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.
The GR Vios Challenge has been a very successful series which has contributed to the development of the Malaysian motorsports industry. Over the past 5 years, UMW Toyota Motor and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia pumped in a lot of money and incentives to make it a leading motorsports event. Incorporated in the TGR Racing Festival for most years (except when the pandemic prevented public gatherings), the series attracted more than 15 million spectators and viewers (both on-site and online via live streaming).
This year, the GR Vios Challenge will enter its sixth season and as in 2022, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia will also run the GR Vios Sprint Cup, GR Vios Enduro Cup and participate in the Sepang 100KM endurance race.
An intensely-contested race for the finale of Season 5 of the Vios Challenge, part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival) was expected and that was precisely what took place at the Sepang International Circuit. In the final showdown, the overall championship title in all four classes of racing would be decided in the very final 20-lap race
The fierce competition was understandable as the Vios Challenge, a series now well established in Malaysian motorsport, is the most lucrative motorsports event in the country. More than a half a million ringgit in prize money is offered and the overall champions of the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes this year would take home RM70,000 and RM50,000, respectively.
As in previous seasons, the weekend’s race (as well as activities) were streamed live and according to UMW Toyota Motor, a record-high 3.1 million online viewers and race fans tuned in to watch.
Although night racing has a different atmosphere with artificial lighting providing illumination of the track instead of sunshine, the action is no less intense. And with the Vios Challenge, the highlight of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) Festival, ending its fifth season this weekend, there is even more determined racing as drivers aim to collect valuable points in the last two races of the one-make series at the Sepang International Circuit.
The Vios Challenge, a series now well established in Malaysian motorsport, is the most lucrative motorsports event in the country, with more than a half a million ringgit in prize money offered. The overall champions of the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes will take home RM70,000 and RM50,000, respectively. So there’s a lot of incentive to do well!
It was another hot and sunny day as Day 2 of the first round of the Vios Challenge one-make series started today. Throughout the afternoon, there were close and hard-fought battles around the Sepang International Circuit, an element that has traditionally defined the racing action in the series. Clearly, the drivers in all 4 classes have warmed up with the start of Season 5 of the popular series that is part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival). As in every round in the past, the battles were intense from start to finish, with incidents and body contact that showed the determination of the participants, young and old, experienced and rookie.
“The one-make format of the Vios Challenge, the increasing number of younger drivers, and the emphasis we have placed on the GAZOO Racing Young Driver Development Program has certainly been able to make a significant impact on the track. It levels the competition between the younger and more experienced drivers, rewards skill and racecraft, and promotes an even higher quality of racing on the track,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K.
Super Sporting Class
In the Super Sporting Class for veteran and professional drivers, Eddie Lew got off to an incredible start from 4th position on the grid and kept his lead in the 20-lap race from start to finish. The battle for second and third was super intense with no less than 5 drivers in contention. The duels between the drivers allowed Lew to speed ahead to extend his lead from 3 to as much as much as 10 seconds at one stage in the race.
The Laser Motor Racing driver, who has been racing since the 1990s, eventually took the chequered flag with a comfortable 5.58-second gap ahead of his nearest rival. The battle for second and third positions saw Race 1’s winner and Axle Motorsports driver Hayden Haikal, team mate Boy Wong, M7 Japan Project Team’s Fariqe Hairuman and Amer Harris, as well as 23 Motors’ Ady Rahimy and Distinctive Model’s Clement Yeo trading places lap after lap before contact on the track put all of them out of contention for a podium finish.
Their misfortunes promoted Prima Pearl TD Racing Team’s Mitchell Cheah to second and Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang to third until the finish. It was also Ang’s second podium finish after completing yesterday’s Race 1 in second place.
“I got a very good start and pulled away. I just maintained a good pace at the front but I took notice of Cheah catching up,” said Lew, 48, who rounded off the weekend with a race win in Race 2 and a third place finish in Race 1. “Luck was certainly on my side today. Both Cheah and Ang are, in fact, very fast drivers.”
Rookie Class
In the Rookie Class for the second batch of drivers who have undergone the GR Young Talent Development Program, 18-year-old Sharique Zulqarinain rounded up his racing weekend with a double podium finish, with victory in Race 2 and a second place in Saturday’s Race 1. Finishing second was 20-year-old Muizz Musyaffa. Securing third in both Race 2 and 1 was Muhammad Hamdany Abdul Hamid.
