Toyota Vios Gold Championship Round 3: Full-Track Format Tightens Title Fight at Sepang

[The_Mechanic]

The third round of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia Vios Gold Championship Season 9 at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit introduced double championship points, a one-hour race duration, and the full 5.543 km circuit layout. With 37 cars across three categories sharing the track simultaneously, the expanded race distance and traffic density prevented series frontrunners from building an unassailable points buffer ahead of the October season finale.

Round 3 Podium Results Summary​

Category	Race 1 Top 3	Race 2 Top 3	Weekend Key Moment
Super Sporting	1. Freddie Ang 2. Timothy Yeo 3. Mitchell Cheah	1. Bradley Benedict 2. Mitchell Cheah 3. Kenneth Koh	Mitchell Cheah claims back-to-back podium finishes (3rd and 2nd).
Sporting	1. Elson Lew 2. Taj Izrin Aiman 3. Aditya Patnaik	1. Aditya Patnaik 2. Adam Mikail 3. Ariff Azmi	Race 2 ends under safety car following three separate track incidents.
Rookies	1. Ethen Low 2. Ervin Lim 3. Imran Iskandar	1. Ethen Low 2. Megat Damian Ariff 3. Ervin Lim	16-year-old Ethen Low achieves a double race win.

Format Shift Increases Multi-Class Traffic Pressure​

Unlike the half-track format utilized during the opening two rounds of the season, Round 3 tested drivers with full-circuit tire degradation and heavy multi-class overtaking over a 60-minute stint.

In the Super Sporting Class, defending champion Freddie Ang (Telagamas Toyota) converted a pole position start into a Race 1 victory, crossing the finish line 5.9 seconds clear of Timothy Yeo (RH Kalulong Motorsport). Former champion Mitchell Cheah (Team Prima Pearl SP Selatan) completed the podium in third place.

In Race 2, Bradley Benedict (PS Harapan Menang) maintained his pole position advantage despite three separate safety car deployments. Benedict managed the final restart to secure the win by 0.5 seconds over Cheah, with Kenneth Koh (PCM Group Racing Team) taking third.

"Whatever lead I had built up disappeared on three occasions, but I was lucky that I did not have to defend my position throughout the race and had a clear track ahead," stated Benedict following Race 2.

Incident-Heavy Race 2 Interrupts Sporting Class​

The Sporting Class saw high attrition during Sunday's second race, which ultimately concluded behind the safety car. Three distinct collisions triggered safety car periods:

1. Lap 3: Contact between Lim Chun Beng (Fokus Racing Team) and Sophia Zara (Super Evergreen Motorsport).
2. Lap 15: Off-track incident involving Hendra Ade Putra (FIA Boulevard Racing).
3. Pre-Restart: Back-straight collision between Loke Yin Yi (Unihub & DMW 1 Motorsport) and Ng Aik Sha (GTA Race Team).

Elson Lew (Hong Huat X Armada KK Racing) won Race 1 by a 10.9-second margin over Taj Izrin Aiman. In Race 2, Indian driver Aditya Patnaik (Axle Sports) secured victory by holding off Adam Mikail by 0.3 seconds before the race finished under neutral conditions.

Rookie Class Swept by Ethen Low​

In the Rookie Class, 16-year-old Ethen Low dominated both weekend races. Low won Race 1 with an 18.7-second lead over Ervin Lim and Imran Iskandar. He followed with a 0.4-second victory in Race 2 ahead of Megat Damian Ariff and Lim.

Championship Finale Context​

Season 9 of the manufacturer-backed one-make series carries a total prize pool of RM876,000. With double points distributed across Round 3 and no single driver taking maximum points in the professional categories, all class championships remain mathematically open heading into the fourth and final round scheduled for October 2026.