Championship Battle Intensifies As TGR Vios Challenge Season 9 Reaches Halfway Mark
The Toyota GAZOO Racing (TGR) Vios Challenge Season 9 reached its halfway point with a dramatic Round 2 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit South Track, delivering intense racing, surprise results and significant shifts in the championship standings.
Held under hot and demanding conditions, the weekend attracted 37 entries across the Super Sporting, Sporting and Rookie classes, while the Classic Challenge field featured 14 entries and 25 drivers. Organisers reported a live-stream audience of approximately 618,000 viewers.
Mitchell Cheah Returns To Winning Ways
The Super Sporting Class delivered some of the closest competition of the weekend, with former champion Mitchell Cheah claiming victory in Race 1 after a remarkable charge from seventh on the grid.
Pole-sitter Nabil Azlan led the race for 16 laps before Cheah, driving for Team Prima Pearl SP Selatan, closed the gap and took the lead in the final stages of the 30-minute race. Bradley Benedict Anthony completed the podium in third place.
“It’s great to be back on top! It’s been a while,” said Cheah.
“We still have a long way to go before the championship is decided but we’re feeling a lot better with the car this weekend and hopefully we can carry this momentum moving forward.”
Race 2 produced a different outcome as Toyotsu Racing’s William Ho secured victory after capitalising on an early mistake by pole-sitter Tom Goh of S&D Tama Motorsports.
Ho moved into the lead and held off challenges to take the win ahead of Nabil Azlan, who secured his second podium finish of the weekend. Laser Motor Racing team-mate Ady Rahimy finished third.
Defending Super Sporting champion Freddie Ang endured a difficult weekend, receiving a 30-second penalty in Race 1 before finishing sixth in Race 2.
Foreign Drivers Dominate Sporting Class
The Sporting Class saw international drivers make a strong impact in Race 1.
Thailand’s Varunchit Wattanathanakun, representing RUK Team PMC 52, converted a strong start into a dominant victory after taking the lead early and steadily extending his advantage to more than 11 seconds by the chequered flag.
Elson Lew finished second for Hong Huat X Armada KK Racing, while India’s Aditya Patnaik of Axle Sports completed the podium.
“It’s great to be racing in Malaysia. The driving standards are incredibly higher here and it is a solid training ground for my development as a driver back in Thailand,” said Varunchit.
Race 2 belonged to G-Mart Best Autosport’s Adam Mikail, who claimed victory ahead of Justin Toh from BAE Racing by ES Yang. Taj Aiman secured third place for Saksama Motorsports.
Rookie Drivers Continue To Impress
The Rookie Class once again showcased emerging motorsport talent developed through the GAZOO Racing Malaysia Young Talent Development Programme.
Imran Iskandar secured his maiden Vios Challenge victory in Race 1 after recording two second-place finishes during the opening round. Starting from pole position, the 17-year-old controlled the race to finish ahead of Ethen Low and Ngo Yong Jian.
“Honestly, it feels great to be on the top step of the podium after finishing 2nd twice,” said Imran.
“I certainly feel a lot more confident coming into Round 2 and now the overall championship is certainly shaping to be a very tough one.”
The spotlight shifted to Ethen Low in Race 2 as the 16-year-old claimed victory in only his debut race weekend. Low, who only recently became eligible to compete after obtaining his national racing licence, completed a successful weekend with two podium finishes.
Ervin Lim finished second while Imran Iskandar rounded out the podium in third.
“I could not have asked for a better race debut. I would like to thank UMW Toyota Motor, GAZOO Racing Malaysia and my coaches for making this all possible and I look forward to repeating and improving on this performance in the coming two rounds,” said Low.
Classic Challenge Produces Weekend’s Biggest Drama
The Classic Challenge generated some of the most dramatic moments of the weekend.
Race 1 was interrupted by two safety car periods, the first occurring when Aylezo Motorsport’s Harkiesh Geeva rolled his car into the gravel trap at Turn 1 after contact from behind. Although uninjured, the damage ruled the car out of Race 2.
Later in the race, another incident saw Nurul Husna’s Rock Racing entry hit the main straight barrier following contact with another competitor.
Kegani Racing Academy’s Loke Yin Yi and Kenny Lee emerged victorious, finishing ahead of brothers Brendan Paul and Bradley Benedict Anthony. Thailand’s Mekkaradkeeta Kalantananda and Varunchit Wattanathanakun completed the podium.
Race 2 saw the Anthony brothers take victory after a late-race safety car transformed the closing stages into a sprint to the finish. Bradley Benedict and Brendan Paul successfully defended their lead in a tense battle involving Kenny Lee and Loke Yin Yi, as well as Kenneth Koh and Lim Yoong Kit.
The Thai pairing of Mekkaradkeeta Kalantananda and Varunchit Wattanathanakun secured another third-place finish, making it two podiums from two races.
Round 3 Scheduled For July
Now in its ninth season, the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge continues to offer a total prize pool of RM876,000 across four rounds and remains Malaysia’s longest-running manufacturer-organised production-based saloon car racing series.
Round 3 will take place at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit on 25 – 26 July 2026, with competitors tackling the full 5.543km Grand Prix circuit.
Race Winners – Round 2
Race 1
- Super Sporting: Mitchell Cheah
- Sporting: Varunchit Wattanathanakun
- Rookie: Imran Iskandar
- Classic Challenge: Loke Yin Yi / Kenny Lee
Race 2
- Super Sporting: William Ho
- Sporting: Adam Mikail
- Rookie: Ethen Low
- Classic Challenge: Bradley Benedict Anthony / Brendan Paul Anthony
CarTok Editor’s Note
One of the more interesting developments this season is the growing presence of foreign drivers in the Vios Challenge. While Malaysia’s young talents continue to emerge through the Rookie programme, the increasing international participation raises the competitive benchmark and gives local drivers exposure to a wider range of racing styles. This is a welcome change for a one-make series entering its ninth season to keep things exciting.