“I had a really bad start in Race 2 and I was honestly not filled with hope but throughout the race, I remembered what my mechanics and Dad had told me which was to just keep a cool head and have fun. I was just trying to set a consistent time on every lap and in the process, I began overtaking the other competitors. From then on, it was just a job of maintaining my pace,” said Sharique.
Sporting Class
The Sporting Class, which also has experienced and skilled drivers, also produced a fair share of drama on the track but at the end of the 20-lap race, it was Crestmax Motorsports Bradley Benedict Anthony who was declared the official winner, with Panglima City Racing Team’s Kenneth Koh and 23 Motors’ Abdul Miqail in second and third places, respectively.
Actually, Race 1’s winner, Naquib Azlan of Axle Motorsports, had been first to cross the finish line but his hopes of a double race victory weekend were shattered when he was later handed a 30-second penalty, effectively dropping him to seventh position overall.
“I started from fourth position and paced myself with the incidents that occurred in front allowing me to take advantage of the situation. My main goal in every race has been to collect as much valuable points as I can with the overall championship in my sights,” said Bradley who had a third place finish in Race 1.
Promotional Class
The battle of the celebrities in the Promotional Class, always a popular race, saw actor Shukri Yahaya clinching victory, which was also his second visit to the podium following Race 1’s second placing. Fellow actor Zizan Razak however, was determined to pass him after having fought his way up from last place to finish second in the 18-lap race. Presenter Nabil Ahmad rounded up the top three podium finishers.
Starting from sixth on the grid, Zizan endured the misfortune of being spun around on the opening lap which dropped him to last place. His pace on the track, however, was visibly quicker as he made quick passes to move forward.
“I take racing very seriously. It’s something that has interested me since I was very young. As my entertainment career progressed, it slowly allowed me to begin venturing into tracks days, taking up karting and even to the extent of competitively racing karts. It came to a point that I realized that one of my weaknesses was the limited time I had driving on the track and that was when I eventually invested in a simulator to practice,” said Zizan.
“This enabled me to improve on my braking and racing lines, and I have been able to effectively apply all that I have learnt in the Vios Challenge. And when we have practice sessions conducted by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia to prepare for the series, I do my best to spend an entire day of driving to make sure I can achieve the lap times I am targeting for,” he added.
The next round of the Vios Challenge is scheduled for June and UMW Toyota Motor hopes that, by then, the pandemic will have diminished so that it will once again be possible to safely invite the public to watch from the stands. For the past two seasons, the event has been held without spectators being invited and has been streamed live during the race weekends.
Season 5 of the Vios Challenge, the one-make series that is part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival), got off to a hot and exciting start with the younger drivers firing an early warning salvo by dominating the top two classes – the Super Sporting Class and Sporting Class.
In the Super Sporting Class for veteran and professional drivers, 17-year old Hayden Haikal catapulted himself from being fastest in qualifying to winning the race while, in the Sporting Class for amateurs, 22-year old Naquib Azlan shot to victory in only his second year of competitive racing after making a transition from simulator racing.
Incidentally, Naquib’s younger brother, 20-year old Nabil, who is also making his debut in the Rookie Class (competing in a real saloon car race for the very first time) also won his class for new drivers under GAZOO Racing’s Young Driver Development Program.
Super Sporting Class
In the Super Sporting Class, Hayden won a closely-fought race, finishing just half a second ahead of Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang with Laser Motor Racing’s Eddie Liew coming in third. The teenager had led an Axle Motorsports 1-2 in the opening lap of the race with team mate and senior driver Boy Wong in tow before being passed in the second lap by both Wong and Prima Pearl Auto’s Mitchell Cheah to drop into third place.
The battle that ensued at the front between Wong and Cheah, however, got the better of the two drivers who took one another out of contention in Lap 6 after a miscalculated overtaking manoeuvre. That allowed Hayden to regain the lead, with Ang and Liew also becoming the beneficiaries of the misfortunes up front. The race was tight between Hayden and Ang right to the chequered flag, with both drivers trying their best to get to it first.
Sporting Class
In the Sporting Class, Naquib won his class with a comfortable 15-second margin ahead of S&D Tama Motorsports’ Tom Goh, while another youngster 19–year old Bradley Benedict Anthony of Crestmax Motorsport followed them home in third place. Moving up to the Sporting Class after winning last year’s Rookie Class, Naquib had clocked the fastest time in qualifying but both he and Bradley were penalized for a technical infringement which dropped them to fifth and sixth on the starting grid. That however, proved not to be a big enough setback as they were able to make their way up the leaderboard.
“I was certainly looking forward to come back to race this season. I really enjoyed racing last year in the Rookie Class and I am now looking forward to competing against much more experienced drivers. Thankfully, Axle Motorsports decided to field a team this season and to move from virtual racing into the real world. Therefore I am very thankful to them for this opportunity and I want to make the most of it,” said Naquib.
On why he feels younger drivers in the series are beginning to propel themselves to the front of the field, he said: “We, the younger generation of drivers, are very lucky and fortunate that we have facilities that the senior or veteran drivers did not have back in their days. In my view, they had to work much harder to get to where they are now. We have the benefit of things like simulator racing because it helps us to prepare better and to accelerate our learning curve. We also have the benefit of having guidance from these more experienced drivers in the sport because they have spent many more years on track.
“To be honest, I never expected anything making the transition from simulator to real world racing. I do have a lot of self-belief and self-confidence, but I never knew I could do it until I got onto the track last season,” he added.
That sentiment is shared by Bradley adding that investing in training has been one of the important elements of his growth. “Being young, I am very passionate about racing and I would like to believe that we young drivers put in the extra time and effort into practice and training. For instance, my preparation for Season 5 involved a lot of training to prepare myself physically and mentally before coming to the track’” he said.
“My goal when I first joined the series was to finish the race or to get into the top 10. I did not set high expectations because it was my first time racing a saloon car, but the learning curve has just been phenomenal and really valuable,” added Bradley.Rookie Class
Rookie Class
In the Rookie Class, Nabil drove to his first ever saloon car race victory after making a transition from simulator racing. Finishing second and third were karters Sharique Zulqarinain and Muhammad Hamdany Abdul Hamid, respectively. Finishing fourth was 20-year old and the only female in the group, Adele Liew, while in fifth was another karter Muizz Musyaffa.
“I’m surprised how a lot of the things I’ve done in simulator racing can be applied to real world racing and I was very happy with my racecraft in this first race. I wanted to pace myself and try to get as close as I could to the other drivers in the Super Sporting Class (both the Super Sporting and Rookie Classes start together) but just enough to steer clear of any incidents,” said Nabil. “The most difficult part with real racing is dealing with the high temperature in car and this is something I will need to focus more on moving forward.”
Promotional Class
In the popular Promotional Class for celebrities, actor Zizan Razak did not leave anything to chance this year as he shot off from pole position to finish more than 15 seconds clear of defending Promotional Class champion and fellow actor, Shukri Yahaya. In third place was presenter Ahirine Ahirudin who is also an accomplished motorcycle rider.
Singer Nabila Razali had been in contention for fourth place until a mistake sent her into the gravel at the very last lap. That promoted presenter/comedian Nabil Ahmad into fourth, with singer Wany Hasrita, actress Janna Nick, presenter Ain Edruce in fifth, sixth and seventh positions, respectively.
Today’s racing is just half of the first round of Season 5 and the second series of races will run tomorrow (Sunday, March 20) at the Sepang International Circuit. Racing fans and enthusiasts can catch all the action and stage performances by local celebrities streamed live on the UMW Toyota Motor website at www.toyota.com.my and on the Toyota Malaysia and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia Facebook pages..
This weekend, besides the start of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship, there will also be the start of the Vios Challenge one-make series in Malaysia, going into Season 5 in 2022. Now a firmly established event on the country’s motorsports calendar, the event, which originated as part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival), is the most lucrative motorsports event in the country. In total, more than a half a million ringgit in prize money is offered by organisers UMW Toyota Motor and GAZOO Racing Malaysia, with RM70,000 and RM50,000 to the overall champions of the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes, respectively.
“The Vios Challenge and TGR Festival continue to evolve in line with our aspirations to contribute to the development of Malaysian motorsports. From a series that attracts professionals, gentlemen drivers and local celebrities, it has today grown into one of the most ideal, accessible and affordable platforms to hone the skills and experience of young drivers coming up the ranks in motorsports. And this year, we want enthusiasts and fans to become even more invested in the series by introducing a fantasy game that will enable them to better relate to their favourite drivers on the track,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K.
“The Vios Challenge, in more ways than one, is growing into what we would like to call ‘the people’s race’ and, in 4 seasons, we have kept to this objective by not only promoting motorsports to the masses both on ground and online, but maintaining a one-make race format that makes the event attractive to all levels of racers,” he added.
3 rounds, 6 races up till September
Season 5 will have 3 rounds with a total of 6 races. After the first round at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend, Rounds 2 and 3 will be held in June and September, respectively. Over the past 4 seasons, the event has attracted more than 8 million spectators and online viewers, garnering a social media reach exceeding 19 million, making it one of the most viewed domestic motor-racing events.
