As in 2021 with Season 4 of the Vios Challenge, part of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival, the final round of Season 5 will be run at night at the Sepang International Circuit. For this event, a rooftop festival will also be held during the weekend of September 24/25.
While the event will be open to the public (no entry fees), access to the festival on the rooftop of the main paddock building will be limited. To be among them, you will have to register online in advance and passes will be issued to the first 2,000 applicants on a first come-first served basis. Click here for more information on how to get the access passes.
The entire rooftop area of the building will be transformed into a festival ground, with numerous activities for all the family. Fans will be able to meet their favourite celebrities and enjoy concerts on both days. There will also be lucky draws and sale of GAZOO Racing and Toyota merchandise.
2,000 spectators will be able to watch the races from the rooftop of the main building as well as enjoy live concerts.
“We continuously look at new elements to make both the Festival and the race even more exciting. Race fans have been a big part of the festival’s continued success and for the finale this season, we’d like to do something a little special by showing our appreciation to 2,000 of the spectators,” said UMW Toyota Motor’s President, Ravindran K.
For the past 4 years, Muhammad Iqbal Suji has been in pursuit of a title – champion of the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship. And this year, he finally got it as he powered to an emotional race victory in the finale of Season 5 of the championship held at the 1Utama Shopping Mall in Selangor.
Racing in front of a live audience at the venue as well as online ,the 24-year-old from Selangor clinched the Grand Prize of RM20,000 cash to beat 9 other finalists in a series of 3 races in the closely-fought final races.
“Toyota’s on-track and online racing activities are about empowering the dreams of individuals – propelling them to excel. The organizing of the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship gives those who excel online an ideal platform to further develop and unleash their fullest potential with some even transitioning into real racing,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K, adding that Toyota’s combination of physical and online racing since 2018 has given the company the opportunity to contribute immensely to greater promoting Malaysian motorsports.
Top 3 to represent Malaysia Muhammad Iqbal will now have to put aside friendly rivalry to lead a 3-man Malaysian team consisting of Muhammad Uzair and Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira who finished second and third, respectively. This team will compete to the regional finals of the Toyota GAZOO Racing GT Cup organized by Toyota Motor Asia Pacific to be held on October 2.
This also gives Team Malaysia the chance of going on to represent Asia in the Global ESports finals to be held in Monaco on November 25.
Members of the public also had a chance to experience sim racing and try to beat a target lap time.
“Winning the event made me recall all the emotions and frustrations of not getting the position that I felt I deserved over the last few years and now that I finally have, it feels great and steaming hot!” said Muhammad Iqbal.
The final showdown The 20 racers who took part in the Grand Finale had come up from an initial group of more than 500 contestants who had participated in a gruelling qualifying round held between July 9 and 17. The 3-race final showdown began with a 15-minute sprint Race 1 at Brazil’s 4.309-km Autodromo Interlagos which saw 2-time defending champion Taj Izrin Aiman winning and taking an early lead in the overall point standings. In second place was Muhammad Iqbal while finishing third was Muhammad Uzair.
In Race 2, which was also held at Interlagos and also with the 591 bhp Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept, the 30-minute session was decided in the last very last lap with 29-year-old Muhammad Uzair keeping his cool until the penultimate moments of the race to get ahead of race leader Dhanesh Wigneswaran. That race however, proved disastrous for Taj Izrin Aiman who ran as high as fourth position before finishing seventh.
The races were also broadcast live with two commentators reporting on the action.
“I really expected Muhammad Iqbal and Taj Izrin Aiman to be ahead. I just tried all out without thinking too much,” said Uzair who made the most of traffic on the track to inch his way ahead of the field. That victory had momentarily placed him in the lead of the overall point standings with one final race to complete.
Race 3 proved to be the hardest fought 40-minutes with racers getting behind the wheel of a 1,000 bhp Toyota TS050 Hybrid around the 7.004-km Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. In the end, it was Muhammad Iqbal who drove to a classy and composed race victory, finishing 8 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor on the track, Taj Izrin Aiman, and Muhammad Uzair in third.
Muhammad Iqbal Suji on his way to victory in the final race.
