Sepang – Toyota GAZOO Racing Indonesia made an immediate impact on its first appearance in The Super Series 2026, securing a podium finish in the GT4 Pro Am class at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Competing with the GR Supra GT4 Evo2, TGRI drivers Haridarma Manoppo and Syaukat Takuma Soejatmo finished third in Round 5 on August 22. The result was particularly significant as it marked the pair’s first race together in the regional GT competition.
TGRI arrived at Sepang with a measured approach. Rather than setting an ambitious target for its first Super Series weekend, the team viewed the event as an opportunity to adapt to a new racing environment, develop chemistry between its drivers and work with a new engineering team.
That made the opening result even more encouraging.
A Strong Start for a New Indonesian GT4 Pairing
The Super Series brings together touring car and Grand Touring racing categories from across Southeast Asia. For TGRI, the event represented another step beyond its domestic racing programs and an opportunity to test its competitiveness in a regional environment.
Haridarma and Takuma formed an all-Indonesian lineup, combining experience with youth.
Haridarma brings years of experience from national and regional touring car racing. He also has a successful history with the GR Supra GT4 Evo2, having won the GT4 Japan Cup title in 2025 with the same model.
Takuma, meanwhile, represents a younger generation of Indonesian racing talent. The Super Series gave him an opportunity to gain experience in a different form of competition alongside one of TGRI’s most experienced drivers.
The pairing had to quickly build its understanding of each other while adapting to the demands of GT racing. Driver changes, race strategy and communication with engineers all play a major role in a GT4 endurance-style event.
Despite those challenges, the duo delivered a competitive performance from the start.
Third Place Under the Lights at Sepang
Round 5 was held on Saturday as a night race, adding another challenge to TGRI’s first weekend in the series.
The GR Supra GT4 Evo2 started from sixth position, placing Haridarma and Takuma in the middle of a competitive GT4 field. Over the course of a 60-minute-plus-one-lap race, the two drivers took turns behind the wheel and worked with the team to move forward.
Their efforts resulted in third place in the GT4 Pro Am class.
The podium finish gave TGRI a strong result in its first attempt at The Super Series and showed that the team could quickly adapt to the demands of regional GT racing.
“Congratulations to Haridarma Manoppo and Syaukat Takuma Soejatmo, who immediately reached the podium in their first participation in The Super Series 2026,” said Bansar Maduma, Marketing Director of PT Toyota-Astra Motor.
He added that the combination of a senior racer and a younger driver could help create opportunities for TGRI to compete at a higher level in Asia while continuing to develop Indonesian racing talent.
The GR Supra GT4 Evo2 Returns to Regional Competition
At the center of TGRI’s campaign was the Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo2.
GT4 racing is designed around manufacturer-built race cars that are available to customers and modified according to class regulations. The category aims to create a relatively balanced level of competition between different cars and manufacturers.
The GR Supra GT4 Evo2 is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six engine with a single twin-scroll turbocharger. The Toyota Gazoo Racing-developed race car produces up to 430 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque.
The model is already familiar to Haridarma, who used the GR Supra GT4 Evo2 during his successful GT4 Japan Cup campaign in 2025.
However, the Sepang event represented a new challenge. This time, Haridarma was paired with a fellow Indonesian driver rather than his previous teammate, while the team also had to establish working relationships with a new group of engineers.
The third-place finish in Round 5 suggested that the combination came together faster than expected.
A Difficult End to an Encouraging Weekend
TGRI returned to the Sepang circuit for Round 6 on Sunday, hoping to build on its podium result from the previous night.
However, the second race proved much more difficult.
Haridarma and Takuma’s race was interrupted by a tire failure, followed by further technical issues. The problems eventually forced the GR Supra GT4 Evo2 out of contention, and the pair was unable to reach the finish.
The result prevented TGRI from completing a second consecutive strong race. Nevertheless, the opening podium ensured that the team’s Super Series debut still produced an important positive result.
For a team entering a new regional championship, a single weekend can provide valuable experience even when the results are mixed.
The challenges of Round 6 also offered TGRI additional information about the demands of the series, which could prove useful if the team continues its GT4 program in the future.
A Valuable Step for Indonesia’s Racing Talent
Beyond the result itself, the Super Series debut was also significant for Takuma.
The young driver described the opportunity to race alongside Haridarma in a regional GT event as an important learning experience.
“The atmosphere and challenges are certainly different from national racing, so this will be a very valuable experience for me to continue learning and developing my abilities,” Takuma said.
That development pathway is one of the reasons TGRI continues to compete across different forms of motorsport.
The team has built programs ranging from rallying and slalom to touring car racing and now regional GT competition. Each discipline presents different technical and driving challenges, allowing drivers to develop experience in multiple forms of motorsport.
According to Toyota, the program is also intended to support local racing talent while gathering experience that can contribute to vehicle development.
For Haridarma and Takuma, the Sepang weekend offered a first look at what an expanded GT racing program could deliver.
Their campaign ended with both a podium and a retirement, reflecting the unpredictable nature of motorsport. But the stronger headline came from Saturday night, when an all-Indonesian pairing turned its first Super Series appearance into a GT4 Pro Am podium.
From debut to third place in a competitive regional field, TGRI showed that its move into Asian GT racing has started with real promise.