Timothy Larsen: Norwegian Champion, and a Two-Word Answer About His Future

From virtual Rudskogen to an awards ceremony in Oslo, 17-year-old Timothy Friis Larsen is collecting silverware, making a name for himself among Norway's fastest sim racers, and preparing for a rather different kind of 2027 racing season.

There are many ways to make a name for yourself in motorsport. Some spend years climbing the karting ladder, others arrive with wealthy parents and a racing budget that could probably finance a small space programme. Timothy Friis Larsen has taken a rather different route, and it is beginning to produce some rather interesting results.

The 17-year-old Norwegian, representing Scorpio RaceGen, has been crowned the 2026 NMK Formula 4 Esports Champion, adding another significant achievement to an already impressive sim racing career. And this time, the Timothy was invited to a gala in Oslo, to receive his award in person, as part of the wider recognition of achievements across different disciplines of motorsport. This also means he was selected to represent Norway at the Nordic Simracing Championship in Helsinki, Finland, later this month.

Watch Nordic Simracing Championship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYDaj44lK88

For those unfamiliar with the organisation, Norsk Motor Klubb (NMK) is Norway's largest motorsport organisation, with a history stretching back to 1916. It represents thousands of competitors and enthusiasts through its nationwide network of local clubs, with approximately 60 per cent of Norway's licensed motorsport competitors belonging to the organisation. In other words, this is not some obscure online competition organised by a few people in someone's spare bedroom.

There is, however, an important distinction worth making when discussing Timothy's achievement. The Norwegian Motorsport Federation did not organise an official Norwegian F4 Esports Championship this year. NMK consequently took matters into its own hands and organised its own nationwide Formula Car Esports Championship, attracting virtually all of Norway's leading drivers in the discipline.

It would be wrong to call it the official Norwegian Championship, but equally wrong to underestimate what winning it means. Think of the FA Cup: winning it does not make a football club the English league champion, but try telling the supporters that the trophy is somehow unimportant. The NMK championship occupies a similar position, carrying considerable national prestige without being the official federation title.

And Timothy won it.

A final worth watching

The championship was decided on 12 April at the virtual Rudskogen Motorsenter, following a two-stage format. First came an extensive time-attack qualification, allowing drivers several days and as many attempts as they needed to establish their pace. The fastest contenders then progressed to the final, where everything was decided in a proper race.

The competition was hardly short of talent. Allen Drake Cruz topped the time-attack standings, while Nicolai Mjelde secured pole position for the final, with Timothy starting alongside him. Behind them were several familiar names, including reigning champion Leander Angeltvedt.

Timothy, however, had other ideas.

He made the better start and took the lead at the first corner, immediately putting himself in the strongest possible position. The race subsequently developed into a fierce contest among the leading drivers, with slipstreaming, overtaking attempts and plenty of pressure. Several pre-race favourites encountered problems, including Angeltvedt, whose internet connection disappeared at precisely the wrong moment, and Mjelde, who spun following an ambitious attempt to reclaim the lead.

While the opposition gradually disappeared from the fight, Timothy maintained his pace and composure. Syver Aasvestad Sandvik remained his closest challenger, but Larsen proved too strong, eventually taking the victory ahead of Sandvik and Hans Jakob Sivertsen Mollatt.

It was a convincing conclusion to an entertaining final, and a result that earned Timothy the Formula 4 esports winners' trophy among the numerous awards presented across different motorsport disciplines.

Watch the full championship final: https://www.youtube.com/live/LjaFi_QV6z0

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More than just a fast driver

Timothy's NMK victory is another milestone in a sim racing career that has developed remarkably quickly.

Having started sim racing in early 2022, he has progressed from an enthusiastic newcomer to one of the strongest open-wheel competitors on iRacing. His Formula iRating places him close to the top 50 drivers worldwide, and his performances in official Super Formula top-split competition have included 3 top-split titles.

His record also includes beating real-world racing drivers such as Taylor Barnard, Isack Hadjar and Kimi Antonelli in official iRacing competition. That is a rather unusual collection of names to have on your virtual racing CV, particularly when you consider that Timothy's real-world driving experience has so far been limited to a handful of rental karting sessions.

At Scorpio, however, the objective has never been simply to collect virtual trophies. The team's interest in Timothy has always been tied to a much bigger ambition: finding out whether that speed can translate into something considerably more tangible.

Two words, one rather interesting future

There was another memorable moment during the recent award-related interview in Oslo.

Asked about his intentions to compete in real-world motorsport, Timothy was remarkably economical with his words.

"Next year."

Two words. No need for an elaborate explanation, nor carefully constructed statement about future opportunities, and certainly no need for a public relations consultant. Just a rather straightforward indication of what he knows comes next.

It is an answer that makes considerably more sense when viewed alongside the recent announcement from Scorpio Motorsport and RaceGen.

In September 2026, RaceGen announced Timothy's signing and confirmed that he had secured a fully funded test day in a Scorpio Motorsport GB4 single-seater at Donington Park, which will take place in early 2027. The opportunity represents the first structured stage of a development programme designed to take him from sim racing into professional motorsport.

The plan goes considerably further than simply allowing a talented teenager to have a go in a racing car. The intention is to prepare Timothy properly, evaluate his progress and, ultimately, work towards a full GB4 campaign.

That means physical preparation, technical understanding, engineering work, racecraft and the rather less glamorous business of learning what it takes to operate in a professional racing environment. A fast lap on a simulator is one thing; doing it while dealing with real forces, real consequences and a team of people depending on you is quite another.

RaceGen, operating in partnership with the real-world Scorpio Motorsport team, was established precisely to bridge that gap between virtual and physical motorsport. Timothy is one of the programme's most significant projects to date, and the GB4 test is intended to be the beginning rather than the conclusion of that journey.

The timing is particularly interesting. At just 17, he has already established himself among the leading virtual open-wheel drivers, secured a nationwide motorsport title and earned recognition beyond the sim racing community. Now, the next challenge is to demonstrate that the talent which has carried him to the top of the virtual grid can survive outside the comfort of a simulator.

Fortunately, he seems to have made his intentions fairly clear.

Next year, then.