The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge Season 7 kicked off with a thrilling Round 1 at the Sepang International Circuit. The weekend showcased the debut of the new Toyota Vios, challenging weather conditions, sibling rivalries, international drivers, and emerging young talents.
Two days of racing, both in extreme heat and in wet weather conditions, rewarded the top five 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. The results of the Race 1 and Race 2 were combined to give drivers an overall position for Round 1.
Round 1 saw a total of 33 cars taking to the grid for a 1-hour format race that also saw the debut of the latest third generation Toyota Vios. It was a baptism of fire and a challenging test for both the new car and drivers who in previous seasons had only been subjected to short sprint races. The series also included the participation of six new young drivers in the Rookie Class made up of graduates of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Young Driver Development Program to help develop talented young drivers who are transitioning from simulator racing and karting to saloon car racing.
In the Super Sporting Class for professional and seeded drivers, Axle Sports driver Naquib Azlan was declared the overall winner for Round 1, taking home a whopping RM16,000 for his efforts, having won Race 1 and finishing 2nd in Race 2.
The top honors for Race 2 however, went to Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Mitchell Cheah who took the chequered flag more than 11 seconds ahead of Naquib and the rest of the field, while Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang came in third.
“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 who is also the defending Super Sporting Class champion from 2023. He had finished 4th in Race 1 on Saturday.
“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.”
In the Sporting Class for amateur drivers, PCM Group Racing Team’s Kenneth Koh made his way back on to the winner’s podium after finishing 3rd in Race 1, to redeem himself with a win in Race 2. In second place was BAE Racing by ES Yang’s Teo Hong Zhou while in third was Race Rally KL’s Shafiq Samsudin who was also Race 1’s winner.
The two results combined currently places Koh in the lead of the overall championship and as Round 1 overall champion, he bagged a total of RM14,000 for his efforts over the race weekend.
“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. His journey to the season opening race had been an incredibly challenging one having damaged his all-new Toyota Vios on the day of the vehicle handover and pre-season testing with an unfortunate front end collision at the hands of another driver that left the team less than a month to complete the 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.”
Meanwhile, the battle of the young drivers in the Rookie Class produced identical results as per Race 1 with 18-year-old pro karter Adam Mikail clinching his second successive race win ahead of recreational karters Brandon Ho and Amirul Afiq.
Adam’s performance far exceeded expectations as a newcomer when he even finished ahead of the Sporting Class winners in 10th overall from a field of 33 cars on the grid.
“Due to yesterday’s race win I had to carry an extra 20kg 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.
Season 7 of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge also sees the participation of three other Rookie Class drivers: 17-year-old pro karter Audrey Leong; 21-year-old simulator racer Raja Amirul; and 19-year-old recreational karter Kingston Tan.
The intense competition in Round 1 sets the stage for an exciting season ahead. The series aims to develop young talents through the Young Driver Development Program, highlighting the transition from karting to saloon car racing. The next round of the series is scheduled for September at the Sepang International Circuit.
With a substantial prize pool of RM630,000, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge continues to attract a large audience both online and on-ground. The success of the series since its inception in 2017 reflects its popularity in the local racing scene. Fans can look forward to more thrilling races and emerging talents in the upcoming rounds of the competition. Round 2 of the series will be held from 27-29 September 2024 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit.
For more information, log on to www.toyota.com.my/en/tgrmalaysia.
RESULTS, SEASON 7, ROUND 1, RACE 2
SUPER SPORTING CLASS
1. Mitchell Cheah – Prima Pearl TD Racing
2. Naquib Azlan – Axle Sports
3. Freddie Ang – Telagamas Toyota
SPORTING CLASS
1. Kenneth Koh – PCM Group Racing Team
2. Teo Hong Zhou – BAE Racing by ES Yang
3. Shafiq Shamsudin – Race Rally KL
ROOKIE CLASS
1. Adam Mikail
2. Brandon Ho
3. Amirul Afiq