2025 VIOS CHALLENGE SPORTING CLASS TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

SHAH ALAM, 26 April 2025 — The opening round of the 2025 Vios Challenge kicked off with some spectacular door-to-door battles from start to finish in all three individual classes of racing that unveiled the rise of young drivers belonging to Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Young Talent Development Program dominating the winners’ podium.

A total of nine former rookies are signed up to compete in 2025, with eight competing in the Sporting Class for amateurs and one mixing it up with the professionals in the Super Sporting Class.

In the Sporting Class, six former rookies dominated the top seven positions at the end of the 20-lap race at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit.

2024 Rookie Class champion Adam Mikail who is promoted to the Sporting Class this year, delivered a sterling performance to take his first victory of the year for G-Mart Motorsport, finishing ahead of another former fellow rookie Jwan Hii (2021 graduate) of Hong Huat X Armada KK Racing who was 0.6 seconds behind. In 3rd place was Taj Izrin Aiman driving for Saksama Motorsports who was a further five seconds adrift.

Finishing 4^th was Elson Lew (2023) representing BAE Racing by ES Yang; followed by Brandon Ho (2024) driving for Axle Sports.in 5^th; Raja Amirul (2024) representing TD Racing in 6^th and; Mika Hakimi (2021) driving for S&D Tama Motorsports in 7^th.

Hii had seized an early lead but conceded to Adam in lap 2, and from then on the gap between the two top drivers was barely half a second apart.

“I’m thankful to have been given this opportunity and I’d like to thank Toyota and my team G-Mart Motorsport for giving me a car that’s fit to fight this weekend. I’m honestly really happy to end up on the podium with a race win,” said Adam.

“Moving up to the Sporting Class the level of competitiveness has really risen and has tested me to the best of my abilities. I’ve been eating well, making sure I’m fit for the race, working on my stamina and a bit of seat time on the simulator in preparation for the race.”

For Hii, second place was a great comeback.

“It’s been four years since I last raced in the Vios Challenge and with a lot of young blood coming up the ranks, I can’t help but to feel a bit old now. I am fortunate enough to have my team who have been very supportive of my journey in the Vios Challenge and they have given me the opportunity to participate this year.”

Taj Aiman meanwhile, demonstrated a brilliant drive in his debut in the Vios Challenge. More fondly known for his achievements in the virtual world, Taj Aiman is four-time champion of the GR GT Cup Malaysia online racing series.

“I’m really excited with the race today although I still need to work on my fitness level. To be honest I did come into the race weekend feeling a bit pressured but I managed to calm myself.”

In the Super Sporting Class for professionals, Laser Motor Racing’s Ady Rahimy bolted to the front of the pack from pole position to lead the 20-lap race from start to finish. The preliminary stages of the race had all the makings of a three-way battle involving Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang and Wheelcorp’s Nabil Azlan (2022 Rookie Class champion) but Ady contained the pressure to extend his lead at the front from 1.1 seconds to taking the chequered flag 3.0 seconds ahead of Ang, with Nabil in 3^rd.

“Thank you to my team for this opportunity. From free practice and qualifying to the very first race, the car was very well prepared and we were competitive from the get go. Season 7 was a rough for me but starting Season 8 with this result is just fantastic. All I can say is that I still have the same goal and same hunger – our target as a team is always to win the overall championship but there is still a long way to go,” said Ady.

Out to disrupt these plans however, is Ang who is another contender for this year’s championship and is known for his consistency and fiery drive.

“Ady was quite fast throughout the weekend and the expectations coming into the first race was to realistically finish 2^nd or 3^rd. As far as targets are concerned, it remains the same as the previous season which is to fight for a win in every race,” said Ang.

The 2025 Rookie Class meanwhile, proved to be one of the most heatedly contested with the top three drivers jostling for positions.

In the end it was19-year-old recreational karter and simulator racer Harkiesh Geeva who clinched the race win, just barely ahead of 18-year-old pro karter Aydan Khaliq, with 21-year-old pro karter Justin Rahul Dev completing the top three positions.

“This was my very first car race and I thankful that I managed to finish it in 1^st place from pole position. My team mates really gave me a hard time in the track. It was a really great experience and I’m extremely pleased,” said Harkiesh.

“Just as anticipated, the racing was extremely close just as it were during our practice sessions on the simulator. The biggest difference was the physical element involved – it was really tiring and of course having to contend with the heat in the car.”

Race 2 resumes tomorrow (27 April) and to catch the 2025 Vios Challenge action visit TGR Malaysia’s social media platforms at: