Sim Racing Esports Championship holds first all-women’s race
MANILA, Philippines – The National Esports Championship 2026 kicked off its first on-site event of the year at the Korsa Pitstop Cafe in Ayala Malls Manila Bay on May 30, headlined by the first All-Women’s Race and a Three-Hour Endurance Race.
The National Esports Championship is a sim-racing esports league powered by Dominado E-Motorsports: Rally and presented by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP).
The second season of the league introduced new formats that tackle various circuits, game modes, and tournament dates.
The All-Women’s Race, introduced this year, aims to attract more female racers and aspiring professionals.
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Meanwhile, the three-hour endurance race featured four drivers (Pro, Pro-Am, Amateur, and Female) to swap during stints. The new format introduced physical challenges during the swaps, such as planks or ab crunches.
Racers involved collegiate teams from Mapua and De La Salle University, as well as other sim racing organizations.
The 2026 roadmap
The first leg of the tournament began with Round 1 for the Circuit track on May 2. Meanwhile, Round 1 of Rally was held on May 9.
Round 2 races are scheduled for August 1 (Circuit), August 29 (Rally), and September 5 (Endurance).
Registrations for future races are through the AAP Esports and Dominado E-Motorsports: Rally Facebook pages.
The AAP is the only governing body for four-wheeled motor sport in the country and the only organization affiliated with the Federation Internationale de’l Automobile (FIA). The FIA is the international governing body for international competitions in motorsport.
The growing popularity of sim racing
Once a niche sport, the popularity of Formula 1 through its Netflix documentary has allowed sim racing to rapidly grow.
Adding to the heightened value of esports in the country, sim racing is on its way to find a place in mainstream competitions.
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A 2024 study by Ken Research–that analyzed data on sim racing simulator trajectory–recorded “32 million participating in esports competitions in 2024, with virtual racing at around 18 million in the Asia Pacific Region.”
