KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Toyota fans will be happy to know that UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) will be continuing the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge for the second season this year, with the first race starting this August. The race will have the same three categories, the Promotional, Sporting and Super Sporting Classes.
The Promotional Class will see some new faces in the celebrities taking part. Janna Nick, Diana Danielle, Shawn Lee and Syukri Yahaya who raced in Season 1 will take part again.
Challenging the four celebrities will be six new names and they are Aiman Tino, Khai Bahar, Nabila Razali, Wany Hasrita, Akim Ahmad, and Nabil Ahmad. As with the first group of celebrities, this new group will also be given training at the Vios Academy so they will be better prepared for the races.
The first season Vios Challenge sponsors have decided to continue supporting this second season. They are Toyo Tyres, Denso, TRD Asia, Enkei, Moty’s, Drive M7 Energy Drinks, and Toyota Capital Services. While the Vios Challenge will be the highlight of the TGR Racing Festival weekends, there will also be many other activities for all the family.
The first season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge which started the season in August 2017 ran over four rounds, starting in the Klang Valley, followed by the second event at Batu Kawan. The third round was held at Medina in Johore, and the final round was held again in Kuala Lumpur.
The Vios Challenge is held as part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival, and each race was filled with exciting clashes and spectacular crashes. At the same time the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival has other shows that are equally as exciting, for car enthusiasts and family members as well.
As an extension to the TGR, UMWT will also be involved in the fast-growing sport of E-Sports that has over 14 million gamers in Malaysia alone.
UMWT also announced a new brand direction which is an evolution of its current “All About The Drive” branding. The company said that the new direction is in response to the changing landscape surrounding its business and customers alike.
“We understand that the needs of our customers are evolving and the behaviour of buying are also changing and we are prepared to response to those needs and behaviours,” said K. Ravindran, president of UMWT.
He added that the new brand direction will ensure that UMWT continue to advance with the new industry’s landscape and market demands.
In connection with the announcement, the company has rejuvenated the “All About the Drive” branding platform with new thoughts and spirits.
The new “All About the Drive” is led by two brand promises which are to “excite the daily drives” of its customers and to deliver “prominence” through our product, services and association with the brand.
UMWT also said that it will provide high value-added products as well as a rewarding ownership experience for its customers.
“We will provide high value-added and advanced products with advanced safety and connectivity features. We will also ensure the ownership experience of a Toyota will be worry-free and rewarding through high quality services and strong network,” said Ravindran.
The company has also committed to deliver its brand new messages and creatives and reach out especially to the younger generation, through digital communication. It also promises many exciting on-ground brand experiences.
Ravindran added, “This is indeed a very exciting time for us and we invite the public to join us on this journey as the brand evolves to be more inspiring, exciting and relevant to all.”
About Toyota Gazoo Racing Malaysia and Vios Challenge Race:
The Vios Challenge One-Make series run along the similar lines to the Toyota One-Make races that already established in Thailand and the Philippines. As before, there will be four rounds and each round will be part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Racing Festival which encompasses a variety of activities relating to Toyota brand.
The races will be held at different venues and for the first time the race will be taking place in the East Coast at Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin in, Terengganu on August 2-4. The following rounds will be held on October 19-21 at MAEPS in Serdang, Selangor; February 22-24, 2019 at the Batu Kawan Stadium in Penang; and finally at the Sepang International Circuit on April 12-14, 2019.
The format of the series, which is sanctioned by the FIA international motorsport body, will be the same as before. All competitors will use identical and specially prepared Toyota Vios which conform to regulations. This will ensure that the competition is about driver skills as all the cars will have similar performance levels. Inspections before and after each race will be conducted to ensure that no modifications have been made to improve performance.
There will be a total of three race classes in the Vios Challenge Race. Two classes for drivers of different skill levels — the Sporting Class for semi-professionals and the Super Sporting Class for those who are racing professionals.
This not only ensures closer racing but also helps to make it more encouraging for newer drivers as they will have an opportunity to also win races in their own class. Additionally, the Promotional Class will have celebrities taking part and proved very popular with the spectators.
Updates on the second season of the Vios Challenge can be found at the Toyota Gazoo Racing website or on its social media pages at: Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
