The Malaysia Speed Festival Merdeka Race, powered by PETRONAS Primax, was a night filled with surprises and intense competition at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit on Sunday, September 1, 2024. The endurance race, aimed at completing 99 grueling laps of the 5.543 km track, began with an unexpectedly fierce battle for positions among competitors across six racing classes. The race kicked off at sunset, following the singing of the national anthem, and was marked by four safety car deployments, the first occurring just three laps into the event.
Despite some clear favorites, the race was filled with uncertainty, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats for all 99 laps. Of the 77 cars that started, only 42 managed to cross the finish line. The first car retired just two laps into the race, while the last car broke down four laps from the chequered flag, resulting in a night filled with both celebrations and heartbreaks. 
One of the standout performances of the night came from the duo of “Boy” Soh Zhi Xian and Tan Wai Hoong, who drove their first-generation Trackerz Racing Perodua MyVi into the overall top 5, even briefly taking the lead after 26 laps. Despite eventually retiring after 72 laps, their drive was impressive, especially considering the competition from more modern and powerful cars like the Honda Type R, Suzuki Sports, and Toyota GT86. 
In a surprising turn of events, the overall champion was the #60 fourth-generation Honda Civic (built between 1987 and 1991), driven by Gan Kim Koa, Lee Wai Cong, and Hayden Haikal. They completed the 99 laps in 4 hours, 54 minutes, and 31.789 seconds, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of their closest competitor, despite spinning early in the race and dropping to last place. “We were literally running on fumes over the last two laps,” said Hayden, who drove the final stint. “This is also the car’s second time back after not racing for six years.” The team also won the Super 1800cc Class. 
The Millennium Racing 1 Honda Civic, driven by Faizal Naim, William Yong, and Al Amin Mohd, claimed second place overall and won the Vision HKS Super Touring Class. Third place overall went to Mohd Fahrizal Hasan and Syed Mohd Rizal in their FAWSTER SMRT Toyota GT86, who were also crowned champions in the Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup. “We won on good strategy, kept it clean, and maintained consistent lap times,” Fahrizal noted. “Being in a lower class, we did not expect to finish so high, especially after qualifying 12th.” 
Only the top three overall winners managed to complete all 99 laps, with the remaining 39 competitors finishing at least one lap behind. The six racing classes in the Merdeka Race included Rennplatz Standard Production, Rennplatz Standard Production Max, Vision HKS Super Touring, Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup, Super 1800, and MSF Super Production, with a total of RM50,000 in prize money up for grabs for the top three winners in each class. 
