Season 9 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge has successfully kicked off last weekend (17-19 April) at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit, the longest-running series for production-based saloon cars by a manufacturer.
Since UMW Toyota Motor started the Vios Challenge in 2017, it has run for nine years in a row. This season, 51 drivers are competing in four classes: Super Sporting (for professional drivers), Sporting (for amateurs), Rookie (for young drivers), and Classic Challenge (for older Vios Challenge race cars).
Among the participants this year are three drivers from Thailand: Surasak Dakeng, Varunchit Wattanathanakun, and Mekkaradkeeta Kalantananda, representing RUK Team PMC 52. Indian driver Aditya Patnaik is racing for Axle Sports. Mekkaradkeeta is joined by four female drivers: Ng Aik Sha from GTA Race Team, Sophia Zara from Super Evergreen Motorsport, and Nurul Auni and Pay Jin Yao from Rock Racing.
All drivers compete in the same type of 4th generation Vios Challenge race cars. They rely on their skills and preparation to get the most out of these identical cars, which have a 1.5-litre engine and a 5-speed transmission. This season offers a total prize pool of RM876,000, which is RM76,000 more than last year, with four rounds and a total of eight races.
In Race 1 of the Super Sporting Class, Laser Motor Racing took two spots in the top three. Ady Rahimy won from pole position, while his new teammate Nabil Azlan finished 3rd, just behind defending champion Freddie Ang, who crossed the finish line only 0.6 seconds after the winner in the 22-lap race.
“It was a good clean fight with Ang. I managed to keep my composure and retained the lead despite coming under pressure,” said Ady whose lead in the race grew from 0.3 seconds to as much as 1 second before eventually reducing to 0.6 seconds in the penultimate laps of race as Ang gave it one final push to overtake.
In Race 2, Ang moved up from 5th position on the starting grid to the front by the third lap, with Mitchell Cheah, Kenneth Koh, and the Laser Motor Racing duo of Ady and Nabil chasing him. Ang used the battle behind him to increase his lead to 3.7 seconds ahead of Nabil by the 14th lap, while Ady secured 3rd place. The race ended under the safety car due to heavy rain.
The Sporting Class, for amateur drivers, featured exciting close racing in Race 1, where the lead changed hands four times before Adam Mikail from G-Mart Best Autosport, and a former Rookie Class champion, won in challenging wet conditions.
Starting from 10th on the grid and recovering from car damage he suffered in practice (mechanics worked through the night to fix it), Adam found his stride when he challenged for the lead by Lap 7 of the 20-lap race. The top drivers like Teo Hong Zhou, Varunchit Wattanathanakun, and Justin Toh were battling fiercely for the lead.
Adam led for 12 laps, holding off strong pressure from Toh, who finished just 1.4 seconds behind, while Teo took 3rd.
Race 2 started with a safety car, allowing drivers to adapt to the wet track. Hendra Ade Putra from FIA Boulevard Racing took a short lead from pole position, with Choo Yong Choon and Aditya Patnaik close behind. Choo passed Hendra after two laps and built up his lead, while Hendra faced tough competition from more experienced drivers.
Zhou, Toh, and Hong Huat X from Armada KK Racing consistently raced for the top three spots, thrilling spectators. Choo won by 1.8 seconds after leading unchallenged, while Zhou slipped from 2nd to 3rd due to Toh’s last-minute overtaking just before the final lap ended in another heavy rain.
This season also welcomed five new young drivers in the Rookie Class through the GAZOO Racing Malaysia Young Talent Development Program, aimed at helping young drivers transition from simulator racing and karting to saloon car racing.
The new lineup featured 16-year-old Ethen Low, 17-year-old Imran Iskandar, 18-year-old Ervin Lim, 20-year-old Ngo Yong Jian, and 21-year-old Megat Damian, each with experience in simulator racing.
In Race 1, Lim capitalized on his first pole position and won the race 6.6 seconds ahead of Imran, with Ngo finishing in 3rd place.
“Joining the Vios Challenge has been a longtime dream of mine since I developed an interest for motorsports. Being selected as a Rookie is indeed a great honor. I had a great start in the race and after the first corner, I just kept my head down and relied on all the training we’ve undergone,” said Lim.
Race 2, went in favour of Ngo Yong Jian who seized the lead from Imran who went on to secure his second successive 2nd place finish, with Lim completing the top three.
“I knew I had the pace and I just needed to focus. The only difference between simulator racing and real racing is the G-force and the heat we experience inside the car but this is something that we have been prepared for in training and thankfully, the transition has been seamless,” said Ngo.
First introduced in 2025, the weekend also featured the Vios Classic Challenge, which brought back older Vios Challenge race cars.
The one-hour race with a required pitstop had 15 drivers racing in nine cars. In Race 1, Axle Sports’ Raja Amirul Syauqat led comfortably for the first 23 laps until a broken gearbox stopped him on the track.
His bad luck allowed Thai drivers Surasak Dakeng and Varunchit Wattanathanakun from RUK Team PMC 52 to take the win, finishing 5.2 seconds ahead of Kegani Racing Academy’s Loke Yin Yi and Kenny Lee. Mirza Syahmi and Khair Nur Adi finished 3rd, 12 seconds behind the leaders.
In Race 2, the Thai duo won again, this time in a thrilling finish, crossing the line just half a second ahead of Kegani Racing Academy’s Lee. Clovertech’s Lucas Leong and Phua Eu Hoong came in 3rd.
Kegani Racing Academy’s Loke led the race for 15 laps before the pitstop, handing the car to Lee for the final part. Lee briefly fell to 2nd after rejoining the race but quickly reclaimed the lead. Varunchit stayed close, just 1 second behind, and made a final push that led to his victory.
RESULTS, VIOS CHALLENGE SEASON 9, ROUND 1 (18-19 APRIL 2026)
RACE 1
SUPER SPORTING
1. Ady Rahimy Laser Motor Racing
2. Freddie Ang Telagamas Toyota
3. Nabil Azlan Laser Motor Racing
SPORTING
1. Adam Mikail G-Mart Best Autosport
2. Justin Toh BAE Racing by ES Yang
3. Teo Hong Zhou Awesome Racing Team
ROOKIE
1. Ervin Lim
2. Imran Iskandar
3. Ngo Yong Jian
CLASSIC CHALLENGE
1. Surasak Dakeng/Varunchit Wattanathanakun RUK Team PMC 52
2. Loke Yin Yi/Kenny Lee Kegani Racing Academy
3. Mirza Syahmi/Khair Nur Adi
RACE 2
SUPER SPORTING
1. Freddie Ang Telagamas Toyota
2. Nabil Azlan Laser Motor Racing
3. Ady Rahimy Laser Motor Racing
SPORTING
1. Choo Yong Choon Heiwa Racing Team
2. Justin Toh BAE Racing by ES Yang
3. Teo Hong Zhou Awesome Racing Team
ROOKIE
1. Ngo Yong Jian
2. Imran Iskandar
3. Ervin Lim
CLASSIC CHALLENGE
1. Surasak Dakeng/Varunchit Wattanathanakun RUK Team PMC 52
2. Loke Yin Yi/Kenny Lee Kegani Racing Academy
3. Lucas Leong/Phua Eu Hoong Clovertech