“In Race 3, I made a critical mistake and I overshot the first corner. That disrupted the momentum for my race. I’ve driven my best, and I would like to thank UMW Toyota Motor for continuing to organize the ESports championship and congratulate Muhammad Iqbal who drove to a remarkable championship victory,” said Taj Izrin Aiman.
Drivers and celebrities competing in the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge race series, members of the media, invited gamers, and young drivers in the Vios Challenge rookie class, also took part in 4 exhibition races.
The celebrity race was won by actor Zizan Razak, followed by presenter Nabil Ahmad and another actor Shukri Yahaya, who coincidentally also happen to be the top three contenders in the Promotional Class of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge racing series.
Besides the successful and popular Toyota Vios Challenge one-make series, UMW Toyota Motor has also been running another motorsport series – in the virtual world. This is the Toyota GR Velocity E-sports Championship which is in its fifth year in 2022. The most lucrative local online racing series in the country offering cash prizes, it is also the first and only E-sports motorsports-racing event promoted by a Malaysia car company.
First held in 2018, the number of participants in the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship has grown exponentially, with the event drawing more than 1 million online spectators per season. “2022 marks the fifth season of not only the Toyota GR Velocity Esports Championship, but also the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge race series. It used to be that virtual racing and real racing are two very different entities, but we are honoured to have witnessed first-hand how both disciplines are contributing immensely towards producing Malaysia’s next generation of competitive racing drivers,” said UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K.
He noted that the company has successfully pioneered the transition of 4 young simulator drivers into saloon car racing over the last 2 years. One of those drivers is Nabil Azlan, who finished third in last year’s GR Velocity Esports Championship and is today not only competing in saloon car racing but is also one of the championship frontrunners in the Rookie Class of the Vios Challenge race series.
Fighting for RM70,000 price purse
This weekend will see the final showdown of the season at the 1Utama Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. With 11 races in 4 distinctive racing cars. this year’s winner will emerge from the 20 best online racers competing against each other for a total prize pool of RM70,000 and a ticket to represent Malaysia on the international arena.
The 20 racers have come up from an initial group of more than 500 contestants who had participated in a gruelling qualifying round held between July 9 and 17. This weekend’s Grand Finale will see 2 rounds of semi-final races being held to decide the top 10 drivers for the final.
The semi-finals will see racers battling it out on two circuits: the 4.265-km Brands Hatch and 3.8-km Goodwood circuits in the United Kingdom. The racers will drive the Toyota SFR Racing concept and a Toyota 86 Group B rally car, respectively.
For the final races, the battle will take place on Brazil’s 4.309-km Autodromo Interlagos behind the wheel of a 591 bhp Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept, and also a 1,000 bhp Toyota TS050 Hybrid at the 7.004-km Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Past winners return
Among the favourites returning this weekend are 2-time defending champion Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira, and the 2020 runner-up and third place winners Muhammad Iqbal Ahmad Suji and Mior Hafiz, as well as 2018 winner Muhammad Uzair. All 4 racers have had the opportunity to go on to the Regional Finals and will be hoping that 2022 will be the year which sees the first Malaysian driver going on to represent Asia in the Global Finals.
Exhibition races
There will also be 4 exhibition races during the weekend event, involving drivers and celebrities competing in the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge. Members of the media, invited gamers and young drivers in the Vios Challenge rookie class will also be invited to join in.
The celebrity line-up includes actors Zizan Razak and Shukri Yahaya; television hosts Nabil Ahmad, Ain Edruce and Ahirine Ahirudin; and singers Khai Bahar, Wany Hasrita and Nabila Razali. The Vios Challenge rookies will be 4 young drivers – Adele Liew, Nabil Azlan, Sharique Zulqarnain and Muizz Musyaffa.
Besides watching the event live at 1Utama, the races will also be broadcast live on Astro’s eGG Channel, as well as the Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia Facebook and YouTube pages.
A year ago, the Toyota GAZOO RACING team won the Safari Rally Kenya, the Japanese carmaker’s first on the gruelling African event since Yoshio Fujimoto/Arne Hertz won the 43rd Safari in 1995 in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD.
