Action-Packed Vios Challenge Over The Weekend

The second round of the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Racing Festival was held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) over the weekend. The last race was held at the Batu Kawan stadium in Penang.

Saturday’s first race was the Promotional Class, which saw Shawn Lee leading the rest of the pack, with Shukri Yahaya breathing down his neck. Danny Koo managed to secure the third spot after a brief battle with Fattah Amin.

The race continued with the Sporting Class, with greasy track conditions thanks to the rain. Despite that, Brendan Paul managed to finish first, with Brandon Lim right behind him. Patrick Tam finished in third position after making his way up from fifth spot.

Day two of the Vios Challenge saw the Super Sporting Class kicking things off. Mark Darwin was poised to secure the first position as he managed the quickest qualifying times, but hopes were dashed after he collided with Tengku Djan who was gunning for the top spot. The move sent Mark Darwin into the wall, damaging his car and forcing him to retire.

Drama continued as Tengku Djan had to return to the pits to get his rear bumper removed after the battle between himself and William Ho, though he lost second position after Mitchell Cheah pushed himself into William’s side which broke his side skirt, forcing William to return to the pits. 

Ser Ming Hui finished the first race in first place, while the second and third spot went to Syafiq Ali and Boy Wong respectively after Mitchell Cheah was handed a 15 second penalty for jumping the start.

Back to the second race for the Promotional Class, Shawn Lee lost his lead after spinning out less than halfway through the circuit. This allowed his rival Shukri Yahaya to gain a much-needed first spot. Danny Koo maintained his space in second place, while Diana Danielle managed to secure the third spot, her first podium since she started racing. Diana is also the first female driver for Vios Challenge in Malaysia to be on the podium. 

In the Sporting Class, Brendan Paul lost his first spot to Patrick Tam right after the start. Surprisingly, Tom Goh had to retire earlier due to a driveshaft fault. This came after the cracked oil sump that ended Tom's race prematurely yesterday.

The second race for the Super Sporting Class was delayed due to the torrential rain that poured over MAEPS. The race only started after the racers were locked three laps behind the Toyota Camry safety car, with Mitchell Cheah ahead of Tengku Djan.

Tengku Djan was gunning hard for the top spot, though Mitchell put up a good fight defending his spot in first spot. Every time Djan tried to attack the apex, Mitchell blocked Djan. Additionally, Mitchell did a swell job of keeping his calmness with Djan breathing down his neck.

By lap 9, Djan tapped onto Mitchell’s rear, sending Mitchell wide. Despite that, Mitchell managed to recover his Vios and did not lose his first spot. Tengku Djan continued to pursue Mitchell, with William Ho chasing the duo.

Djan’s spot at second spot was cut short, as William Ho did a daring move by diving into the final turn, pushing and damaging Djan’s car in the process. That move ended Djan’s race, with William penalized with a 15 second penalty. Despite that, William still managed to secure his third place, as he had a huge buffer between himself and fourth place.

“It was quite a stressful first few laps with Djan behind me. All I had on my mind was to go in the corner slow and come out faster to stay in front of Djan,” he said. His persistence and calmness paid off as he walked home as the champion for the Super Sporting Class.