level playing field, the excitement on driving on a variety of tracks, and contributes to them honing their technical and driving skills.

Meanwhile, UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K., said the prospect of transforming an airstrip into a full-blown racing track is a manifestation of both Toyota and its GAZOO Racing philosophy of breaking tradition and pushing the boundaries.

“Innovation is not only reflected in the vehicles we produce but it underlines the way we think and do things, and in the case of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival, it means turning the least expected venues into tracks to bring motor-racing closer to the masses,” said Mr. Ravindran.

2 days of close racing
Round 2 of the Toyota Vios Challenge will feature 2 days of racing with three driver categories as usual – Celebrity, Amateur and Professional. 10 local celebrities competing in the Promotional Class include Shawn Lee, Shukri Yahaya, Diana Danielle, Nabil Ahmad, Janna Nick, Khai Bahar, Wany Hasrita, Nabila Razali, Ain Edruce and Syafiq Kyle. Both Shawn and Wany will start with one race win each after winning the opening two races of Season 3 in Kuala Terengganu earlier.

TGR celebrities — *Fans of celebrities get to meet them during breaks between races.*

“Round 2 is going to be a very exciting because we will be competing on a new track. There’s really no way of preparing for it in terms of setting up the car until we get a chance to drive on the track during the official practice session and evaluate the surface condition and overall flow of the circuit. From what I gather so far, it’s going to be quite a fast track,” said Shawn.

Among the big names in Malaysian motorsports driving in both the Sporting and Super Sporting classes for amateur and professional drivers, respectively, include Season 1 and Season 2 Sporting champions Brendan Paul Anthony and Brendon Lim; Season 1 and Season 2 Super Sporting champions Tengku Djan Ley and Boy Wong; and experienced drivers like Kenny Lee, William Ho, Mark Darwin, Kenneth Koh, Sutan Mustafa and Syafiq Ali. The Sporting Class will also feature 15-year-old Hayden Haikal.

A totally new track to learn quickly
For Super Sporting Class driver Kenny Lee, the first practice session is critical to uncover much of the unknown. “I have never had the opportunity to visit Bandar Malaysia in the past and therefore I don’t know what the surface condition is like. The first thing everyone will be looking into is certainly the final track layout and finding the fastest racing line around the track. We’ll also have to carefully look at the surface conditions especially in the braking zones because you never know, some areas can be a bit bumpy, slippery or even dusty,” said Kenny.

Bandar Malaysia — Another aerial view of the circuit which has been laid out on the runway that aircraft used to land on. Note the exceptionally long straights but as every car will have the same performance levels, it will be driver skill and strategy that makes the difference, not power.

Tengku Djan Ley shares the same sentiment, saying drivers will in essence have only about 90 minutes throughout the race weekend to learn the new track. “We have a track walk on Thursday evening and the official practice starts on Friday, so essentially you only have a couple of laps to try and decipher the entire track and obtain enough information that will go into setting up the race car. Those who are able to do this will have an advantage,” he said.

“There’s really not much that can be done to the set-up apart from experimenting with different tyre pressures, suspension settings and alignment combinations, but these small changes do make a big difference on track,” he added.

For race fans and spectators, the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival will offer a variety of activities for all the family. There will be Toyota’s fleet of vehicles (with test drive sessions available), a drift performance by professional Japanese drivers, a concert, beyblade tournament, racing simulators and the display of the all-new Toyota GR Supra.

Entrance is free of charge and the event is from 9 am to 6 pm on this Saturday and Sunday, November 9/10 2019.

Click here for more information about the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge (more…)

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Bandar Malaysia

MOTORSPORTS – Day 2 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Toyota Vios Challenge Season 3/Round 2

MOTORSPORTS – Day 1: Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Vios Challenge Season 3, Rd. 2 (w/VIDEO)

Round 2 of Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge is on this weekend in Kuala Lumpur!

MOTORSPORTS – Day 2 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Toyota Vios Challenge Season 3/Round 2

MOTORSPORTS – Day 1: Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival & Vios Challenge Season 3, Rd. 2 (w/VIDEO)

Round 2 of Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge is on this weekend in Kuala Lumpur!

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