There are 4 classes as before: the popular Promotional Class; the Super Sporting Class; the Sporting Class; and the Rookie Class. For the Promotional Class, there will be 9 personalities competing against each other. Returning to defend his title is Season 4 champion and actor Shukri Yahaya; last year’s runner-up and actor Zizan Razak; television host Nabil Ahmad; actress Janna Nick; singers Wany Hasrita, Nabila Razali and Khai Bahar; TV personality Ahirine Ahiruddin; and actress and presenter Ain Edruce who is making her return to the Vios Challenge from a break last year after welcoming her first child.
Veterans to duel again
The Super Sporting Class will see an epic battle with a field of former champions, veteran drivers, talented young drivers and several former internationals. Reigning and triple-crowned Super Sporting Class champion Tengku Djan Ley returns with the Prima Pearl Auto team this season but instead of a solo entry, he will be partnering international touring car Mitchell Cheah in a 2-car assault for the team.
Also fielding two-car teams are Laser Motor Racing’s Mark Darwin who will be alongside veteran racer Eddie Liew; and M7 Japan Project Team who will take to the grid with international touring and GT car driver Mohamed Fariqe Hairuman and young gun Amer Harris who moves up the ladder after graduating from the very first Vios Challenge Rookie Class last season.
Amer joins two other young drivers who are under the age of 20 competing in the Super Sporting Class. They are teenage prodigy and former Sporting Class champion Hayden Haikal and international single-seater driver Alister Yoong who is also the son of ex-F1 driver Alex Yoong. Both will drive for the Axle Motorsports team which was established by Alex. Driving a third entry for Axle Motorsports will be former Super Sporting Class champion Boy Wong.
“The TGR Festival and the Vios Challenge is by far the best platform for racing in Malaysia at the moment. It is professionally run, the cars are great and why wouldn’t we want to seize the opportunity to be part of it,” said Alex. “Boy is one of the most underrated senior drivers in the country. He is, and has been very quick throughout his racing career. In the academy that I run, we have brought in close to 1,500 new young drivers into the sports via our simulator competition and races but only tens have successfully made the transition to driving real race cars. This, however, doesn’t mean we are going to ignore senior drivers. I hope to see Boy Wong, Naquib, Hayden and Alister being very competitive this season.”
In the Sporting Class – one of the most fiercely contested with a field of 20 drivers – there will also be a female among the drivers on the starting grid. She is R&R Sport Speed Garage’s Shasha Shafie, one of three new drivers to the class who also include Super Evergreen Motorsports’ Muhamad Roni Risman and 23 Motors’ Abdul Miqail.
Two racing families
The Rookie Class will see a fresh group of newcomers who have received training to develop their skills. The 6 new faces are Adele Liew, Ashen Shanmuganathan, Muhammad Hamdany Abdul Hamid; Nabil Azlan, Sharique Zulqarnain; and Muizz Musyaffa. The parents of Adele and Ashen, Eddie Liew and Shanmuganathan Arumugan, are also taking part in the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes, respectively, while Nabil is the brother of last year’s Rookie Class champion, Naquib Azlan. Like his brother, he has developed skills through sim racing and now get to use them in real-world racing.
“This is a very special moment for the both of us,” said Adele, 20, who has had limited experience in fun karts. “In order for me to be able to race with my father means that he has been in motorsports for a very long time. And to my knowledge, there has never been a father-daughter racing in the same event and on the same weekend in Malaysia! This is going to be a whole new experience for the both of us and my father is equally very excited. He is definitely the best mentor I could have ever hoped for to prepare me for my first race weekend.
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GAZOO Racing Dream Team TGR Fantasy
While the event remains closed to the public as a safeguard against the pandemic, the action will be live streamed during each day. This year, a new feature that gives the public a chance to be more involved is the GAZOO Racing Dream Team TGR Fantasy. This is a racing platform where players sign up and compete against each other by creating their very own TGR Dream Team of racers they think will perform best throughout the season. Participants will have to select 3 drivers from each of the 4 classes of racing, and their team will accumulate or lose points based on the real racing results throughout the 3 rounds in Season 5. The player with the most number of points will be declared the winner at the end of each round and prizes will be given out at the end of the season.
Racing fans and enthusiasts can catch the weekend’s action and stage performances by local celebrities streamed live on the UMW Toyota Motor website at www.toyota.com.my and on the Toyota Malaysia and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia Facebook pages.
