{"id":15714,"date":"2026-07-21T21:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klhappenings.com\/?p=15714"},"modified":"2026-07-21T21:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T13:57:14","slug":"unihub-auto-dmw-1-automobile-teams-up-with-kegani-racing-academy-to-field-its-first-developmental-driver-in-the-toyota-gazoo-racing-malaysia-vios-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klhappenings.com\/?p=15714","title":{"rendered":"UNIHUB AUTO-DMW 1 AUTOMOBILE TEAMS UP WITH KEGANI RACING ACADEMY TO FIELD ITS FIRST DEVELOPMENTAL DRIVER IN THE TOYOTA GAZOO RACING MALAYSIA VIOS CHALLENGE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Unihub Auto Sdn Bhd and DMW 1 Automobile have teamed up with Kegani Racing Academy (KRA) to become the first UMW Toyota Motor dealers to recruit a developmental driver outside of the existing ecosystem to compete in the Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia Vios Challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team – Unihub & DMW 1 Motorsport Team – has signed on lady driver Loke Yin Yi, two-time overall champion of the KRA SKILLDRVN One Make Race (OMR) Series, to compete in the Sporting Class for amateurs, joining a grid of 20 other drivers for Round 3 this weekend ((25-26 July) at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re extremely excited with this new partnership and to provide an opportunity for new and talented drivers from the KRA SKILLDRVN One Make Race (OMR) Series to move up the motorsports ladder in Malaysia. This is only our second year competing in the Vios Challenge and we also have a lot of ground to make up as a team. The Sporting Class is undoubtedly one of the most competitive classes of racing in the series but we believe with KRA\u2019s expertise of grooming highly competitive, disciplined and committed drivers, we are in a position to deliver some strong results moving forward,\u201d said Unihub Auto Sdn Bhd Assistant General Manager Brandon Lee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unihub Auto Sdn Bhd is based in Puchong, Selangor while DMW 1 Autombile is a dealer operating in in Kudat, Sabah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cUnihub\u2019s partnership with KRA is very much in support of UMW Toyota Motor\u2019s continued commitment to contribute towards the development of motorsports in Malaysia since it first established the Vios Challenge in 2017. We have seen how Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia\u2019s Young Talent Development Program has been instrumental in grooming young drivers over the past six years and what we hope to do now is to open the doors to the Vios Challenge for more promising talent beyond the current ecosystem. This is our small contribution to further uplift Malaysian motorsports.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee said the Unihub & DMW 1 Motorsport Team aspires to become one of Malaysia’s leading motorsports teams, creating a clear pathway for aspiring drivers to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMotorsport has always been a powerful platform for innovation and inspiration. Throughout the TGR Vios Challenge, the team has been able to demonstrate our commitment to excellence, not only on the racetrack but also in the way we serve our customers. It has strengthened our team culture, enhanced our brand image, and reinforced the trust customers place in us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it will be Loke\u2019s first time competing in a 3rd<\/sup> generation Toyota Vios, she has already been on the podium on four occasions this year in the Vios Classic Challenge, winning one race and finishing 2nd<\/sup> three times alongside KRA mentor Kenny Lee in the previous two rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtually a newcomer to motorsports, Loke went on to become the first double overall champion in the KRA SKILLDRVN One Make Race (OMR) Series in 2024 and 2025. She has since progressed to drive for the Ultra Racing Team in the newly-introduced SKILLDRVN Swift Professional Series and currently leads the overall point standings with two back-to-back race wins in two rounds held so far. Loke has also made an appearance as the only foreign driver in the Japanese Kyojo Vita Championship where she picked up a 4th<\/sup> place finish in May this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaboration with Unihub Auto Sdn Bhd marks another significant milestone in Kegani Racing Academy\u2019s aspiration to develop a new and talented pool of young drivers. Racing is very much about progression and the Vios Challenge is another step in the direction of providing our trainees and drivers with competitive exposure,\u201d said KRA Principal and Chief coach Kenny Lee, who himself, had competed in several seasons of the Vios Challenge racing in the Super Sporting Class for elite and professional drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would like to thank Unihub Auto Sdn Bhd for collaborating with KRA and giving the first ever Skilldrvn driver the opportunity to compete in the Vios Challenge for a Toyota dealer team. I hope this marks the start for many more potential collaborations with dealer teams and create a progression channel for talented drivers from the Skilldrvn program in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KRA has developed a comprehensive module in motorsports education and to develop new racing drivers, exposing its students to not only theory, sportsmanship, simulator and on-track training, but also introducing its very own SKILLDRVN One Make Race (OMR) Series which was started in 2023 as a gateway to develop young and new racers. Using the ZC31 Suzuki Swift as a base and strict technical regulations, the Skilldrvn OMR race series emphasizes on low cost grassroot racing, fairness in machines, good racing manner and sportsmanship. The racing series is designed to become more affordable and accessible to the masses. This year, the series evolved to introduced what is known as the SKILLDRVN Swift Professional Series giving companies the opportunity to field their own teams with accomplished drivers moving up the ranks from the SKILLDRVN One Make Race (OMR) Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Kegani Racing Academy also announced the setting-up of KRA Japan, a franchise in collaboration with Fujii Engineering to provide a training program during the summer holiday in Japan.  KRA Japan adopts the same concept implemented by KRA in Malaysia, that is to form a new eco-system for grassroot racing and will also be introducing the SKILLDRVN Driver Development Program there. The collaboration is envisioned to enable two-way cooperation aimed at further uplifting the standards of Malaysian racers by exposing them to Japanese racing culture, technical and sporting standards as well as enhanced racing ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KRA offers driver training And Development from the age of 14 years old and above. For any enquiry, you may contact KRA at 0126866177 or for more information, visit our website at www.KeganiRacingAcademy.com<\/a> You can also pay us a visit at Kegani Racing Services, No: 7, Jalan Serindit 2, Puchong Jaya 47100 Puchong, Selangor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unihub Auto Sdn Bhd and DMW 1 Automobile have teamed up with Kegani Racing Academy (KRA) to become the first UMW Toyota Motor dealers to recruit a developmental driver outside of the existing ecosystem to compete in the Toyota GAZOO Racing Malaysia Vios Challenge. The team – Unihub & DMW 1 Motorsport Team – has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[745,2724],"tags":[3301],"class_list":["post-15714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automobile","category-gazoo-racing","tag-toyota-gazoo-racing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t