This year, doing even better than the 1-2 finish in the 2021 event, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing made a remarkable clean sweep of the top 4 positions with the GR YARIS Rally1 car. Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta joined winner Kalle Rovanpera on the podium, with Sebastien Ogier (last year‘s winner) in fourth. The next best-placed car finished 8½ minutes behind the Toyota quartet.
It was also a landmark 10th victory for Toyota on the famous African event, and the first time it has achieved a 1-2-3-4 finish in the WRC since the very same rally in 1993. Only once has any other manufacturer achieved the same feat in the championship in nearly three decades since.
In its second running since returning to the WRC calendar last year, the Safari delivered even tougher conditions, including deep ‘fesh-fesh’ sand on Friday and wet and muddy surfaces on Saturday in addition to the ever-present rocks and stones. It was by far the hardest challenge yet for the new generation of hybrid-powered Rally1 cars.
Rovanpera had an early scare when he ran wide on the very first corner on Thursday’s opening super special in Nairobi and knocked a tyre off its rim. But he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen ran faultlessly thereafter on the way to their fourth victory in 6 rounds, increasing their championship lead to 65 points.
Rovanpera actually never expected to win this rally. He arrived in Kenya with a commanding points lead and played down his glory hopes, instead starting with the mindset that any points from the championship’s roughest encounter would be a bonus. And despite feeling unwell, he strengthened his position on Saturday and thrived in waterlogged conditions as downpours derailed many of his rivals’ hopes. The sizeable 40.3-second margin he carried into Sunday’s finale was extended further by another 2 fastest times and the youngster ended the tough 4-day event in the lead of the Yaris quartet.
Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin also performed superbly and ran their team-mates close for the victory, remaining within 20 seconds of the lead until the rain hit on Saturday afternoon. They finished up 52.8 seconds away as they scored their second podium of the season.
Ogier, the 2021 event winner, led for most of Friday in the defence of his crown until he had to stop and change a tyre on the day’s final stage, losing over 2 minutes. He and co-driver Benjamin Veillas fought back to fourth overall and, with their team-mates focused on reaching their finish, set the third-fastest time in the rally-ending Power Stage to add to the team’s points haul from the weekend. Its Manufacturers’ championship lead has increased to 62 points.
The hotly-anticipated battle with compatriot Sebastien Loeb never materialised either, as the 9-time world champion retired his M-Sport Ford Puma with engine problems on Friday. Nevertheless, Ogier was able to bring home more solid points for Toyota during his part-time campaign.
Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville was over 10 minutes behind in fifth overall, despite incurring a 10-minute penalty when he crashed into a tree and failed to finish Saturday’s Sleeping Warrior finale. It was a weekend to forget for the Korean manufacturer, with Estonian Ott Tanak’s i20 N also sidelined by a broken propshaft on the penultimate leg and retiring for a second time with power steering failure on Sunday.
Craig Breen restarted after his early bath on Friday and ended as M-Sport Ford’s leading driver in sixth overall despite nursing suspension problems. Breen gained a position when Oliver Solberg stopped in the middle of the road with an air filter full of dust, causing the cancellation of Sunday’s opener. The young Swede eventually got going again but was plagued by a mechanical issue in the closing speed tests and dropped to 10th.
Competing in Africa for the first time, and having led from start to finish in a Skoda Fabia Rally2, Kajetan Kajetanowicz won the WRC2 class by the massive margin and topped off a perfect weekend by scoring maximum bonus points in the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage. He leapt from fifth in the standings to lead by 5 points after six of 13 rounds.
RESULTS (TOP TEN)
1. Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3:40:24.9 secs
2. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +52.8 secs
3. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1 min 42.7 secs
4. Sebastien Ogier/Benjamin Veillas (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2 mins 10.3 secs
5. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +10 mins 40.9 secs
6. Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (Ford Puma Rally1) +23 mins 27.9 secs
7. Jourdan Serderidis/Frederic Miclotte (Ford Puma Rally1) +30 mins 16.5 secs
8. Sebastien Loeb/Isabelle Galmiche (Ford Puma Rally1) +32 mins 12.6 secs
9. Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +35 mins 37.6 secs
10. Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +37 mins 36.6 secs
Toyota won the 24 Hours Le Mans again, the fifth year in a row that the Japanese carmaker has won the classic endurance race. Toyota is the only other Japanese carmaker to win the 24-hour race, the other being Mazda in 1991 with its 787B.