After disruptions to its activities over the past two years, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival) is expected to be able to proceed smoothly and with a full calendar for Season 5 this year. As before, the highlight will be the Vios Challenge one-make series which has been extremely popular, as well as the GR Velocity Esports Championship.
In the 4 seasons so far, the TGR Festival and Vios Challenge has successfully attracted more than 8 million spectators and online viewers, with social media reach exceeding 19 million, to make it one of the most watched domestic motor-racing events.
“Racing has opened up a multitude of opportunities for Toyota domestically and we will continue to build on this strong momentum to drive both the Toyota and GAZOO Racing brands ahead with exciting activities as well as products,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K.
Season 5 will have 3 rounds and a total of 6 races with Round 1 being run on March 18 – 20), followed by Round 2 in June (24-26) and the third and final round in September (23-25). Two of the rounds will be held at the Sepang International Circuit and one will be a purpose-built street circuit (venue not mentioned yet).
Over the years, the Vios Challenge circuits have been specially designed at venues in Penang, Johor, Terengganu and the Klang Valley. Spectators have liked such circuits as they can be closer to the action – but safely behind protective barriers.
4 race classes
The races will again be divided into 4 classes – Promotional Class for local celebrities; Super Sporting Class for top-level and professional drivers; Sporting Class for amateur and gentlemen drivers; and the Rookie Class for young drivers new to racing.
In total, there will be more than a half a million ringgit in prize monies, with RM70,000 and RM50,000 going the overall champion of the Super Sporting and Sporting Class champions, respectively, at the end of the season. This makes the Vios Challenge the most lucrative motorsports event in the country, which has been the case for the last 5 years.
Affordable series for all
The format of a one-make series in the Vios Challenge has made it attractive and affordable for not only amateur racers, but also the professionals, many of whom are in teams supported by Toyota dealers. Affordability and the level playing field it created also began attracting young drivers to participate and in Season 3, a 16-year-old was remarkably crowned the overall champion in the Sporting Class.
Today, the series has grown to include even talented rookies competing under the GAZOO Racing Young Talent Development Program which is envisaged to provide more young drivers between the ages of 16 and 20 with an impactful and affordable platform to transition into saloon car racing in Malaysia.
Additionally, from the very first season, the Vios Challenge has been the only event of its kind to have a class for local celebrities to race against each other. The races have been crowd-pullers, with fans of the celebrities following them to each venue and cheering for them. Special sessions have been organised at each round so they can also get close to their favourite celebrities.
Additional events
Also included in this year’s GAZOO Racing calendar will be the Vios Sprint Cup, which is run independently from the Vios Challenge. Two rounds are scheduled for April and July in tandem with the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS). Each round will have 2 races with a total of more than RM200,000 in prize monies. The event will provide even more racing and rewards for participating drivers, teams and dealers already signed up to compete in the Vios Challenge.
GAZOO Racing will also continue to make its presence felt in the national series by once again entering a team to participate in the Sepang 1000KM Endurance Race (S1K) in November. The race will also see the second running of the Vios Enduro Cup which will have a RM30,000 prize purse.
“Overall, the objective of our racing activities is to contribute to growth of Malaysian motorsports from all aspects – to not only provide an affordable platform for competition; to grow awareness and appreciation for motorsports amongst the masses; and to uncover, develop and provide a conducive platform for the nation’s next generation of young and talented drivers to step up in motor-racing,” said Mr. Ravindran.
E-Sports series in fifth season
Besides the real racing on the tracks, racing will also continue online with the fifth season of the GR Velocity Esports Championship. Billed as one of the most lucrative local online racing series in the country, the championship (first held in 2018) today attracts close to 1,000 participants with more than 1 million online spectators. UMW Toyota Motor continues to have the distinction of becoming the first and the only Malaysian car company to be directly involved with E-sports activities related to motor racing.
New GR products
Expect to see new GR and GR-Sport models during the year, along with enhancement of the GR Garage network and activities nationwide. Besides new models, Toyota and GAZOO will be organizing of GR driving clinics, experiences and activities for the owners to enable them to fully enjoy the high performance of their cars safely. They will be able to fully immerse themselves and get the most from owning a GR vehicle.
The current models available in Malaysia are the GR Supra, GR Yaris and GR Sport Vios. The GR-Sport Vios, assembled at UMW Toyota Motor’s own plant in Bukit Raja, Selangor, is a tribute to the Vios Challenge racing cars. It is also the very first ASEAN-manufactured vehicle to wear the GR badge.
Efforts are already underway to enhance and expand on UMW Toyota Motor’s network of dedicated GR Garages nationwide which are the only outlets that offer GR models. This will include offering a comprehensive aftermarket parts list as well as merchandise for GR and Toyota owners.
GAZOO Racing has also announced the continuation of 3-time Vios Challenge Super Sporting Class champion Tengku Djan Ley as its Malaysian Ambassador. Tengku Djan was instrumental in assisting to develop the GR-Sport Vios.
Special mention should be made of Akio Takeyama who, besides his role as Deputy Chairman of UMW Toyota Motor, was also the Chief Motorsports Officer. Besides being a driving force for the racing series, he personally took part in the Vios Challenge for all four seasons, racing together with the celebrities. Mr. Takeyama’s tenure in Malaysia ended recently and he will be taking on a new position in Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan. His successor as Deputy Chairman is Takashi Obata.
“I would like to record my excitement and commitment to chart the way forward for GAZOO Racing to continue to make an impactful and valuable contribution to Malaysia – via our involvement in motorsports and the development of young talent, through more GR experiences and touchpoints through our GR vehicles, the assembly of GR-Sport vehicles in Malaysia, the expansion of the GR Garage network and the offering of performance parts and merchandises for Toyota and GR customers,” said Mr. Obata.
The finale of the fourth season of the Vios Challenge one-make racing series, part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival, saw lots of suspense and on-track drama from start to finish. Like the F1 race held in Qatar the same night, the final round (consisting of two races for each class) was run at night, a first for the series.
Malaysia’s prince of drift and also TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia ambassador drove to his third overall championship title in the Super Sporting Class for veteran drivers, while Clement Yeo charged to his first ever overall title in the Sporting Class for amateur drivers. Actor Shukri Yahaya finally captured his first overall title in the Promotional Class after 4 seasons of racing, and young simulator racer Naquib Azlan was crowned the first ever overall champion in the Rookie Class.
The final race of the season at the Sepang International Circuit produced some of the year’s most intense battles on track as no less than 3 individuals were in close contention for the overall championship title in each of the four classes.
“We could not have asked for a more exciting finish to the season,” said TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia Chief Motorsports Officer Akio Takeyama, who was also a participant in the races. “Faced with an incredibly challenging season as a result of the global pandemic, we are thankful that we were able to conclude the championship. The introduction of a night race also made the Vios Challenge even more unpredictable and quite a spectacle enjoyed by both drivers and spectators.”
SPORTING CLASS
The second night’s race started in dramatic fashion with no less than 6 cars involved in skirmishes from the very first lap of the race as a result of the wet track. Clement Yeo made a brilliant start from fifth position on the grid to stay within a car’s length of Panglima City Racing Team’s Kenneth Koh, before eventually passing him for the lead. Behind, the battle for third, fourth and fifth positions was even more intense which saw 23 Motor’s Ady Rahimy being the first to be pelted off the track, followed by Team Fokus Tetap’s Lim Chun Beng and subsequently Dato’ Ken Foo, A. Shanmuganathan, Eric Yong and Amirul Haikal.
The early incidents brought out the Safety Car on lap 6 of the 20-lap race, reducing what little gap Yeo had built over Koh. When the race resumed 3 laps later, all the attention then shifted to Dream Chaser’s Bradley Benedict Anthony and Ady who were trading places for third position.
Yeo paced himself well in the remaining 10 minutes of the race, but it was once again Bradley who stole the limelight when he shot pass Koh for second place and that was how the first 3 places on the podium would be decided. The race victory sealed Yeo’s campaign to become Season 4’s Sporting Class overall champion which got him a prize of RM50,000.
PROMOTIONAL CLASS
All eyes were on actors Shukri Yahaya and Zizan Razak who both had their sights set on becoming the overall champion in the Promotional Class. Of the two, Shukri could be considered the most experienced, having participated in all four seasons. Overall victory had eluded him so far and he was determined that this time, he would take home the crown.
The 18-lap race began fiercely with Zizan taking the lead and Shukri in tow, while singer Khai Bahar was in third. Positions remained unchanged in the first 5 laps of the race until Zizan made a mistake by going wide. While Shukri grabbed the lead, Zizan never recovered from that mistake and remained in third while the front two drivers consolidated their lead to being almost 10 seconds ahead.
