Motorsport is often labelled as an expensive hobby for the wealthy, and for the most part, it’s true. Racing-grade go karts cost as much as an actual car these days, and even track-day prices are creeping up. The lack of accessibility has played a part in the lukewarm enthusiasm and stunted growth within the local motorsports scene, but Porsche Malaysia wants to change that – with esports.
Now in its second year running, the Porsche Esports Sprint Challenge Malaysia 2025, which concluded earlier this month, aims to act as a gateway into motorsports, giving opportunities to racing enthusiasts as young as 10 years old to develop their skills in a virtual arena. Better yet, the young talents will also be able to demonstrate their prowess in the real world, as the podium finishers also won themselves a ticket to the coveted Porsche Driving Experience, in addition to their challenge trophy.
The finale weekend, which took place at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit alongside Rounds six and seven of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, saw a total of 30 finalists race against each other across three age categories – Junior Dreamers (10–14 years old), Young Dreamers (15–17 years old) and Driven Dreamers (18–25 years old).
Despite the racers’ young age, the finale delivered an intense show for the live audience, from nail-biting qualifying sessions to thrilling wheel-to-wheel action in the races that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
In the headlining Driven Dreams category, siblings Naquib Azlan and Nabil Azlan delivered a dominant performance, securing first and second place respectively after a gripping 20-minute race. Completing the podium was Zeth Yuen, who made an impressive debut in the new age group after finishing on the podium in the Young Dreamers category last year.
In the Young Dreamers category, Dhevesh Geeva drove a dominating race to finish first, while Ethen Low and Nazyff Zain completed the podium in second and third. Meanwhile, the Junior Dreamers final saw a tight battle between Aydrae Amit and Anson Yong, pushing each other to their limits all the way to a photo-finish in first and second place respectively. Jonas Tan, making his first-ever entry into the challenge, also delivered an impressive showing to finish third – especially after spinning out earlier in the race.
Each of these talented racers made their way to the finals through an intense selection process, which included three separate stages of qualifying rounds. The racers were supported by expert guidance and coaching from professional sim racers, and were even subjected to a dedicated driver profile photoshoot, immersing the young’uns in a motorsport-like environment.
To emulate the challenges of real-world racing, competitors also raced on advanced motion-simulated rigs that replicated the dynamics of a race car on an actual track environment. Despite taking place in a virtual world, the bumps and divots on the Petronas Sepang International Circuit track surface were still felt through the seats and simulator physics model, adding another layer of challenge.
ALSO READ: All-new 2024 Porsche Macan Electric launched in Malaysia – 4 variants, from RM430,000
Porsche Malaysia says that the integration of the Porsche Esports Sprint Challenge Malaysia into the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia weekend highlights their ongoing commitment to developing future motorsports talents and celebrating motorsports excellence in all forms.
Many of the new-age Malaysian racing talents have been discovered through sim-racing and esports. With expert mentorship from the likes of former F1 driver Alex Yoong, many of them have also gone on to achieve immense success in real-world racing series, both locally and internationally.
We can’t wait to see what these new crop of sim-racers are capable in a real Porsche sportscar!