This year, Toyota is using a new racing car, the GR010 HYBRID developed to the LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) technical regulations. It’s a completely new machine, sharing virtually nothing with the LMP1 (Le Mans Prototype) class TS050 HYBRID car that was used successfully in previous years.
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team’s fourth 1-2 finish at the 90th edition of the race was led by the crew of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa who drove in the #8 GR010 HYBRID for 380 laps. They were followed across the finish line by 2021 winners, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María Lopez, in the #7 car, 2mins 1.222 seconds behind.
The two Toyota hypercars were in a class of their own and engaged in close battles at the front. The lead changed several times as the race went through the night, with traffic, slow zones and track evolution all coming into play. Most of the time over a period of 16 hours, the two cars ran just a few seconds apart.
As the morning started, there was a rare moment of trouble when the #8 car had a puncture with Buemi at the wheel. But the complexion of the race changed decisively on lap 256 when Jose had to move the race-leading #7 car to the side of the track following an issue relating to the front motor. He had to perform a system reset and was then able to return to the pits. Further resets solved the issue and allowed the car to rejoin the race but nearly a lap behind the new leader in the #8 GR010 HYBRID.
With closely-matched performance, that deficit proved too great for the #7 crew to overcome, despite Jose setting the fastest lap of the race within the remaining 30 minutes of the race. It was therefore left to Brendon to take the #7 car across the finish line, completing 5,177 kms in 24 hours.
Third and fourth places were taken by the cars of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, also racing in the hypercar class, which has covered 370 and 375 laps. Fifth place in the category (but 23rd overall) was the Alpine A480 – Gibson which was off-pace due to a number of technical problems that plagued the car and team.
Aston Martin claimed another victory with its Vantage GTE as partner team TF Sport won the GTE-Am class. The victory, in a year featuring a record-equalling 23-car GTE-Am entry, marks a second in three years at Le Mans for TF Sport following its class success in 2020.
As the third round of the 2022 World Endurance Championship (WEC), Le Mans offered double points and a chance for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to jump upwards in the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ standings. The new season had seen a close start in the Hypercar class against strong competition from Alpine and Glickenhaus.
However, after the Le Mans race, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has moved to the top, 22 points ahead of Alpine. The Drivers’ championship remains wide open, though, with the #8 crew just 3 points ahead of the leading Alpine trio, and #7 20 points behind.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR), the high-performance arm of the Japanese carmaker, has finally revealed details of the manual transmission for the GR Supra. It is part of a number of updates for the model which is now in its third year of production.
Available only for the 3-litre versions as well as a limited-run A91-MT Edition model, the manual transmission has been engineered and tuned specifically for use with the straight-six engine. The engineering team modified an existing transmission housing, driveshaft and gearset and removed elements that were not required, such as the acoustic package, which reduced weight.
At the heart of the transmission is a newly engineered large diameter clutch with a reinforced diaphragm spring. The larger friction area and a stronger spring are deemed necessary for the GR Supra’s high-torque engine which generates up to 500 Nm in standard form. The newly developed 6-speed manual gearbox is described as an ‘intelligent Manual Transmission’ (iMT) and has software that prioritizes sporty performance when required.
With an automatic, it’s possible to use second gear when pulling away uphill when opposite wheels are on surfaces with different grip levels – eg when the car is parked on partly icy road, progress is smooth with no rolling back or wheelslip.
With a manual gearbox, first gear must be used and releasing the clutch brings a greater risk of wheelspin. To address the issue, the TGR engineers tuned the car’s TRAction Control (TRAC) system for smoother operation like that experienced with an automatic. The system is also optimized for the GR Supra’s characteristic high engine torque, wide tyres and rear-wheel drive.