Shukri was determined to win and put up a strong resistance against Khai who seemed to have a quicker pace. The two were separated by only 0.3 seconds when the chequered flag came out with Shukri barely ahead. A penalty meted out to Shukri however, relegated him to second and promoted Khai to race winner, but the overall points he had consistently accumulated throughout the season was enough for Shukri to claim the overall championship title in the Promotional Class.
SUPER SPORTING CLASS
The battle of the pro racers saw an incredibly fierce battle at the front between 3 drivers, each of whom could win the overall championship. In the end, it was 23 Motors’ Mitchell Cheah who exerted his dominance to win the 20-lap race ahead of Prima Pearl Auto’s Tengku Djan Ley and Telegamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang in third place. However, a post-race penalty against Cheah promoted Tengku Djan to first place.
“There was tremendous pressure going into tonight’s finale with so much being at stake, but I told myself that I needed to run a smart race,” said Tengku Djan Ley who claimed his third Super Sporting Class overall championship title to win a prize of RM70,000.
“It has been both an incredibly challenging and rewarding season. I started the first 2 races of the year very well with back-to-back victories, but the following 2 races did not turn out favourably and as a result we lost a lot of valuable points. A third-place finish in the Saturday race and a win tonight gave us the result that we needed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank not only my team and sponsors, but also to commend everyone in the Super Sporting Class for a very hard-fought season,” he added.
ROOKIE CLASS
This season also saw a bunch of newcomers who received guidance and training under the GAZOO Racing Young Talent Development Program, a demonstration of Toyota’s commitment towards the development of Malaysian motorsports. The programme, for those between the ages of 14 and 20, identified young racers with potential, based on their karting and sim-racing accomplishments, overall performance and level of commitment. They underwent intensive training both on and off the track under the close guidance of instructors to prepare them for racing in Season 4.
Naquib Azlan turned out to the surprising star of the season, having performed consistently and remaining at the top of the results. Impressively, he participated in a saloon car race with only experience drawn from competing as a simulator racer. It showed that there is value in simulators too as well as the realism that can help drivers gain experience in the virtual world.
“It was a dream come true. Never did I expect to enter racing in real life and to have been able to perform as well as I did. I am extremely thankful. I have to say a very big thank you to Toyota for having the trust in me and giving us the opportunity, the team, to Alex Yoong who helped all of the rookies throughout the entire journey. This is something that no other manufacturer has done and to represent Toyota is such an honour. I look forward to doing this again next season,” said Naquib.
Bringing Malaysian motorsports to a higher level
UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K., said the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival and Vios Challenge is aimed at not only creating a series that is more affordable and accessible to the racing community – especially the younger generation of drivers – but setting out to bring as well as promote motorsports to the masses.
“The Vios Challenge has also become an attractive breeding ground for young racing talent due to its lower cost of entry and one-make format that is greatly centred on honing driving skills and racecraft. And with 4 separate categories of racing, the series showcases incredible talent on track for the delight of spectators. Throughout the 4 seasons, the event has successfully attracted more than 5 million spectators (both on-site and online) which I hope will contribute to growing local awareness, interest and especially greater appreciation for motorsports in Malaysia,” said Mr. Ravindran.
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR) and Vios Challenge return to the Sepang International Circuit for the finale of the fourth season this weekend (November 20/21). And adding to the excitement will be all the races being run at night – the first time for the one-make series.
After the first two round (each comprising two races), there are no clear favourites to take the titles in each of the four classes. No less than 5 contenders have a shot of becoming the overall champion in the Super Sporting Class, Sporting Class, and Promotional Class. The same applies to the Rookie Class which is for a young group of new racers from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Young Talent Development Program.
“Season 4 will be remembered as one of the most challenging due to the pandemic and this may, to some extent, have had an impact on the performances of teams and drivers. Immediately after Round 1 in February, the country was forced into a Movement Control Order (MCO) again which lasted for 8 months. This resulted in Round 2 only being able to resume last month (October) and now the finale is this weekend,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K.
“At the other end of the spectrum, it has also paved the way for even closer competition. No single driver has an unassailable advantage and the champions will have to be decided in the final round. This is a task made even more challenging for the drivers it is the first-ever night race for the Vios Challenge!” he added.
“UMW Toyota Motor is committed to the series and we are extremely pleased to be able to conclude the season amidst these challenging times. The success of the Vios Challenge has largely been fuelled by the support of the participating teams and drivers as well as all race fans, and I would like to convey our utmost appreciation for making it the best and most well accepted racing series in Malaysia,” Mr. Ravindran said.
