UMW Toyota Crowns 2024 GR GT Cup Malaysia Champion, Top 3 Racers will represent nation in Asia round for a chance to advance to the world series

In what was a nail biting third race finale at the Circuit De La Sarte in Le Mans, France, Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira miraculously came from the back of the field in the 30-minute race to win his fourth GR GT Cup Malaysia title.

The 26-year-old reaffirmed his claim to being the most successful simulator racer in the GR GT Cup Malaysia series when he accumulated a total of 59 points in three Grand Final races, finishing 7 points clear of this year’s first runner-up Chong Kai Chang and the 2022 Champion Muhammad Iqbal Suji who amassed 50 points for a hard-fought third place. All three drivers, including last year’s first runner-up Dhanesh Wigneswaran, had been in contention to win the RM25,000 grand prize with Taj Izrin Aiman, Chong and Muhammad Iqbal each having claimed a race victory. In the end, the deciding factor came down to consistency, perseverance, grit and a little bit of luck in the third and final race.

“I took a huge gamble and decided to not pit in for a tyre change when it started to rain after just two laps and it paid off,” said Taj Izrin Aiman. “I stayed out on full slicks and tried gain track position as the others – including the race leaders – pitted for a change of intermediate tyres and that essentially turned the entire race around for me.”

Held at the Sunway University Campus, the Grand Final offered a total prize pool of RM120,500, making the GR GT Cup Malaysia the most lucrative simulator racing series in the country.

For Chong, second place was an improvement over his third overall position in 2023. The 30-year-old who won RM15,000, finished 4th in race 1, winning race 2 and came in 3rd in the final race which saw the 10 finalists competing behind the wheel of GR010 Hybrid 21 prototype race car.

“My friends and I spent a lot of time practicing and experimenting with different race strategies. This was largely due to update the game received a few days prior to the Grand Final which enhanced the physics of the race cars. I felt that it was too risky to stay on track with the slicks and decided to change to intermediate tyres and that’s how the rest of the race unfolded.”

Also conceding after battling hard was Muhammad Iqbal who had won race 1 and was one of the clear favourites going into the Grand Final. He won a cash prize of RM12,000 for his valiant efforts.

“Unfortunately for me, I am not satisfied with my result. I thought I had it under control but I hesitated (with the tyre change) and made one pit stop too many. But it is what it is,” said the Medical graduate who finished a distant 5th in the final race.

Like in previous years, the top three drivers have also earned their place to represent Malaysia in the GR GT Cup Asia for a chance to represent Asia in the World Finals.

“In seven seasons of organizing the GR GT Cup Malaysia, the competition has grown exponentially intense, and every year the standards of driving and the level of race craft demonstrated by the finalists appear to set an even higher benchmark for future aspirants,” said UMW Toyota Motor President Datuk Ravindran K.

“This is precisely what we at Toyota had hoped to accomplish and I am pleased that we have been able to exact an impactful contribution to Malaysian motorsports both in the virtual realm and even more so on the racing track via the GR Vios Challenge and GR Young Driver Development Program.”

The top 10 drivers had fought their way into the Grand Final after outperforming more than 1,000 participants who signed up for the qualifiers that began in June. Season 7 of the event also saw the GR GT Cup Malaysia Campus Tour return to eight universities in Peninsular Malaysia with the objective of introducing simulator racing to undergraduates, Secondary and Primary students. The Campus Tour attracted a total of 2,223 participants, and among an additional 10 racers selected to participate in an exhibition race at the Grand Final was 14-year-old Ethen Low who represented St Michael’s Institution with a 2nd place finish . The Campus Tour had also been instrumental in discovering talents such as Raja Amirul Syauqat who went on to be recruited for the GAZOO Racing Young Driver Development Program and will this year be making his debut in the Rookie Class of the Vios Challenge.

This year’s GR GT Cup Malaysia also hosted exhibition races for the Toyota GAZOO Racing rookie drivers and members of the Media. Also introduced for the first time was a Team Championship which partnered the GR GT Cup Malaysia finalists with participants from the GR GT Cup Malaysia Campus Tour with the objective of enabling the latter to be coached by professionals.

For more information, log on to UMW Toyota Motor (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd website , Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.