The car’s behaviour when accelerating out of a corner is a key element in the ‘Fun to Drive’ quality Toyota promises with the GR Supra. For the manual version, the traction control has again been the focus to ensure an ideal balance of agility and stability when exiting a corner on the throttle. TRAC intervention has been calibrated to maintain stability – so the car keeps faithfully to the driver’s intended line – while allowing the right amount of power for a sporty experience.
The ambition to make the GR Supra fun to drive in the most demanding scenarios inspired the introduction of a new Hairpin+ function. This is designed to allow experienced drivers more freedom and reward when taking tight bends on an uphill gradient (more than 5%) with a high-friction road surface. More ‘freewheel’ spin can make such routes more enjoyable to drive, so the engineers optimized engine torque control to allow a greater difference in the degree of wheelspin on the left and right-side tires.
To counter the possibility of ‘snap-off’ oversteer – something that may be hard to control with the car’s Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) alone – an Anti-Roll Program has been included for both the manual and automatic versions. This intervenes at an earlier point with the VSC to cover any sudden loss of grip when the car’s high-response suspension setting it used.
In addition, the Track mode has been tuned to allow for easy drifting with freedom of throttle control. The vehicle remains agile, but there is less risk of spinning thanks to specific engine and torque control.
When upshifting, the parameters are tuned to optimize engine torque at the moment of clutch engagement and release; on downshifts, the software has been fine-tuned for consistent performance with rev-matching. The iMT is set as the default but, if the driver prefers, it can be switched off in Sport mode. To avoid a sluggish take-off and a low in-gear acceleration feel, the final drive ratio has been shortened, from 3.15 (in the GR Supra automatic) to 3.46 (in the GR Supra MT).
The lever ratio was specifically set to minimize the effort required to make shifts and engage reverse gear. The weight and shape of the 200 gm gear knob, along with the quality of shift engagement, have all been precisely defined. Just as with the GR Yaris, close attention was also paid to how a manual shifter could be accommodated in the cockpit of the GR Supra.
Just as with the GR Yaris, close attention was also paid to how a manual shifter could be accommodated in the cockpit of the GR Supra. Ergonomics were studied thoroughly and the console unit and position of the drive mode selector were adjusted to provide a 43 mm clearance between the shift knob and the control panel. The spherical shift knob has also been shaped to allow a firm grip.
In addition to the new manual transmission, TGR has also further refined the steering and suspension with modified stabiliser bushings and retuned adaptive variable suspension (AVS) and other chassis control systems to improve handling performance and ride comfort.
For certain versions, the 19-inch forged alloy wheels come with a new design of revised spoke and cross-sectional shapes and premium Titanium Dark Silver finish. They are said to have greater strength and are lighter, with a weight reduction of 1.2 kgs per wheel.
Customers also have three new exterior colours to choose from – Volcanic Ash Grey, Dawn Blue and Avalanche White – while the interior is now available with a tan trim option.
Toyota has not announced pricing for the additional manual version but exports from the factory in Japan will start later this year.
To know more about the GR Supra or to purchase on in Malaysia, visit www.toyota.com.my.
Toyota GAZOO Racing has done a lot of upgrades to the GR Supra since it returned in 2019. But the one thing which fans wanted that this Supra has not come with is a manual transmission. The shared development with BMW made it more convenient to use the same type of transmission – an 8-speed automatic – rather than separately engineer for a manual transmission. Although people may think that it’s a simple matter, everything involves time and cost and there must be a good business case too.
Toyota’s Executive Chief Engineer (involved in the high-performance products) Tetsuya Tada had explained that the automatic transmission for the GR Supra is an ‘excellent transmission’ and it also handles lots of torque well. So that’s helpful when it comes to tuners bumping up the output as they are less likely to destroy the transmission.
But he never ruled out the possibility of having a manual transmission too and now, three years down the road, the GR Supra will soon be available with a manual transmission. An official communication from Toyota Europe says that ‘all-new, tailor-made manual transmission is coming soon’. It ends with a hashtag #savethemanual which is probably a sentiment supported by Tada-san’s boss, the President of Toyota, Akio Toyoda.
All previous Supras have had manual gearboxes (besides automatics) with the last generation also having a Getrag unit in some markets.
