Toyota GAZOO Racing VIOS Challenge: Cheah, Mikail and Ian score race 2 wins at Sepang

KUALA LUMPUR: Round 3 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia VIOS Challenge ended with no shortage of drama, as Race 2 delivered another hour of door-to-door battles at the full 5.543 km Petronas Sepang International Circuit.

With double points on the line and just one round left before the January 2026 finale, the championship picture across all three classes remains far from settled.

Only 35 of the 37 registered drivers lined up for Sunday’s race. Laser Motor Racing’s Eddie Lew was sidelined after Race 1 damage proved too severe to repair overnight, while BAE Racing by ES Yang’s Justin Toh was excluded from the race.

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Super Sporting Class: Cheah holds firm under pressure

Team Prima Pearl SP Selatan’s Mitchell Cheah emerged victorious after a tense hour, fending off repeated challenges from Telagamas Toyota’s Freddie Ang. Axle Sports’ Indian driver, Aman Nagdev, took third after a consistent weekend.

The race had started with Modern Racing Team’s debutant, Najiy Ayyad, leading from pole and holding his own for several laps before pitting for an unscheduled check. That opened the door for Cheah, Ang and Aman to scrap for top honours.

Two late safety car periods compressed the field, leaving only a few hundred metres of flat-out racing 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,” said Cheah. “It lagged a bit on the straights but was perfect in the corners. I kept it clean, avoided trouble, and capitalised on incidents to take the lead. The final two races will be tough — Freddie and I are close on points, but I’ll have 50kg of ballast to deal with.”

Sporting Class: Mikail bounces back from the back

G-Mart Motorsport’s Adam Mikail turned a disappointing DNF in Race 1 into a comeback victory in Race 2. He finished ahead of Kulim Topwheels’ Dato’ Dr Ken Foo and RUK Team Nexzter PMC 52’s Thai driver, Varunchit Wattanathanakun.

Originally, FIA Boulevard Racing’s Sharique Zulqarnain had crossed the line second, but a post-race weigh-in failure saw him disqualified, promoting Foo and Varunchit up the order.

“I had to start from the back after Saturday’s DNF,” said Mikail. “Keeping consistent lap times was tough, but I managed to work my way through. The championship fight might be out of reach this year, but I’ll keep pushing.”

Rookie Class: Ian James capitalises on early chaos

In the Rookie Class, Ian James claimed the win ahead of Justin Rahul Dev and Harkiesh Geeva. Harkiesh had led early before getting caught in a Sporting Class incident that also involved rookies Aydan Khaliq and Genevieve Ooi. All three suffered punctures and damage but rejoined a lap down after repairs.

“I’m really happy with the result. The car felt great, but tyre management in the heat was tricky and caused understeer,” Ian said. “It’s a shame we didn’t get more on-track battles with the other rookies due to the incident, but the points are crucial for the championship.”

Despite the setbacks, the rookies showed resilience, rejoining the race and finishing despite the odds. With the final round still to come, the fight for class honours remains open — and the January 2026 finale promises to be a high-stakes showdown.

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