Sepang – With what was to be a race weekend with double points, Race 2 in Round 3 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia VIOS Challenge was equally intense with the championship contenders in three classes of racing giving it everything to get an advantage just before Season 8 heads for a break with the final round to be decided in January 2026.
Like Race 1 on Saturday (9 August), it was door-to-door action from start to finish in the 1-hour race around the full 5.543km Petronas Sepang International Circuit.
Only 35 of the 37 registered drivers started Race 2. Missing was Laser Motor Racing’s Eddie Lew who whose car was too badly damaged in Race 1 to continue, and BAE Racing by ES Yang’s Justin Toh who was excluded from the race.
In the Super Sporting Class, Team Prima Pearl SP Selatan’s Mitchell Cheah drove a patient 1-hour race despite being constantly under attack to win ahead of fellow championship contender Freddie Ang representing Telagamas Toyota. In third place was Aman Nagdev from India who drove a sterling race weekend for Axle Sports.
Starting from the very front the grid was Modern Racing Team’s Najiy Ayyad who was making his debut in the VIOS Challenge and had driven a sterling race in the lead for several laps until he had to unexpectedly pit to have the car checked for an issue. That left the race to Cheah, Ang and Aman to decide the outcome with all three drivers jostling for positions.
Two safety car incidents in the closing stages of the race however, eliminated any advantage the drivers had over one another and by the time the race got back underway, it was down to sprinting only a few hundred metres to the chequered flag. “Big thanks to the team who gave me a very good car even though I had to carry a weight ballast of 30kg (due to previous race results). The car felt good despite lagging a bit of speed on the straight but in the corners it was perfect. We managed to maintain consistent lap times throughout the race and had an extremely good start from the beginning, jumping into second position behind Najiy. I tried to maintain
that position, trying not to make any silly mistakes and to steer clear of any mess on the track,” said Cheah.
“I managed to take advantage of several incidents on the track and when I got into the lead, it was just head down and try to pull a gap bit by bit. That was what got me the win in the end.
“Going into the final two races of the season it is going to be very tough. I’m back in the championship lead and fight but it’s very close between Freddie and I. I’ll be carrying 50kg of ballast in the final two races, it will be challenging, but let’s see what happens.”
In the Sporting Class, G-Mart Motorsport’s Adam Mikail raced to victory ahead of fellow and former Rookie Class graduate Sharique Zulqarnain who drove for FIA Boulevard Racing. Dato’ Dr Ken Foo of Kulim Topwheels rounded up the top three. Sharique however, was later disqualified for failing a post-race weigh in promoting Foo to second place and Thai driver Varunchit Wattanathanakun from RUK Team Nexzter PMC 52 to third.
“I had a really big setback coming into the Race 2 when I unfortunately couldn’t finish the Race 1 and that meant I had to start from the back of the grid. To be honest, I had quite a tough time trying to maintain a consistent pace and lap times throughout the race but thankfully I still managed to bring the car back on top,” said Adam.
The 2024 Rookie Class champion however, remains uncertain about his chances of being in contention for the Sporting Class title especially in his first year and with only two more races to possibly score points.
“I am currently unsure about the championship. It may be quite hard for me to come back and fight for it due to my previous results but I will try my hardest to be up there definitely.”
The Rookie Class victory meanwhile, belonged to Ian James who finished ahead of Justin Rahul Dev and Harkiesh Geeva.
Harkiesh had been in the lead in the opening stages of the race but unfortunately ended up as one of the casualties in the tussle between drivers in the Sporting Class in the opening laps of the race. Also caught up in the incident were fellow rookies Aydan Khaliq and Genevieve Ooi. Both suffered punctures as a result of the incident but all three young drivers fought back to rejoin the race despite finishing a lap down after having to pit for tyres and to have their bumpers fixed. “I am really happy with the outcome for Race 2. The car felt perfect, I didn’t run into any mechanical setbacks. Tyre management in this race however, was a big issue for me, especially in this heat, which
then translated into massive amounts of understeer and that’s something for me to address for future races,” said race winner Ian.
“Unfortunately, several of my fellow Rookies got caught in a collision. It would’ve been nice to have been able to see some racing action with them. The race week was also extremely crucial to secure as many points possible for the overall Rookie Class championship.”
Despite the early drama, the young contenders displayed admirable grit, determination, and a genuine passion for racing, refusing to let setbacks shake their focus. Their ability to regroup, push forward, and see the chequered flag speaks volumes about their commitment to the race. It’s this same spirit that echoes Toyota’s Move Your World philosophy, empowering the next generation of racers to overcome challenges, chase their dreams, and move forward with confidence. For these rookies, every lap is a lesson, and every challenge faced is fuel for the races to come.
ROUND 3, RACE 2 RESULTS
SUPER SPORTING CLASS
1. Mitchell Cheah Team Prima Pearl SP Selatan
2. Freddie Ang Telagamas Toyota
3. Aman Nagdev Axle Sports
SPORTING CLASS
1. Adam Mikail G-Mart Motorsport
2. Dato’ Dr Ken Foo Kulim Topwheels
3. Varunchit Wattanathanakun. RUK Team Nexzter PMC 52
ROOKIE CLASS
1. Ian James
2. Justin Rahul Dev
3. Harkiesh Geeva
