Gazoo thrills

THE exciting Vios Challenge heads to Johor as the season enters its second half with many battles brewing in the championship.

With plenty of points still up for grabs and no runaway leader in sight, the challenge is going to be epic when the flag drops tomorrow and Saturday, at the new urban township circuit provided by venue partner Medini City, Iskandar Puteri.

By nature of its street racing format where each circuit layout is completely new to every driver and the fact that each Toyota Vios racing car is built equal, drivers have only their skills and derring-do to depend on as they try to out pace their fellow competitors.

This formula has been an overwhelming success as witnessed in two opening rounds held in Batu Kawan and MAEPS Serdang where there were plenty of heart-stopping moments and nail-biting finishes.

“When we created the Vios Challenge, we expected to develop the level of competition gradually but as we’ve witnessed from the very first race in Batu Kawan, spectators and drivers have been treated to a very high level of competition in all the three classes of the Vios Challenge,” said UMW Toyota Motor president Ravindran K.

While the early races in the Promotional Class were dominated by beatboxer Shawn Lee, a rare mistake in the last race in MAEPS Serdang saw him spin out on the opening lap. Shukri Yahaya pounced on the opportunity to seize a popular victory.

The brilliant win moved Shukri just five points behind Lee while heartthrob Danny Koo holds third.

In the Sporting Class, Brandon Lim of Tedco Racing now leads the series with 57 points and holds a ten-point advantage over Ken Foo.

In the premier Super Sporting Category, Tengku Djan still enjoys the lead in the championship despite claiming just nine points from the Serdang race but the pack made up of Mitchell Cheah, William Ho, Mark Darwin, Shafiq Ali, Boy Wong and Ser Ming Hui have a mathematical chance of dethroning the Prince of Drift particularly on the faster and wider circuit in Medini City.

As rainy conditions are expected, the race will remain tricky and challenging but promises to bring even more excitement to the event.

Entry to the festival is free. It opens from 9am to 6.30pm daily.

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