Sabah GT Championship 2026 Recap: GT7 Sim Racing at SICC
1 November 2026 · 5 min read · by AKG Esports
The Sabah GT Championship 2026 was a three-day Gran Turismo 7 sim racing championship run by AKG Esports (Aneekey Gaming) at Level 5, Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Kota Kinabalu, from 30 Oct to 1 Nov 2026. It ran alongside Big Sale Sabah 2026, where AKG Esports also ran the eFootball Mobile and Ticket Loop tournaments. Anyone could walk up and race GT3 cars on our sim rigs, chase a top 12 lap and fight for a RM700 prize pool.
That's a wrap. Here is what happened, built from what we posted before and during the event.
What happened at the Sabah GT Championship 2026?
Three days of racing, close battles and good vibes. That is how we summed it up on the final night.
The format, as published on the Sabah GT Championship page:
- 30 Oct (Day 1): Open Qualifying. Time attack. Each play was 5 minutes on track, and only your fastest lap counted.
- 31 Oct (Day 2): Open Qualifying. The last chance to set a top 12 lap before the board locked.
- 1 Nov (Day 3): Championship Final. The top 12 ran time attack on the full Red Bull Ring. The 6 fastest went into three head-to-head groups, each a best of 3, and the three group winners raced each other for the title.
Everyone raced GT3 cars on Gran Turismo 7, on AKG sim racing rigs. No one needed their own wheel or gear.
On the final day we posted a highlight reel and a big thank you to every racer and everyone who came to support. Follow AKG Esports (Aneekey Gaming) on Instagram or Facebook to hear about our next event first.
What else did AKG Esports run at SICC?
The Sabah GT Championship was one part of a busy weekend at SICC during Big Sale Sabah 2026, and AKG Esports ran the esports side of it.
- eFootball Mobile and Ticket Loop tournaments. AKG Esports ran both tournaments, under the Sabah Esports Community Championship (SECC) 2026 banner with Persatuan Sukan Elektronik Sabah (PERSUES), held in conjunction with Big Sale Sabah.
- Gran Turismo 7 sim racing for everyone. Our Sim Racing Zone on Level 5 was open for anyone to come and try.
- A car show by Cult and a Hot Wheels section outside the hall, for the car lovers.
For families, it meant one trip with something for everyone: shopping at Big Sale Sabah, esports in the halls and cars outside.
Who could join the Sabah GT Championship?
Anyone. The championship was open to the public, and beginners were welcome alongside experienced sim racers.
- No gear needed. AKG Esports provided the sim rigs and the GT3 cars.
- No experience needed. Every play gave you 5 minutes on track, and only your best lap counted, so you could learn the car as you went.
- Bring your IC. Winners are verified with their IC before prizes are handed out.
That mix is what makes a public championship fun to watch. Regular racers set the pace, and first-timers find out how close they can get.
How did players register and queue?
Racers could pay per play at the booth or register online.
- Walk-in: RM10 per play.
- Early Bird: RM30 for 5 plays, online registration, closed on 29 Oct at 11:59 PM.
With two rigs and a queue, we did not want people standing in line all day. So the registration system gives each player a personal QR, and their phone shows their place in the queue, the estimated wait, their best lap, their rank and their gap to the top 12. That way racers can walk the Big Sale Sabah floor and come back when it is their turn.
We explained the queue and the finals bracket in detail in our Sabah GT Championship 2026 preview.
Why use time attack qualifying for a public sim racing event?
Time attack is the fairest way to open a championship to the public.
- Anyone can enter. A first-timer and a regular sim racer drive the same car on the same track.
- Only your best lap counts. A bad first run does not hurt you. You learn the track and improve.
- It scales with the queue. You do not need everyone there at the same time, like a bracket does. People race when they arrive.
- The leaderboard keeps people coming back. A top 12 cut gives every racer a clear target.
Then, on the final day, a head-to-head bracket turns the top qualifiers into a show for the crowd. If you want to run your own bracket, our guide to running a fair esports tournament bracket explains seeding and byes.
Where can I play sim racing in Kota Kinabalu?
AKG Esports brings Gran Turismo 7 sim racing to public events across Kota Kinabalu and Sabah. Earlier in 2026 we ran Perpaduan e-Racing 2026 at Kompleks Sukan Likas, and a sim racing side game at Festival Komuniti HAVOC 2026.
Our time attack pages show live lap-time leaderboards whenever a booth is running. To get faster before the next championship, the Sim Racing Academy offers coaching from RM250 per session with Melvin Chung, former Team Malaysia sim racing representative and SUKMA 2024 esports coach.
Bring this to your event
The setup we used at SICC works for malls, expos, schools, government programmes and company events in Sabah: sim rigs, a live leaderboard, self-serve QR registration and a clear finals format.
- Sim racing setup with onsite crew: from RM1,000 per day for 1 rig, RM1,900 for 2 rigs, RM2,700 for 3 rigs.
- Gaming rentals (sim rigs, PS5, PSVR2): from RM500 per set per day, including delivery, setup and support. See rentals.
- Tournaments for GT7, MLBB, eFootball, PUBG Mobile and Tekken 8, with brackets, live timing and prize management. See tournaments.
- HRDC-claimable team building with sim racing relays and MLBB squad battles: see HRDC team building.
- Full event production with casters, emcees and live streaming: custom quote. See all services.
Browse our past work on the events page, then contact AKG Esports or WhatsApp +60 11-3204 4931 to plan your own championship.
See you again next year.
About AKG Esports
AKG Esports, also known as Aneekey Gaming, is an esports event organiser in Sabah, based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. We run esports and sim racing events across Sabah, from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, Tawau and Keningau: tournaments, sim racing activations, gaming rentals and HRDC-claimable team building, with 100+ events delivered. Untuk acara esport dan e-sukan di Sabah, lihat halaman Bahasa Melayu kami.