Besides the long-running and highly successful TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia Vios Challenge one-make series, UMW Toyota Motor has also been running a sim-racing series. Known as the Toyota GR Malaysia eRacing Championship, this event has been run annually for as long as the Vios Challenge.
This year, following the qualifying rounds, the Grand Finals were again held at Sunway University in Selangor where Malaysia’s best simulator racers battled for supremacy and a share of the generous RM123,000 prize pool.
The championship comprises racers in 2 key divisions – the Pro Championship, featuring the nation’s elite sim racers – and the Campus Tour. The latter is made up of a group of the best racers who participated in a campus tour to 8 universities with professional-grade simulators. It’s a grassroots initiative to discover fresh young talent that might advance into the motorsports field. The top 10 fastest participants from each campus earned a spot in the Grand Finals, where Randy Goh from INTI Subang emerged as the victor.
After 3 intense races in the Grand Finals, which also marked the fourth and final round of the championship — brothers Nabil and Naquib Azlan claimed first and second place respectively in the overall Pro Class Championship, while Taj Izrin Aiman finished third after successfully defending his GT title.
Becoming an ever better racer
“This year’s championship was way different, and the new format was not only good but extremely challenging, it forced us to adapt, learn, and elevate. Every platform tested different aspects of driving technique and race strategy,” said Pro Champion Nabil, who took home RM25,000. “Without sim racing, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It continues to shape me into a better, more competitive driver.”
Having built his name in sim racing before going on to accomplish so much in real world racing, Nabil said his return to sim continues to be part of his personal development as a racing driver where he is also developing fast.
“Everything boiled down to race strategy and execution,” said the 26-year-old Taj (above), who will join runner-ups Iqbal Suji and Chong Kai Chang to represent Malaysia at the Toyota GR Asia eSports GT Championship in Bangkok this November.
The trio will compete against the region’s best from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore, as Malaysia defends its regional title following Taj’s historic victory in 2024, when he became Malaysia’s first-ever Asia-level eRacing champion.
From sim to circuit
“Racing, both virtual and real, has been Toyota’s realm since 2017. Our goal has always been to develop Malaysian talent, create champions, and build a sustainable pathway from sim to circuit,” said Datuk Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor. “Four of our ten finalists have already achieved success in real-world motorsport, a testament to Toyota’s philosophy of ‘Pushing the Limits for Better’.”
Through initiatives like the Toyota GR Malaysia eRacing Championship, Campus Tour, and Young Talent Development Programme, Toyota continues to champion its vision of Mobility for All — empowering youth through access, opportunity, and growth.
By nurturing digital racers, fostering technical and mental resilience, and opening doors to real-world opportunities, Toyota reaffirms that mobility is not just about movement, it’s about empowering people to move forward in life.
Rookie Programme registration open
The Grand Finals also mark the opening of registration for the 2026 intake of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Young Talent Development Programme. This programme has been ongoing since 2020 and offers aspiring racers aged 16 to 22 the chance to receive professional training to become racing drivers.
The intensive training takes place both on and off the track under the close guidance of instructors and include physical exercises as well as lots of simulator time. Many of those selected come from backgrounds where they already excel in karting or sim-racing, both of which have proven to be extremely beneficial to transiting to real-world racing.
As shown by the two brothers, Nabil and Naquib Azlan, the skills they already possess from years of sim-racing make getting behind the wheel of a real Toyota Vios racing car familiar. Furthermore, with today’s sophisticated simulators, even the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit (where the Vios Challenge races are held) is familiar to them because it is one of the circuits available in the simulator.
While the principles of racing remain the same, the dynamics of competing in a kart and on a simulator compared to that of driving a saloon car are entirely different and this is an area the selected racers will spend a great deal of time assimilating to. The goal is to not only provide them with a stepping stone into saloon car racing but to ensure that the they are able to make this transition while retaining the level of competitiveness they have each demonstrated in their various fields.
Registration for the 2026 programme will be open until October 26, 2025. To submit an application, visit tyt.my/rookiesignup2026and you may be one of those chosen to take the next step from simulators or karts to the circuit and be part of Malaysia’s next generation of racing talent.
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