The all-new third generation Toyota Vios today provided both competitors and fans with a sneak preview of the latest model that will be officially used from Season 7 of the GR Vios Challenge.
The latest generation Vios makes its debut at the hands of the celebrity racers competing in the Promotional Class and will show its prowess in two 18-lap races at the Sepang International Circuit as Season 6 draws to a close this weekend.
Season 7 will see the new Vios being raced in the Super Sporting, Sporting and Promotional classes of the GR Vias Challenge for professional, amateur and celebrity drivers respectively.
The new Vios continues to be powered by a 1.5-litre engine with a five-speed manual transmission, but sports a more rigid and stable all-new platform as well as revised aerodynamics. These chassis enhancements dramatically improve handling, making the car more planted in corners, more responsive to driver input and capable of even faster lap times.
The car is made available to teams and drivers for purchase by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd and comes fully ready to race with all the necessary safety equipment and racing trim. This includes a 6-point roll cage, racing seat and 6-point racing harness that are FIA-approved. The car also features a racing exhaust manifold, exhaust mid-section and exhaust muffler, and comes with a limited slip differential (LSD) and racing-tuned suspension among a host of other equipment.
As per previous seasons, teams and individuals purchase the race car from UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd at an incentivized price. This is in line with UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd’s commitment and long-term objective to make motorsports in Malaysia more affordable and accessible to more teams and drivers. In 6 seasons of racing, the GR Vios Challenge has also established itself into the premiere one-make saloon car race series, attracting not only accomplished drivers but also becoming a proving ground for new and young talent.
The introduction of this new model for racing in Season 7 next year and retaining the format of a one-make race series will continue to ensure that the playing field is level across all classes of racing. This provides racers with an equal and fair opportunity to excel based on their individual skills as well as experience, and has been the foundation of the GR Vias Challenge since it was started in 2017.
The racing and safety equipment list of the all-new GR Vios Challenge race car is as follows:
For race teams and drivers, registration for Season 7 and for the purchase of the new race car can be done immediately. Interested parties can kindly get in touch with the series Race Management representative Janet at 016-367 3300 to register their interest or for further enquiries. For more information, log on to the UMW Toyota Motor (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd website at www.toyota.com.my.
