Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival in Johor to feature celebrities, drifting action and prizes – January 19-20

Plenty of activities happening at the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Festival in Johor this weekend. Aside from the headlining Vios Challenge race series, there will also be other on-track action in store, plus local celebrity appearances to catch and prizes to be won when the circus moves to its third round in Medini City, Iskandar Puteri on January 19 and 20.

While the Vios Challenge itself will be a star-studded event, visitor will also be able to meet Media Prima’s Drama Sangat bus tour celebrities such as Nazrief Nazri, Intan Najwa, Adiba Yunos, Aishah Azman, Raja Afiq, Ruhainies, Zie Zainal and Aliff Yasraff, who will be giving away prizes and souvenirs during their meet and greet sessions. For children, superhero Ejen Ali and Comot will also be present.

Meanwhile, racing fans will be able to watch drifting shows performed by Japanese world champion drifters Masato Kawabata and Takahiro Imamura, who will be tearing up the tarmac in a pair of Toyota 86s. Cyclists who register on Saturday morning will also be able to take to the track for an hour to experience the track in a safe, controlled manner.

Distributor UMW Toyota Motor will be displaying its latest models at the event, including the recently-updated 2018 Vios as well as the much-awaited C-HR. Those who attend the festival will be able to take part in a lucky draw, with the grand prize being a Vios Sports Edition. Lastly, Johor’s top food trucks including Brader Doug, Tacoloco, Salys Streetfood and Aromorasa will be on hand to provide refreshments.

Of course, all eyes will be on the Vios Challenge, and while the series moves into its second half, there are plenty of points still to play for and there’s no runaway leader in sight, so racing will be fierce. This is especially true with the circuit set up on the streets of Medini – the faster, wider track features one of the longest straights in the championship and a hairpin turn, promising lots of overtaking action.

The Promotional Class features household names like Fattah Amin, Shukri Yahya, Diana Danielle, Janna Nick, Geraldine Gan, Danny Koo, Venice Min and Shawn Lee. Lee currently leads the championship, but a rare mistake in the previous round at MAEPS Serdang enabled Shukri to take victory, cutting the beatboxer’s lead to just five points. Koo and Diana, third and fourth respectively, are also in the running.

In the Sporting Class, Brandon Lim of Tedco Racing is currently in the lead, while the premier Super Sporting Class sees “Prince of Drift” Tengku Djan still at the top of the table. Both of these championships are far from sewn up, however, with plenty of other drivers still within striking distance of toppling them.

To further spice things up, rain is expected and conditions will be tricky for the racers. As always, entrance to the TGR Festival is free and activities start from 9am till 6.30pm daily. Check out our race report and live snaps from previous rounds in Batu Kawan and MAEPS Serdang.

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