Besides the strict health measures that will be followed at the circuit, UMW Toyota Motor has also implemented additional safety measures which include continuing to restrict the race to only critical personnel and guests. As before, the weekend’s activities will be broadcast live online for race fans in Malaysia and the rest of the world. The broadcasts will be on the UMW Toyota Motor and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia websites at toyota.com.my/tgrmalaysia/, and also on the Toyota Malaysia and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia Facebook pages.
SUPER SPORTING CLASS
With 55 points to his tally, M7 Japan Project Team’s Syafiq Ali finds himself in the best possible position to win this season’s overall Super Sporting Class championship. “Four points is never a comfortable margin to lead a championship, especially when it will all be decided in the last two races of the season. Anyone in the top five is more than capable of winning the overall championship – that’s just how close it is this season!” said Syafiq who, despite having only one race win to his credit this season, has been the more consistent driver with 3 podium finishes in 4 races.
He will be challenged for the title by 2-time Super Sporting Class champion and race favourite Tengku Djan Ley as well as Laser Motor Racing’s Mark Darwin and teenager Hayden Haikal representing SpeedAddix. The dark horse is 23 Motors driver Mitchell Cheah; despite being a newcomer to the series, he drove to a dominant debut in Round 2 with a race victory and a second-place finish in the two races.
SPORTING CLASS
In the Sporting Class, Crestmax Motorsport’s Adam Khalid leads the overall championship with 53 points, 10 points ahead of privateer Eric Yong. In third is Clement Yeo with 36 points, followed closely by Haji Sutan Mustaffa Salihin with 33 points, and Aylezo Motorsport’s Mirza Syahmi Mahzan just 1 point behind.
Mathematically, the other 4 drivers still have shot at becoming Season 4’s Sporting Class champion so Adam is not taking anything for granted. “While it is great to be leading the championship, it will be a mistake to take things for granted when you’re in the company of the most determined racers on the grid. Qualifying well will be critical to give me a great boost in confidence leading up to the race,” he said.
PROMOTIONAL CLASS
Always the crowd-puller with its celebrities, the Promotional Class can be expected to see close fight between actors Zizan Razak and Shukri Yahaya who are separated by a single point going into the final 2 races of the season.
Zizan had taken the first two race victories in Round 1 while Shukri fought back valiantly to win the following two races in Round 2. “I have to go for the championship win this time. I need to prove to myself that I can do it,” said Shukri, who has been racing in the Vios Challenge since the first season. He has finishing second in the Promotional Class twice so he will be aiming to finally take the crown this year.
In third with 41 points is singer Khai Bahar, followed by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Chief Motorsports Officer Akio Takeyama (39 points), and television host Nabil Ahmad in fifth a further 1 point behind.
ROOKIE CLASS
The battle of the Rookies has so far been dominated by simulator racer Naquib Azlan who has amassed 3 race victories from the 4 races to build a commanding lead with 74 points in the overall championship. Second with 59 points is 17-year-old Amer Harris, followed closely by another simulator racer Mika Hakimi on 54 points, while in fourth and fifth are Jwan Hii and Putera Adam with 35 and 20 points, respectively.
“The Rookie Class has been the most highly anticipated this season given their reputation as newcomers in racing but all 5 drivers have produced some surprising results which underlines the credibility and success of the GAZOO Racing Young Talent Development Program,” said Mr. Takeyama.
TGR in Sepang 1000KM Race (S1K)
Within days of this weekend’s Vios Challenge finale, Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia will also be joining the annual Sepang 1000KM race. The 1000-km race is expected to take 9 hours and cover 181 laps of the Sepang International Circuit.
The entries will include two cars in the MTC Production Class and SP2 production class, in addition to concurrently running the very first Vios Enduro Cup for privateers and dealer teams competing in the SP2 Production Class.
Fighting for outright victory in the MTC Production class will be the trio of Tengku Djan Ley who is also TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Ambassador, Rookie Class driver Naquib and Mr. Takeyama. The SP2 Production Class will see Rookie Class drivers Jwan and Mika partnering our very own Promotional Class driver and actor Zizan Razak.
“This will be a great way of completing this year’s racing calendar. Of course, winning the MTC Production Class will certainly be the icing on the cake! We will certainly be gunning for overall victory but we will be equally happy to finish competitively at the very top,” said Mr. Takeyama. “Joining a prestigious national series event like the S1K is also the start of extending TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s presence in Malaysian motorsports.”
In the 11 years that the S1K race has been held since 2009 to 2019, Toyota has won the race twice with private entries, both of whom used the Corolla model.