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The PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit hosted the season finale of the Porsche Esports Sprint Challenge Malaysia (PESCM) 2026 on 22 August
The digital racing showdown took place alongside the Porsche ARBox Carrera Cup Asia (PACCA) 2026 race weekend. The event brought young virtual racers side by side with real-world motorsport professionals.
Now in its third edition, the digital championship serves as a key platform for developing local motorsport talent aged 10 to 23
This year marked the largest and most diverse grid in the event's history. Organisers expanded the competition by introducing the Female Dreamers category for participants aged 10 to 23. The new category joined the existing Junior Dreamers (10 to 14), Young Dreamers (15 to 17), and Driven Dreamers (18 to 23) divisions.
Sime Darby Auto Performance Chief Executive Officer Christopher Hunter noted that modern sim racing requires high discipline, razor-sharp focus, and quick decision-making, traits that translate directly onto a physical track.
The championship offers young Malaysians a structured path to discover their racing potential.
The road to the Sepang finale mirrored a professional racing season
Drivers competed in physical qualifying rounds on virtual versions of tracks featured in the 2026 PACCA calendar.
The journey started on the virtual Zhuhai International Circuit before moving to the regional qualifiers at Porsche Centres in Ara Damansara, Sungai Besi, Penang, and Johor Bahru, where drivers tackled the virtual Shanghai International Circuit.
The top ten racers from each centre then advanced to the final qualifier at Pavilion Bukit Jalil.
Beyond track time, participants received coaching from experienced sim racers, underwent physical assessments, and had driver profile portraits taken. The finalists competed in a 20-minute sprint race at Sepang following free practice and qualifying sessions.
SAYS spoke to a few of the finalists to understand the challenges of this championship
Sim racing at this level of competition is not an easy feat. Drivers have to be at peak performance to come out on top. After all, these drivers are among the best in the country.
When asked about the biggest challenges, here's what the competitors had to say. Female Dreamers champion, 21-year-old Genevieve Henrietta Ooi, said that maintaining composure and patience is key.
"In the cars that we are driving, the minute you overdrive it or drive purely on emotions, it is easy to spin out or make a mistake that could cost you your race," said Genevieve.
"My biggest challenge was competing knowing my competitors had more practice than I did, yet still winning the race," she added, referring to her tight schedule, balancing between SUKMA, Malaysian Touring Car Championship (MTCC), and PESCM, all of which happened in the same week. Genevieve is a SUKMA gold medallist in the sim racing category.
From left: Lee Sin Yaw, Genevieve Ooi, Chloe Choo Kay Shan.
Image via Syazwan Bahri/SAYSChloe Choo Kay Shan, the 23-year-old 2nd runner-up, is another driver who competed in both SUKMA and PESCM. She said it was tough balancing between the different race championships.
"The week before SUKMA, I spent hours on the sim, practising the sprint settings of 30-minute races on all the tracks, studying the track further and analysing my mistakes," said Chloe.
Genevieve also mentioned that she found it challenging to balance all her practice sessions.
"I didn't really have much time before that to practice for SUKMA as I had to focus on MTCC. A lot of it comes down to visualisation and self-talk. That's an ongoing practice that I'm trying my best to improve," Genevieve told SAYS.
"For PESCM, to be frank, I had a total of two hours since the semi-finals to practice. I had my sights on gold for SUKMA and the championship for MTCC," she added.
Genevieve Ooi in the zone.
Image via Porsche Malaysia (Provided to SAYS)Meanwhile, the Driven Dreamers category highlighted some of the most intense virtual racing the spectators have seen
Nazmir Azlan, 22, clinched the title victory through a challenging race.
"I had a decent start from 3rd place, and was able to take the lead by the first corner after braking precisely and avoiding any collision with other cars. From there, I did my best to maintain a good yet consistent pace and got to defend my position till the end," Nazmir told SAYS.
From left: Aqiel Saufi, Nazmir Azlan, and Amir Haziq, who was representing Mika Hakimi.
Image via Syazwan Bahri/SAYSHowever, the same cannot be said for the runner-up finisher, 23-year-old Aqiel Saufi.
"The race start was frustrating since Neil out-braked himself, which delayed my turn-in into turn 1 and let Nazmir slip past both of us. I was quite lucky to not suffer from any damage there."
Pole sitter Muhammad Neil Harris, 23, had a strong start that was marred by unfortunate racing incidents.
"I started in first place, but then had a bad start which led to a 3-wide situation at Turn 1, in which I outbraked myself," he said, reflecting on his race start.
"I think I could've approached the pre-race prep better by staying calmer. I'll continue to participate in competitions to gain experience and confidence," Neil added, optimistic about his outcome.
Young Dreamers winners, from left: Lim Jun Yi, Ethen Low, Jonas Tan.
Image via Porsche Malaysia (Provided to SAYS)
Junior Dreamers winner, from left: Aydrae Amit, Adam Venice, Luqman Fazrul.
Image via Porsche Malaysia (Provided to SAYS)The championship highlighted a clear link between digital simulators and real-world motorsports
All the drivers shared with SAYS their thoughts on stepping into sim racing and motorsports.
"Always be eager to find and seize opportunities whenever you can. Various sim racing events are being held frequently that you can participate in, which are free of charge," Nazmir told SAYS.
Nazmir Azlan crossing the finishing line.
Image via Porsche Malaysia (Provided to SAYS)Chloe and Genevieve also encouraged women to try out sim racing.
"To aspiring female drivers, don't be afraid to start racing," Chloe said.
"Some people believe women can't race, but I told myself to never listen to those comments, as gender doesn't define the skills needed," she added.
"As the minority in the sport, we need to work twice as hard to prove that we belong. That determination and resilience drove me to achieve podiums across multiple series," said Genevieve.
"Be exactly who you are, a girl. A woman. A racecar driver," she added.
Naquib Azlan, who won the Driven Dreamers category in 2025, leapt into professional racing in just one year. He currently drives the #17 Porsche 911 Cup car for Team Porsche Malaysia in the PRO category of the PACCA.
"Sim racing is the future of how drivers will step into motorsport. If you truly have the dream of being a racing driver, take sim racing seriously, put the work in and never stop believing in yourself," Naquib told SAYS.
Winners across all categories received trophies, certificates, and an exclusive Porsche driving experience supported by Mobil 1
The partnership celebrates a 30-year engineering relationship between Porsche and Mobil 1, whose engine oil powers every Porsche leaving the factory.
