Kegani Racing Academy duo win Vios Enduro Cup

Quick look

• Kegani Racing Academy won the race after the leading car stalled at the final corner.

• 13 cars competed in the endurance race over 1,000 kms

As promised and reminiscent of past races, the 5^th edition of the Vios Enduro Cup (part of the activities of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia) at the recent Sepang 1000km Endurance Race (S1K) unfolded into one of the most dramatic and nail-biting runs to the chequered flag which would only be decided at the very final corner.

Exchanging leads throughout the final hours of the 8-hour race, Kegani Racing Academy’s Kenny Lee and Loke Yin Yee and the Axle Sports trio of Alister Yoong, Aman Nagdev and Genevieve Ooi were both poised for victory. Lee led the class going into the last two laps of the race but was forced to make an unscheduled pitstop and driver change allowing the #61 car of Axle Sports, which had dominated most of the race, back into the lead.

Loke, a 2-time champion of the SkillDrvn one-make race series, rejoined the race for Kegani Racing Academy and pursued for one final lap. Just as it seemed that all was lost, car #61 stalled at the very final corner allowing her to blast pass and take the chequered flag.

Strategy pays off
“This is endurance racing and anything can happen, even at the last lap. Towards the last two stints, the Safety Car really disrupted our plan and I found myself drained and forced to pit for a driver change before the final lap and relinquishing the race lead. Loke took over in the very last lap of the race and to our surprise, the lead car stalled at turn 15 and she went pass and took the chequered flag. At the end of day, it was our strategy that really paid off. It was a real nail-biting moment for all of us in the pit,” said veteran driver Lee who has taken part in the S1K since 2009, was the overall winner in 2010 and finished third in the Vios Enduro Cup last year.

Despite a difficult qualifying session and being 3 seconds off the race pace compared to the fastest competitor on the grid, Kegani Racing Academy’s Lee and Loke remained steadfast and let team strategy play out as planned.

“We were competitive throughout all the practice sessions but on qualifying day, the damp track conditions put us off balance a little and we were about two seconds short. During the race, we found ourselves 3 seconds slower from fastest car in the class. The only time we were able to find our pace was on a dry track. The Vios driven by front runners were extremely quick, and at times it was difficult to keep up with them, but we stayed focus and trusted the strategy,” he added.

The victory earned Kegani Racing Academy a prize of RM10,000 while Axle Sport’s Yoong, Nagdev and Ooi received RM8,000. In 3^rd place and winning RM6,000 were the Thai pair of Surasak Dakeng and Varunchit Wattanathakun driving for RUK Team Nexter PMC52.

Overview of event
This year’s Vios Enduro Cup brought together all three generations of the Vios Challenge racing cars in a rare long-format endurance battle far beyond their traditional sprint race roots. A total of 13 cars and 38 drivers battled around the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit for 1,000 kms.

It also saw strong participation from within the TGR ecosystem, with 10 of the 38 drivers coming directly from the Vios Challenge 2025 one-make race, showcasing the growing depth and competitiveness of local talent.

The event gives teams more mileage, more strategic depth and an additional opportunity to secure prize winnings within the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Malaysia motorsports calendar.

From racing team to performance brand

Teams from Malaysia, India, Thailand, Japan and even Norway fielded crews with two to four drivers, making this one of the most internationally diverse Vios Enduro Cup grids to date. Unlike sprint races that rely on single-driver pace, the endurance format demands multiple driver changes, with each driver limited to a maximum stint of 75 minutes before swapping drivers based on the team’s race strategy. This placed even greater emphasis on team cohesion, consistency, racecraft and strategic execution throughout the 8-hour battle.

For many competitors, the event also served as a crucial shakedown ahead of the final round of the 2025/26 Vios Challenge season which will take place in January 2026.

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