Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge Season 7: A Thrilling Start At Sepang

The first round of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge Season 7, held at the iconic 5.543 kilometre Petronas Sepang International Circuit, delivered an exhilarating weekend of motorsports. With the debut of the all-new 3rd-generation Toyota Vios as the standard race car for all teams, the event saw intense competition, unpredictable weather, and the rise of young racing talent.

New Car And Challenges

Round 1 saw 33 cars race in a 1-hour endurance format, challenging drivers who were previously accustomed to sprint races. The 2 days of racing over the weekend were marked by both scorching heat and wet conditions, putting both man and machine to the test. The results of Race 1 and Race 2 were combined to give drivers an overall position for Round 1. Out of the total of 33 cars lined up on the grid, 6 were driven by new young drivers in the Rookie Class. This is a testament to the series’ commitment to nurturing emerging talent through the Toyota Gazoo Racing Young Driver Development Programme that helps develop youn talents who are transitioning from simulator racing and karting to saloon car racing.

The Vios Challenge is also one of the most lucrative motorsports event in the country, with the top 10 drivers going home with combined prize monies amounting to RM110,000. The top 5 racers in each of the Super Sporting Class (for professional and seeded drivers) and Sporting Class (for amateurs) with RM60,000 and RM50,000 respectively.

Super Sporting Class: Naquib Azlan & Mitchell Cheah Shine

In the Super Sporting Class, Axle Sports driver Naquib Azlan emerged as the overall winner of Round 1, earning RM16,000. Naquib’s consistency paid off with a win in Race 1 and a strong 2nd-place finish in Race 2. However, the top spot in Race 2 was claimed by Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Mitchell Cheah, who crossed the finish line over 11 seconds ahead of Naquib, who was followed by Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang in 3rd.

“I had a great race today. Coming into race 2 today I was very confident because of the conditions (a wet race) and I knew what I had to do but it took a little longer than expected to pull away due to the intense battle for track positions, We started off with an almost fully wet track due to the earlier rain and as the race developed, conditions became better and I slowly built the lead the head of the pack,” said Cheah, the defending Super Sporting Class champion. Cheah finished 4th in Race 1.

“As you know it’s an entirely new car this season and it’ll take some time for everyone to become acclimatized to its characteristics and drive to the vehicle’s full potential. Of course the goal will be to defend my overall championship but we still have a long season ahead,” he added.

Sporting Class: Kenneth Koh Triumphs Despite Adversity

The Sporting Class for amateur drivers saw PCM Group Racing Team’s Kenneth Koh take the overall lead after a strong showing in Race 2, earning him RM14,000. Finishing 3rd in Race 1, Koh redeemed himself with a commanding victory in Race 2, beating BAE Racing by ES Yang’s Teo Hong Zhou who took 2nd, and Race Rally KL’s Shafiq Samsudin in 3rd (who was also Race 1’s winner).

“It was a very tough race due to the slippery conditions but as the track dried up I managed to pull away from the field. Overall, the car felt good and I am just very happy with how the race weekend panned out,” said Koh, who had to overcome a significant challenge after his car was unfortunately damaged during pre-season testing and left the team with less than a month to complete repairs.

“What happened was extremely unfortunate. Thankfully, the car was not as badly damaged as it looked and all the credit certainly goes to the team for getting it ready in time for me to make it to Round 1 this weekend,” he said. The 2 results combined currently places Koh in the lead of the overall championship and as Round 1 overall champion, he bagged RM14,000 for his efforts over the race weekend.

Rookie Class: Young Talent Takes Center Stage

The Rookie Class saw 18-year-old pro karter Adam Mikail dominate both races, securing back-to-back victories. Despite carrying an additional 20 kg ballast and starting from the back of the grid in Race 2, Adam impressed by finishing ahead of several Sporting Class drivers, securing 10th place overall out of 33. In his class, he pipped recreational karters, Brandon Ho and Amirul Afiq to claim his win.

“Due to yesterday’s race win I had to carry an extra 20 kg weight ballast in the car and the reverse grid format mean that I had to also start from the back of the grid. I was a bit concerned whether I would be able to pass the front cars but I had good pace coming into the race and to my surprise as the race unfolded I found myself mixing it up with the Sporting Class drivers,” said Adam.

The Rookie Class also features promising talents like 17-year-old pro karter Audrey Leong, 21-year-old simulator racer Raja Amirul, and 19-year-old recreational karter Kingston Tan, all competing in their first saloon car racing season.

A Bright Future For The Series

Season 7 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge is offering a total prize pool of RM630,000, making it the most lucrative motorsports series in Malaysia. With nearly 30 million online viewers and 220,000 on-ground spectators since its inception in 2017, the series continues to grow in popularity.

The excitement continues with Round 2 scheduled for 27 – 29 September 2024 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on the drivers as they battle for supremacy in one of Malaysia’s most thrilling racing series.

For more information, log on to www.toyota.com.my/en/tgrmalaysia.