Details of the transmission are not revealed, and the only images shown are the pedals. Toyota Europe also offers pictures of the three pedals in the GR 86 and GR Yaris, with the GR Supra having a throttle pedal that is floor-hinged whereas the other two cars have it top-hinged.
The last generation of the Supra had two types of manual transmissions – a 5-speed Aisin W58 unit and in some markets, a 6-speed V161 (Getrag 233) transmission. The Getrag unit was well known to be a robust unit and praised for its ability to handle very high outputs. If there were transmission failures, it was mainly due to missed shifts.
Throttle pedals in the GR 86 (above) and GR Yaris (below) are top-hinged whereas the one for the manual Supra will be bottom-hinged.
Perhaps Toyota GR will use this proven Getrag gearbox again. From the words ‘all-new’, it is likely that this is an independent development by the Toyota GR team and so they can choose their own hardware. Or it could also be the gearbox from the M3.
The current powertrain line-up has two BMW-sourced turbocharged engines – a 3-litre in-line six and 2-litre in-line four – and it is likely that the bigger, more powerful engine will get the manual shifter. Whether it will be a limited edition or an addition to the line-up is uncertain. Toyota GR has done some limited editions and one more hint about the new variant is that it will be identified by a new red-coloured ‘Supra’ badge.
With the success story of the GR Yaris, it’s not surprising that Toyota has now followed up with another model and this time, it’s not on a limited production run. It’s the GR Corolla that has long been rumoured and it’s a full-fledged GR model developed from scratch rather than adapted from existing models. As with other GR models, which started with the Supra, the GR Corolla has been developed with a strong focus on high performance that will make it competitive for motorsport.
And with the company president, Akio Toyoda, being passionate about racing and being a racing driver himself, the engineers must have had a lot of encouragement and perhaps even given a bit of freedom in the budget. Naturally, the boss himself got involved in development and ensured that the final product would be as impressive as the GR Yaris.
GR Yaris
100 bhp per cylinder
Under the bonnet is the familiar G16E-GTS turbocharged, direct/port injected 3-cylinder engine, first seen in the GR Yaris. For GR Corolla, the output from the 1681 cc engine is boosted to 300 bhp/307 Nm, which equates to an impressive 100 bhp per cylinder. The boost in power is partly due to using a 3-piece muffler which reduces exhaust pressure (and outside noise), which are essential to backpressure performance.
As would be expected, the compact and lightweight G16E benefits has technologies from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s long and broad racing experience – and successful too. Features include multi-oil jet piston cooling, large-diameter exhaust valves and a part-machined intake port. Combustion is fed by Toyota’s D-4S direct and port fuel injection system, which operates at high pressure for maximum fuel dispersion and efficiency.
The 12-valve engine uses a single-scroll ball-bearing turbocharger integrated in the exhaust manifold, reducing weight, while control of wastegate bypass gases is used to improve the catalyst’s warm-up efficiency.
Delighting drivers is the provision of a 6-speed manual transmission – and only a manual transmission. ‘Morizo’ (Toyota President Akio Toyoda’s racing name) probably approved and encouraged that, being a racing driver himself. It’s called an Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) though it is not explained what the ‘intelligent part is, although Toyota says the rev-matching is engineered to accommodate high torque levels.
Toyota has long experience with high-performance 4-wheel drive since its days with the Supra GT-Four and with experience gained in WRC participation, it has advanced its all-wheel drive technologies. These technologies are used in the GR Corolla’s GR-Four All-Wheel-Drive system which was originally developed for rallying. The system gives drivers a choice of 60:40, 50:50 or 30:70 power distribution to the front and rear wheels with the twist of a dial.
The GR Corolla Circuit Edition (limited production run) is also equipped with front and rear Torsen Limited-Slip Differentials, for further enhancement of cornering performance and grip. Left and right-hand drive torque distribution are more effectively controlled on the front and rear axles.
Wide and rigid for superior dynamics
To fully use all the power (and also to be worthy of the GR badge), the GR Corolla has a specially constructed bodyshell that is highly rigid. Based off the GA-C platform with Toyota New Generation Architecture (TNGA), its increased rigidity comes from significantly more weld points in the frame, particularly to strengthen joints. Further gains are made through extensive use of structural adhesive, increasing the joint rigidity between component parts.
