Seventeen-year-old Norwegian driver and Sim Racing Nation ambassador Timothy Friis Larsen has added another national trophy to his cabinet after winning the 2026 Norsk Motor Klubb (NMK) Formula 4 Esports Championship. Representing Scorpio Esport and RaceGen, Larsen was invited to the annual NMK motorsport gala in Oslo to receive his championship medal on stage alongside champions from Norway's real-world racing disciplines—before heading to Finland to help Team Norway win the 2026 Nordic Simracing Championship.
Why the NMK Formula 4 Crown Matters in Norway
Founded in 1916, Norsk Motor Klubb (NMK) is Norway's largest motorsport organization, representing roughly 60 percent of all licensed motorsport competitors across the country through its nationwide network of local clubs. When the Norwegian Motorsport Federation did not organize an official national Formula 4 Esports Championship this year, NMK stepped in to run its own nationwide Formula Car Esports series, drawing virtually all of Norway's leading single-seater sim racers.
The championship came down to a two-stage showdown at Rudskogen on April 12, broadcast live on Apex Racing TV. Following a multi-day open time-attack qualification where drivers had unlimited attempts to post their fastest lap, the top qualifiers advanced to a single championship race to decide the title.
Scorpio Esport / NMKLaunching Off the Front Row at Rudskogen
The Rudskogen grid stacked Norway's fastest open-wheel drivers at the front. Allen Drake Cruz topped the time-attack qualification sheets, while Nicolai Mjelde claimed pole position for the final with Timothy Friis Larsen lining up alongside him on the front row and reigning Norwegian champion Leander Angeltvedt close behind.
Larsen made the decisive launch off the line to take the lead into Turn 1. As the lead pack traded slipstreams and overtake attempts around Rudskogen, several pre-race contenders ran into trouble behind him: Angeltvedt suffered a mid-race connection drop, and polesitter Mjelde spun while trying to force his way back into the lead. Keeping his composure out front under pressure from Syver Aasvestad Sandvik, Larsen controlled the gap to the checkered flag to win the 2026 NMK Formula 4 Esports Championship ahead of Sandvik in second and Hans Jakob Sivertsen Mollatt in third.
- 1st , Timothy Friis Larsen: Launched from P2 on the grid to lead into Turn 1 and control the final
- 2nd , Syver Aasvestad Sandvik: Kept the pressure on Larsen through the closing laps to claim silver
- 3rd , Hans Jakob Sivertsen Mollatt: Completed the podium at virtual Rudskogen Motorsenter
- Qualifying & Grid Notes: Allen Drake Cruz led time-attack; Nicolai Mjelde took pole; Leander Angeltvedt disconnected mid-race
- 2026 Nordic Simracing Championship: Selected for Team Norway alongside Theo Johansen, Jakob Behrens, and Leander Angeltvedt; won Individual FIA F4 gold
- Notable iRacing Wins: Defeated F1/F2 drivers Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, and Taylor Barnard in official competition
- Real-World Transition: Signed with RaceGen & Scorpio Motorsport (Ivan Taranov) for an early-2027 GB4 test at Donington Park
A Two-Word Answer on His Real-World Future
Having only started sim racing in early 2022, Larsen has climbed into the top 50 worldwide in iRacing Formula iRating, captured three official iRacing Super Formula top-split titles, and beaten real-world Formula 1 and Formula 2 drivers including Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, and Taylor Barnard in official iRacing competition—all while his real-world track time has so far consisted of only a handful of rental karting sessions. His domestic form also earned him selection alongside Theo Sebastian Johansen, Jakob Behrens, and Leander Riffo Angeltvedt to represent Norway at the 2026 Nordic Simracing Championship in Finland, where Larsen won the Individual FIA F4 title as Norway swept the Nations Cup.
During his on-stage interview at the NMK awards gala in Oslo, Larsen was asked when he intends to compete in real-world motorsport. He gave a two-word reply:
"Next year."
That timeline points directly to early 2027, when Larsen will complete a fully funded test day in a Scorpio Motorsport GB4 single-seater at Donington Park through RaceGen Driver Management, led by former Formula 2 and GP3 driver Ivan Taranov. Rather than a one-off prize drive, the Donington test is the opening step of a structured physical, engineering, and racecraft program designed to evaluate and prepare the 17-year-old Norwegian for a full GB4 Championship campaign.
