“Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.” The initial interpretation of the phrase may have changed over the decades but even in its evolved form, it very much remains relevant to the passionate flames in the world of motorsports and the carmakers that still keep that inferno burning for petrolheads.

Back in the day, the phrase was conjured up as a way to boost sales. Carmakers would go racing over the weekend with the hopes of winning and seeing that top step of the podium translate into showroom sales come the start of the week.

As the motorsport’s world evolves, the expression has progressed to demonstrate the accessibility of racing that’s courtesy of support by carmakers. You can now take most cars racing without the need to spend exorbitant money and that’s made possible due to categories such as one-make race.

In Malaysia, Toyota is the only manufacturer that’s organised and continues to provide support for its very own one-make race, the exciting Toyota Gazoo Racing Vios Challenge. This year, the series enters its sixth season and has served as a platform for upcoming or even established drivers to exponentially hone their craft.

Simply put, there’s never a dull moment once the cars take to the track. Initially, the Vios Challenge intended to bring the racing to the people.

The first few seasons saw the 4 rounds held on temporarily set up street circuits in key cities around the country to make spectator accessibility convenient. Furthermore, the narrow street courses made for some explosive action once the lights turned green.

However, the pandemic necessitated adaptations and one of those was a switch to the home of motorsports in the country, the Sepang International Circuit.

All 3 rounds of the ongoing Season 6 will be held at the venue with different track configurations to keep things exciting.

Following Race 1 in February, the coming 3 – 4 June 2023 weekend will see Race 2 commence at the same venue illuminated by floodlights. Yes, Race 2 will be a night race once again.

Also Read: Round 2 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival is once again an actual fan fest with real spectators

Furthermore, keeping with the primary goal of bringing the racing to the people, Race 2 will be livestreamed on all Toyota Gazoo Racing official social media platforms and website. The YouTube channel is here while the Facebook page is here.

That means you can catch every angle of the action with live commentary from the comfort of your home or the convenience of your smartphone if you’re out and about.

Pitting these identical machines together always results in nail-biting racing and you’ll not regret tuning in to the livestream over the weekend to see racing in its purest form take shape.

A one-make race comprises drivers going head-to-head in identically prepped cars. Being mechanically homogeneous, the cars don’t offer any technical advantage to the drivers, leaving pure driving skill as the only distinctive aspect among the field.

Drivers are grouped into 4 categories:

• Promotional
• Rookies
• Sporting
• Super Sporting

The reason for the groupings is primarily to keep the racing competitive as the driving roster is made up of a wide spectrum if skillset. From veteran professionals to gentlemen drivers and even celebrities, a structured grouping keeps the door-to-door action tight.

Winners of a class prove that their capable of competing in the class above and are given the option of moving up the following season.

Seeing that the Vios Challenge is the festival’s headlining act, the Promotional class brings a number of local celebrities to the track for fanfare and interaction. You can catch big names such as Zizan Razak, Shukri Yahaya and Ahirine Ahirudin behind the wheel.

As for the Rookie programme, it recognises upcoming, young driving talents and takes them under the Toyota Gazoo Racing wing to hone their skills where they’ll be trained and compete among each.

Sporting is the domain of the weekend gentlemen racer. It brings semi-professional and drivers with generous track experience into a sanctioned door-to-door racing environment.

Lastly, is the big boy arena. The Super Sporting class sees the who’s who of motorsports in the country driving to the limits of the Vios race cars. Not only that, it also serves as a platform for the young drivers to step up against the pros for an exponential learning curve once they’ve proven themselves in the Rookie and Sporting class.

Only in Super Sporting can you see the likes of Tengku Djan Ley going wheel-to-wheel with upcoming racer Hayden Haikal, who worked his way up the field.

As for the machines itself, the field comprises the previous generation Toyota Vios that’s been modified primarily for safety with a few choice performance components.

Performance parts include an aero kit, exhaust system, racing clutch, limited-slip differential (LSD), suspension system, brake pads, tower bar, lower brace bars and a full bolt-on roll cage.

On the contact with the asphalt, you’ll find 15-inch Enkei RPF1 lightweight rims wrapped in Toyo Proxes rubbers. Of course, there’s a fire suppression system as well. Completing the racing requirements are an OMP Corsica Superleggero steering wheel, OMP First-R racing seat and tow hooks for any off-track excursions.

Toyota claims all the upgraded components equate to around an additional 10 percent in power for the 2NR-FE dual-VVTi engine.

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