The front suspension is a straightforward MacPherson-type strut with circuit-tuned coil springs, shock absorbers and stabilizer bars, For the rear suspension, there is a double-wishbone type multilink system that accommodates the AWD system’s goal of maximum agility and stability.
Wide tyres are installed for maximum cornering grip and high speed stability. Standard rubber provided from the factory are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres sized 235/40R18 on 18-inch gloss-black 15-spoke cast alloy wheels.
Braking power comes from opposed, fixed-caliper disc brakes with 14 x 1.1-inch ventilated and slotted rotors clamped by 4-piston aluminium calipers. At the rear are 11.7-inch x 0.7-in. ventilated rotors with 2-piston aluminium fixed-caliper disc brakes.
Light and aerodynamic
Like the GR Yaris, there has been a focus on saving weight to maximize the performance potential, without compromising strength and safety, of course. This rigorous approach is particularly evident in the car’s construction, with extensive use of lightweight metals and materials used in key areas. Aluminium is used for the bonnet and front door panels, with light and strong high-tensile steel in critical areas to ensure the car’s structure can safely absorb and dissipate impact forces.
On the Circuit Edition, the roof is made of a forged (rather than woven) carbonfibre sheet molding compound. This lightweight, highly rigid material cuts weight and helps lower the car’s centre of gravity. The lower centre of gravity, which benefits stability and handling, is also a feature of the TNGA platform.
Aerodynamics are also vital for performance and it’s not just on the circuit but also in rallies as the speeds are also very high (not to mention literally flying through the air). From competition experience, the engineers have designed the GR Corolla with optimum aerodynamic efficiency. As with rally cars, the shaping of the front and rear canards and lower rockers efficiently channel airflow down the sides of the car. Bonnet, fender and rear bumper ducts and a flat underfloor reduce drag, add downforce and improve stability. Wind flow is directed onto the rear spoiler to generate extra downforce.
The exterior design of the GR Corolla follows that of the GR Yaris with its wide stance and hatchback form. The Core Grade’s aluminium bonnet is matched with a colour-keyed roof and matching shark-fin antenna, while the Circuit Edition features a bonnet bulge with functional gloss-black air ducts.
At the rear, a lower bumper cover with functional air vents. The wide track and flaring of the rear wings emphasize the car’s wide and low silhouette, with a spoiler on the roof to control airflow as it departs from the roof.
Race-inspired interior
The GR Corolla’s interior is very functional, thanks to feedback from professional drivers who obviously wanted a true driver’s cockpit. Facing the driver is a GR Full TFT meter with a 12.3-inch colour Multi-Information Display that has a GR meter with 4WD mode, turbo pressure, gear position indicator and tachometer.
The shift lever has a shortened stroke for a quick throw between gears. The subject of much testing, it is positioned where the driver’s arm is naturally lowered from steering. The action is light with short shift strokes. A pull-type mechanical parking brake is still used, something which is slowly disappearing as electric parking brakes replace the simple mechanical system. Incidentally, for the Circuit Edition, the shifter knob has an exclusive ’Morizo’ signature.
The GR Factory
The GR Corolla is built at the Motomachi plant in Japan, where as the Lexus LFA and Supra A80 have been built. It has a dedicated GR production line which has also produce the GR Yaris. Instead of the traditional conveyor system, the body and assembly lines comprise several different cells connected by automatic guided vehicles rather than the conveyors featured in conventional car plants. This fully flexible method of working, with many manual assembly techniques, enables precise body and suspension alignment, with variations in vehicle dimensions and weight kept to a minimum.
While the assembly of each GR Corolla takes longer than a conventional mass-produced car, the production line has been streamlined for performance, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has brought together highly skilled technicians from throughout the company to work on the new model. This team not only assembles the GR Corolla but also contributes to the technical skills of workers at other Toyota facilities.
The pricing has not been announced though whatever price it has, there will undoubtedly be no shortage of buyers. While the GR Yaris was a limited run, the GR Corolla will be produced in larger numbers as it will also be sold in North America (which did not get the GR Yaris).
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..
