After a 12-year hiatus, the Super GT race returned to Malaysia last weekend – and alongside it, the inaugural Toyota GR86 Cup Malaysia 2025 made its thrilling debut as the official support race for the Super GT Festival Malaysia.
Sponsored by Bridgestone Tyre Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the Toyota GR86 Cup Malaysia 2025 saw 17 racing teams going head-to-head in equally prepared Toyota GR86 race cars over two races held at the Sepang International Circuit.
Race 1 – Artevo Motorsport takes the win for Pro-AM class; TD Racing crowned champion for Clubman class
Held on 27-June, in the Pro-Am class, Race 1 saw Hayden Haikal of Artevo Motorsport (Car No. 10) claiming the first position. He clocked the fastest lap of the race at 2:33.243 on his second lap.
Stratos Motorsports (Car No. 16), driven by Muhammad Naquib Azlan, secured second place, while Keifli Othman of ZR Project Racing (Car No. 45) completed the podium in third.
As for the Clubman class, TD Racing’s Lester Neo Zhe Ming (Car No. 53) claimed top spot in his class, followed by fellow team mate Harold Chau Hon Loon(Car No. 35). Third place went to Ayrton Mohd Azeem Low of Aylezo Motorsports (Car No. 8).
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Race 2 – Stratos Motorsports on top for Pro-Am class; TD Racing maintains two podium spots in Clubman class
Race 2, held the next day (28 June), saw a reversal of fortunes. James Liam Russell, behind the wheel of Stratos Motorsports’ Car No. 16, took the top spot of the podium in the Pro-Am class.
Tengku Djan Ley of TD Racing (Car No. 12) crossed the line less than a second behind in second place, while Ady Rahimy Rashid from Mushtari SMRT (Car No. 46) surged from P12 to finish third – also clocking the the quickest lap for Race 2 at 2:35.158.
In the Clubman class, TD Racing clinched on to two podium spots – drivers Lester Neo Zhe Ming in Car No. 53 and Harold Chau Hon Loon in Car No. 35 retained first and second position, respectively. Ayrton Mohd Azeem Low of Aylezo Motorsports also maintained his position in third place as Race 1.
Watch: Bridgestone Potenza Racing Tyre in Super GT Malaysia 2025
What do I need to know about the Toyota GR86 Cup cars?
As a brief recap, all competitors race in a similarly-specced Toyota GR86, all fitted with Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS tyres in 225/45R17 size.
The race cars all feature the same unmodified naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre flat-four petrol engine that outputs 237 PS and 250 Nm.
Powertrain modifications include a Fujitsubo exhaust system, TRD 16-row transmission oil cooler, and Cusco competition clutch, while the handling aspect features a Cusco type RS limited-slip differential (LSD), KW Racing inverted shock absorbers with TRD suspension bushings all round, coupled with 17-inch Raxer RP10X wheels wrapped in the aforementioned Bridgestone tyres. Stopping power comes from a set of Advics calipers – four-piston monoblock up front and two-piston monoblock at the rear, with Project Mu racing brake pads all-round.
Safety is backed by a JAF-approved roll cage, Bride Zeta bucket seats, a six-point HANS-compliant safety harness and fire suppression system.
The GR86 Cup car is priced at RM 208,315 – considerably less than the road-going GR86 which is priced from RM 295,000. The key difference is that the GR86 Cup cars are not road legal.
Will there be more GR86 Cup races?
Yes, two more rounds will follow. The next race will take place during the Malaysia Championship Series 300km race, followed by a grand finale race with 86 laps.
The Toyota GR86 Cup series will only be competing at the Sepang International Circuit.
Download the race results here:
