Nagaland to host F1 Sim Racing India Open round

DIMAPUR AUG 25 (NPN): The Nagaland Esports Society (NES) is set to bring the F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026 to Nagaland as part of the two-day TXG Expo Nagaland 2026, scheduled to be held on August 28 and 29 at the NBCC Convention Centre, Kohima.
The Kohima round will be conducted by Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited (MFRL), marking the arrival of the official Formula 1 sanctioned national sim racing championship in the State.
Addressing a press conference at Niathu Resort on Tuesday, NES president Moalong Longkumer said the MFRL had “taken a leap of faith” in bringing the event to Nagaland and expressed confidence that it would open new avenues for young people in the State.
He informed that TXG Expo Nagaland 2026 is being organised as a platform to bring together gaming, esports, technology, artificial intelligence, digital creativity and emerging digital industries.
The two-day expo will feature competitions, workshops, exhibitions and interactive experiences aimed at providing young creators, gamers, students and technology enthusiasts opportunities to showcase their skills and explore new-age careers.
Dwelling on the F1 Sim Racing, General Manager of Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited, Ishaan Bhataya, said the F1 Sim Racing India Open was designed as a nationwide talent identification initiative to discover and develop the next generation of motorsport talent.
He said professional-grade Formula 1 simulators would serve as an unbiased tool to identify potential racers, with participants progressing through different stages, including time trials, zonal qualifiers and the national final.
Bhataya said MFRL was taking the simulators to different parts of the country to identify talent, with Nagaland being among the destinations for the initiative.
He added that the Kohima round will provide aspiring racers from the State an opportunity to compete and potentially progress to subsequent stages of the championship.
He said the programme was open to 10 to 65 age range, with participation planned for both junior and senior categories. Those who make the cut would be taken to Mumbai for the next stages of the competition.
He also informed that broader championship pathway will culminate in a national-level competition involving 20 juniors and 20 seniors, with winners of both categories eligible for major rewards and development opportunities.
The initiative also seeks to create a pathway into the wider motorsport ecosystem, including go-karting, engineering, data analytics, race strategy, simulation technology, team operations, broadcasting and event management.
Bhataya said the initiative was designed particularly to encourage young participants and added that similar events conducted across the country have received an encouraging response.
He informed the team had also visited schools in Nagaland and found students enthusiastic about the upcoming event. He expressed hope that the Kohima round would help identify promising talent from Nagaland and said that MFRL was looking at making the event a yearly occurrence in the State.