Youngsters Battled Against Veterans In GR Vios Sprint Cup 2023 Round 1

GR Vios Sprint Cup 2023 features 20 cars and 40 drivers in total competing across two rounds this year.

Round 1 of the GR Vios Sprint Cup got underway last weekend at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) where it stood as a supporting event to the weekend’s season-opening Malaysia Championship Series 2023 (MCS 2023) weekend.

The first of two rounds scheduled this year, much of the thrilling on-track action stemmed from the battle brewing between young drivers and veterans competing in the one-make racing series featuring the Toyota Vios GR Sport racecars.

Round 1 saw two one-hour sprint races held, one on Saturday followed by another on Sunday.

Last weekend’s outing saw two one-hour sprint races held, one on Saturday followed by another on Sunday.  The overall champion in each of the two races at the GR Vios Sprint Cup is awarded RM10,000 cash, followed by RM8,000 for the first runner up, RM6,000 to the third place winner, and RM4,000 and RM2,000 for the fourth and fifth place winners respectively.

Saturday’s Race 1 saw the pair of Eddie Lew and Amer Harris of Laser Motor Racing claiming victory ahead of second placed paring of Inigo Anton and Ariff Azmi from the Axle Sports team. Completing the podium in third here were Freddie Ang and Tungwei Hsiao from the Telagamas Toyota team.

Race 1 winners Eddie Lew and Putera Adam of Laser Motor Racing.

L-R: Axle Sports duo of Inigo Anton and Ariff Azmi claiming second place for Race 1, followed by Freddie Ang and Tungwei Hsiao from the Telagamas Toyota team in third place.

Lew’s victory didn’t come easy, with the veteran having to work hard in maintaining a slim 2-second gap ahead of Laser Motor Racing teammate Putera Adam in chase. Qualifying fourth on the grid, Lew had initially shot to the lead at the start of the race, holding consistently for 8 laps before swapping seats with co-driver Amer Harris.

The mandatory round of driver and tyre change pitstops halfway through the hour-long sprint race prompted a shuffle in the top six ranking. As the dust settled however, Lew’s skilled and consistent driving allowed co-driver Amer Harris to inherit a clear path towards victory when he commandeered the lead Laser Motor Racing team’s Toyota Vios GR Sport racecar.

18-year-old Filipino Ingo Anton is also the reigning Philippines Vios Cup champion.

Despite missing out on victory, Axle Sports driver Inigo Anton was widely regarded as ‘Driver of The Day’ for Saturday’s Race 1. Racing for the first time in Malaysia, the 18-year-old started the race from seventh on the grid had stormed his way up the order before handing things over to co-driver Ariff Azmi – perhaps a testament said Filipino’s status as the Philippines Vios Cup champion.

Sunday’s Race 2 again saw another hour-long sprint race contested amongst 20 cars and 40 drivers. A dramatic opening lap incident involving five cars sent one of which into the barriers, prompting a two-lap safety car period too. After which, the race resumed and an intense battle for the lead brewed, lasting right up until the final corner on the final lap.

Race 2 winners Hayden Haikal (right) and Timothy Yeo are from the Axle Sports team founded and led by former F1 driver Alex Yoong.

L-R: Axle Sports drivers Inigo Anton and Ariff Azmi taking second place again in Race 2, whilst Prima Pearl TD Racing's Putera Adam and Mika Hamiki completed the top 3.

Claiming the win in dramatic fashion were the duo of Hayden Haikal and Timothy Yeo in the Axle Sports team’s sister car. Joining them on the podium in second were teammates Inigo Anton and Ariff Azmi. The latter benefitted from a last corner, last lap battle between Laser Motor Racing’s Putera Adam and Prima Pearl TD Racing’s Mika Hamiki, the former taking the final podium spot in third with co-driver Jwan Hii.

For 18-year-old Hayden, Race 2’s win made up for missing out on the podium in Race 1. “Towards the end of the race, I just had to be patient. I knew I had better pace and after Putera made a slight mistake I seized the opportunity to push ahead,” said Hayden who made his way from third to second before subsequently storming ahead to take the race win.