Davit Kajaia and Thomas Toffel secured wins in the Challenger Trophy at the 2025 NASCAR GP UK – Top class contenders put the more experienced PRO drivers to a close fight in the battle for the overall top-10
- Davit Kajaia and Thomas Toffel won the Challenger Trophy battle in UK
- Toffel and Claudio Remigio Cappelli fought for the overall top-10 positions
- Only one point separates Cappelli and Kajaia for the Challenger Trophy lead
The 12th edition of the American SpeedFest at Brands Hatch delivered all of the thrills. NASCAR Euro Series’ elite amateurs in the PRO division had a close battle that showed their competitiveness against the professional drivers. Davit Kajaia from Georgia brought home his second Challenger Trophy win on Saturday, while Thomas Toffel from Switzerland took the top honors on Sunday. Italy’s Claudio Cappelli leaves the UK at the head of the Challenger Trophy standings, but with only one point separating him from Kajaia and fellow countryman Max Lanza just eleven markers behind, everything is still up to grabs when the NASCAR Euro Series returns after the summer break.
The front runners in the Challenger Trophy classification often found themselves fighting on the fringes of the overall top-10 at Brands Hatch, as has been the case throughout the 2025 season. The performances from the top-3 in the standings – and their rivals – prove not only the potential of a keen enthusiast at the wheel, but the importance of team support.
The teams of the NASCAR Euro Series ensure that their amateur drivers are given every chance to succeed. Huge effort is put into optimising the setups, extracting the critical final tenths from a lap time, and refining the skill set of their drivers. Often, this is enhanced by reaching across the garage for vital data, insights and feedback from the overall front runners.
Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s efforts have facilitated the near-constant presence of Cappelli in the top-10 battles. Mistakes and bad luck have prevented the Italian with the infamous beard to maximize his results, but his home round in Italy proved that he can keep up with drivers on Gianmarco Ercoli’s caliber. With Ercoli’s status as a former champion in both PRO and OPEN, it’s no small feat for the roof maker to be able to fight with some of EuroNASCAR’s best.
Team Georgia, aided by technical partner RDV Competition, have also done a similar job with their star man Davit Kajaia. Kajaia – a rookie in the series – quickly adapted to the European NASCAR machines and scored strong results right from the start. With increased confidence in his abilities, there’s no doubt that the potential is there for the driver from Tbilisi to achieve more in 2025.
Max Lanza is always hungry for Challenger Trophy success, and his long-time team CAAL Racing provides him the support he needs. He’s a standing presence in the Challenger Trophy, still searching for his first win in the class. A big crash in PRO Round 6 hampered Lanza’s chances, but the driver from Rome came out unscathed and is thankful for the strength of the NASCAR Euro Series car that protected him.
Michael Bleekemolen and Kenko Miura stayed in fourth and fifth ahead of three drivers that made their first appearances in Brands Hatch: Thomas Toffel, Jordan Wallace and Federico Monti. Toffel made his first PRO races with M Racing and immediately brought home a Challenger Trophy win with a stunning seventh place finish in Round 6. The Swiss already finished on the overall podium in 2024, and with a class win on his PRO return with a new team, it’s a testament to the speed that the 34-year old driver has.
Wallace captivated the crowd with his charismatic personality and secured a class podium in Round 5, the American’s maiden race in the division. Monti returned to PRO as a replacement driver for Marc Goossens and showed that he had the guts by braving out the damp conditions in qualifying in his Academy / Alex Caffi machine.
The level of the NASCAR Euro Series is undoubtedly on the rise. However, giant-killing performances continue to be a thrilling feature of the PRO division, thanks to the skill and determination of the Challenger Trophy runners and their crews. Will there be an example of this at Most, historically one of the more unpredictable events of the season in the midfield? Find out when the races are broadcast on EuroNASCAR’s official YouTube channel and TV channels around the world on 30-31 August, 2025.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
