Toyota Yaris previewed a stellar performance in Sepang 1000 km race

KUALA LUMPUR: A few days after concluding the TGR Festival fourth season and Vios Challenge race series finale, UMW Toyota participated in Sepang 1000 Km endurance race with the Toyota Yaris. The hot hatch was tested for the first time in the racing and it was also its maiden appearance in a 9-hour race.

In the elite MTC Production Class, the Yaris was driven by 16-year-old Hayden Haikal and 24-year-old Timothy Yeo. The duo took the hot hatch three laps ahead of their nearest rival. But due to a post-race penalty, the chequered flag was reclassified at the third position in class and fourth overall.

“The Yaris performed impeccably, not putting a foot wrong! This is a huge testament to the car’s performance and reliability under extreme conditions, and to finish on the podium in the prestigious  S1K race on its debut is without a doubt an amazing result,” said Takeyama, GAZOO Racing  Malaysia’s Chief Motorsports Officer. 

On the starting grid for the 181-lap race laps around the 5.534-km Sepang International Circuit, three Toyotas occupied the top 5 front positions viz. #37 Vios, the number #39 Yaris, and the number #38 Vios. 

These cars exerted their dominance from the beginning to the final hours, however, a huge turn of events unfolded in the closing laps. Due to technical issues, #38 Vios grabbed the fourth position while the number #37 Vios dropped to 11th in Class when the front left wheel was ripped away. 

Well, the charging #39 Yaris continued to put the pressure on and clocked consistent lap times right up to the chequered flag. “The car was reliable, competitive, we knew we had a good package going into the race, and we were pacing ourselves to make sure we not only started strongly but were able to successfully get it to the finish. The penalty was unfortunate but justly imposed, and a third placing is equally something to celebrate especially when we did it in a brand new car that has never been tested in these conditions,” said Hayden, one of the drivers.

Speaking about the inaugural Vios Enduro Cup, Aylezo Motorsports’ players Mirza Syahmi Mahzan, Zen Low, and Aiman Haziq finished the 166 laps and received a cash prize of RM 10,000. 

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