Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival & Vios Challenge drew to a close with four overall champions

KUALA LUMPUR: Season 4 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Vios Challenge was full of suspense and on-track drama from start to finish. The racing series came to a close with the crowning of four overall class champions. The final race of the season at the Sepang International Circuit witnessed some of the most intense battles on track as three individuals were in close to grabbing the overall championship title in each of the four classes.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia Chief Motorsports Officer Akio Takeyama said, “We could not have asked for a more exciting finish to the season.” He further added, “Faced with an incredibly challenging season as a result of the global pandemic, we are thankful that we were able to conclude the championship. The introduction of a night race also made the Vios Challenge even more unpredictable and quite a spectacle enjoyed by both drivers and spectators. I would like to thank all the drivers, teams, sponsors, business associates, and all personnel involved in the series for their continued support. We will be back next season, and hopefully in an even bigger way!”

The four overall class champions are -

Tengku Djan Ley, Malaysia’s prince of drift and Toyota Gazoo Racing Malaysia ambassador grabbed his third overall championship title in the Super Sporting Class for elite drivers

Clement Yeo drove to his first-ever overall title in the Sporting Class for amature drivers

Shukri Yahaya charged to his first overall title in the Promotional Class after four seasons of racing

Naquib Azlan clinched the title of first-ever overall champion in the Rookie Class

Present at the finals was the honorable Minister of Youth & Sports Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Ahmad Faizal Bin Dato’ Azumu. He even took time off to meet the young talents competing in the Rookie Class and celebrities racing in the Promotional Class. He even presented prizes to the overall champions.

Praising UMW Toyota Motor’s involvement in Malaysian motorsports, YB Dato’ Seri Ahmad Faizal said, “This is an initiative that is being done independently of any Government support or financial assistance. While UMW Toyota Motor and the brand may have its own objectives to fulfill, it has successfully been able to do so while giving so much back to Malaysian motorsports. I’m not only referring to the racing that takes place on the track, but also in terms of giving the motorsports economy a big boost because events like these create both business and employment opportunities for those in the industry.”

A little limelight on overall class champions and the four classes -

Sporting Class

The Sporting Class race opened in dramatic fashion with no less than six cars involved in skirmishes from the first lap of the race due to a wet track. Clement Yeo made a brilliant start from the fifth position on the grid. Though Yeo paced himself well in the remaining 10 minutes of the race, Bradley stole the limelight when he took over second place. And this sealed the first three positions on the podium.

The victory sealed Yeo’s Season 4 Sporting Class overall champion title which comes with a cash prize of RM 50,000.

Results -

1. Clement Yeo
2. Bradley Benedict Anthony Dream Chaser
3. Kenneth Koh Panglima City Racing Team

 

Promotional Class

Both Shukri Yahaya and Zizn Razak were crowd favorites and had their eye set on becoming the overall champion in the class. The 18-lap race began with Zizan taking the lead followed by Shukri with singer Khai Bahar running at the third spot. The positions remained the same for the first five laps until Zizan went wide allowing Shukri to take the lead and losing the second spot to Khai. Zizan never recovered and remained in the third position for the rest of the race.

Result -

1. Khai Bahar
2. Shukri Yahaya
3. Zizan Razak

Super Sporting

The Super Sporting Class saw an incredibly fierce battle between three drivers - Mitchell Cheah, Tengku Djan Ley, and Freddie Ang, all of whom were in contention for the overall championship. Mitchell Cheah exerted his dominance to win the 20 lap race ahead of Tengku Djan Ley at the second and Freddie Ang in the third position. A post-race penalty against Cheah, however, promoted Tengku Djan to the first spot. He sealed his third Super Sporting Class overall championship title and won a cash prize of RM 70,000.

Result -

1. Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel Prima Pearl Auto
2. Mitchell Cheah 23 Motors
3. Freddie Ang Telagamas Toyota

Rookie Class

The season finale got its very first Rookie Class champion, Naquib Azlan. He turned out to be a surprising star of the season having participated in a saloon car race with experience drawn from competing as a simulator racer.

Result -

1. Putera Adam
2. Naquib Azlan
3. Jwan Hii

UMW Toyota Motor President Ravindran K. said, “The Vios Challenge has also become an attractive breeding ground for young racing talent due to its lower cost of entry and one-make format that is greatly centered on honing driving skills and racecraft. And with 4 categories of racing, from celebrities to young drivers, and amateur gentlemen racers to elite professionals, the Vios Challenge showcases incredible talent on track for the delight of spectators. Throughout the 4 seasons, the event has successfully attracted more than 5 million spectators (both on-site and online) which I hope will contribute to growing local awareness, interest, and especially greater appreciation for motorsports in Malaysia.”

Also Read: Get ready for first-ever night race of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival