VIOS CHALLENGE Race 1
SUPER GT RACE WEEKEND DEBUT FOR VIOS CHALLENGE
2025 VIOS CHALLENGE: SHAH ALAM, 27 June 2025 — A one-hour race defined a monumental moment for the 2025 Vios Challenge which made its international debut at the Malaysian round of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Malaysian round.
Unlike the 10-lap sprint race on a half circuit the Vios Challenge is known for, Round 2 had the 36 drivers and all three classes of racing starting together taking on the entire 5.543 km length of the Petronas SIC International Circuit which made it twice as challenging for the racers. The race also included racers from Thailand, Singapore and India
The Vios Challenge is also made even more special with UMW Toyota Motor and Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia’s Title Sponsorship of the Malaysian round of the 2025 AUTOBACS SUPER GT series.
In the Super Sporting Class for professionals, Laser Motor Racing’s Eddie Lew jumped into an early lead as soon as the race got underway, getting ahead of Wheelcorp’s Nabil Azlan while pole sitter and Laser Motor Racing’s second driver Ady Rahimy Rashid dropped 7 places into 8th position.
Nabil however, punched into the lead by the third lap with Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang moving into second position as Lew also dropped into third by the halfway mark of the race.
In the end, it was Ang who claimed the chequered flag ahead of Nabil with Toyotsu Racing’s William Ho a further 18 seconds behind in third place.
“The initial plan was to attack in the second half of the race but as things unfolded in the race, it went from this to getting to the front and trying to pull away. In a one-hour race it is extremely challenging and it is critical to manage both the car and tyres,” said Ang who finished the 20 lap race a mere 0.7 seconds ahead of Nabil.
“He (Nabil) was on my rear bumper the entire time and every time I tried to pull away he was right there with me. I couldn’t do anything more and so I settled for being defensive and trying to just stay ahead.
“To be honest it was very taxing on the body, especially with the heat. We are all so used to the sprint race and therefore the second 30-minute stint this weekend really had you feeling body fatigue…it was extremely hot.”
The Sporting Class for amateurs meanwhile, was dominated by Hong Huat x Armada KK Racing’s Jwan Hii who delivered a dominant drive to finish 8 seconds ahead of Kulim Top Wheels’ Datuk Dr Ken Foo. In third place was Thai driver Varunchit Wattanathanakun representing RUK Team Nexzter PMC 52.
The race was essentially Hii’s from start to finish as he dominated from pole position to post the fastest lap time of 2 min: 52.409 seconds.
Down the field in the Rookie Class, drama unfolded in the penultimate stages of the race as Aydan Khaliq
took victory ahead of Rahul Dev, with Harkiesh Geeva in third position. Harkiesh and Aydan had been trading places for the race lead and with several minutes left to the finish, the former had been poised for what appeared to be certain victory until a mechanical problem denied him of the top spot on the podium.
“To be honest, I was very fortunate to finish where I did after Harkiesh lost his third gear despite leading the race for quite a fair bit. But that is part and parcel of racing,” said Aydan.
“Racing on the full track was also a bit more tiring…Mentally I was fit enough but after competing in the GR86 Cup Malaysia race I practically had to rush to the starting grid for the Vios Challenge.
“Nevertheless, competing on a SUPER GT race week is excellent exposure not only for me as a rookie but the entire Vios Challenge series as it projects local talent and racing internationally.
Catch the 2025 Vios Challenge Round 2 action or visit TGR Malaysia’s social media platforms at:
● Facebook: facebook.com/tgrmy
● Instagram: instagram.com/tgrmalaysia
● YouTube: youtube.com/@tgrmalaysia
For more information on race schedules, driver details and updates, visit: www.toyota.com.my/en/tgrmalaysia for full
ROUND 2, RACE 1 RESULTS
SUPER SPORTING CLASS
- Freddie Ang Telagamas Toyota
- Nabil Azlan Wheelcorp
- William Ho Toyotsu Toyota
SPORTING CLASS
- Jwan Hii Hong Huat x Armada KK Racing
- Dato Dr Ken Foo Kulim Top Wheels
- Varunchit Wattanathanakun RUK Team Nexzter PMC 52.
ROOKIE CLASS
- Aydan Khaliq
- Rahul Dev
- Harkiesh Geeva
