UMW Toyota Motor has announced the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival Vios Challenge 7th Season will begin from 9-11 August 2024 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit. The 7th Season will feature three rounds and a total of six races at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit while offering a prize pool of RM630,000 and introduces the latest generation Toyota Vios race car, with three classes: Sporting Class, Super Sporting Class, and TGR Rookie Class.
Season 7 will debut latest generation Toyota Vios to be race in the series. The new Vios continues to be powered by a 1.5-litre engine with a five-speed manual transmission but is enhanced with a more rigid and stable all-new platform as well as revised aerodynamics.
These chassis enhancements make the new race car more planted in corners, more responsive to driver input and capable of even faster lap times. The introduction of the new model also underlines UMW Toyota Motor’s commitment to the Toyota Vios Challenge series for the next 4 seasons.
The first round of the Toyota Vios Challenge will coincide with the Malaysia Championship Series in August, while Round 2 will take place in September. The races will be broadcasted live to fans and enthusiasts. The calendar for the festival includes Round 1 in August, Round 2 in September, and the Grand Finale in January 2025.
| TOYOTA GR FESTIVAL, VIOS CHALLENGE SEASON 7 CALENDAR | ||||
| ROUND | DATE | ACTIVITIES | VENUE | LIVE |
| ROUND 1 | 9-11 August 2024 | Race rounds – Closed to public | Petronas Sepang International Circuit | Live broadcast Facebook: facebook.com/tgrmy Instagram: instagram.com/tgrmalaysia Youtube: youtube.com/@tgrmalaysia |
| ROUND 2 | 27-29 September 2024 | Petronas Sepang International Circuit | ||
| ROUND 3 | 3-5 January 2025 | Grand Finale – Open to public with entertainment, family and recreational attractions | Petronas Sepang International Circuit | |
UMW Toyota Motor aims to support Malaysian motorsports by making the series accessible, introducing the Toyota GR Young Talent Development Program, and now welcoming international drivers. The Toyota Vios Challenge has attracted almost 30 million online viewers since its inception in 2017, becoming a highly competitive series for both amateurs and professionals.
Returning to the Super Sporting Class in Season 7 includes former three-time overall champion Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel; defending class champion Mitchell Cheah; and big guns in Malaysian racing who include Eddie Lew, William Ho, Tom Goh and Freddie Ang. The Super Sporting Class will also see the participation of young drivers Putera Adam, brothers Naquib and Nabil Azlan – all three of whom were former Rookie Class drivers and champions -, Bradley Benedict, Ady Rahimy, Aman Nagdev from India.
The Sporting Class meanwhile will see familiar names like Dato’ Dr Ken Foo, Kenneth Koh, Dannies Ng, Shafiq Samsudin, Ricky Tan and Lim Chun Beng returning to the grid. Also joining will be young drivers Elson Lew who was last year’s Rookie Class runner-up, Amirul Haikal, Timothy Yeo and Ashen Arumugan. Competing in the Toyota Vios Challenge for the first time will also be Panithan Rakpaibulsombut from Thailand and Singaporean Daniel Inosuke Ooi.
The newest batch of TGR Rookies who will be joining the Toyota Vios Challenge Season 7 will be the 4th intake of young drivers who have graduated from the GAZOO Racing Young Talent Development Program. A total of 24 young drivers – including the latest six drivers who will race in the Rookie Class – have since graduated from the program which is aimed at giving talented drivers the opportunity to step into saloon car racing. The Rookie drivers includes: 22-year-old recreational karter Brandon Ho; 18-year-old pro karter Adam Mikail; 22-year-old recreational karter Amirul Afiq; 17-year-old pro karter Audrey Leong; 21-year-old simulator racer Raja Amirul (talent discovered from Toyota GR GT Cup Campus Tour 2023); and 19-year-old recreational karter Kingston Tan.
Overall, the Toyota Vios Challenge continues to promote fair play, a level playing field, and the development of young racing talent in both Malaysia and abroad.
For more information, log on to www.toyota.com.my/en/tgrmalaysia . Catch live racing actions on all TGR Malaysia social media platforms.