Sandro Kajaia conquers the new challenge in France with his first Rookie Challenge victory – Two top-3 finishes propelled the Georgian driver to the top step of the podium
- Sandro Kajaia brought home his first silverware in the Rookie Challenge
- Kajaia put a masterclass in consistent driving on his first visit to France
- Yann Cristovao and Henrik Peters scored their first podium results
The historic Circuit Paul Ricard in the heart of Le Castellet welcomes the return of the NASCAR Euro Series to its home country of France, where the roar of V8 engines came alive on Friday morning with the second round of the Rookie Challenge division. The 5.842 kilometer circuit presented the drivers with a layout that demands a lot of concentration and skill to be consistent. Sandro Kajaia, making his debut season with Team Bleekemolen, demonstrated this perfectly as he grabbed two top-3 finishes in the two 30-minute sessions that were held to clinch his maiden victory, allowing the Georgian to take the lead of the overall standings.
Kajaia was followed by Yann Cristovao, who nearly delivered a memorable victory at the home grounds of both himself and his team Speedhouse. The Frenchman finished just one point behind the driver of the #72 Toyota Camry, having secured the top position in the second timed session. Henrik Peters from Germany completed the podium with his own top result in the first timed session. Both Cristovao and Peters celebrated their first podium results, leaving the drivers of the #4 Ford Mustang and #50 Ford Mustang happy with their achievement.
“I feel amazing!” said Kajaia, whose father Davit is racing in V8GP. “It’s really nice to be on the podium, especially on the top step. There were some problems in the first session where the driveshaft broke, but thanks to my amazing team everything went nice and we managed to win!”
Yann Schar and Gianni Lasserre proved that home advantage carries its benefits on a track that nobody has ever raced before. Schar and Lasserre brought home a top-5 finish ahead of Andreas Kuchelbacher, the 2017 Rookie Challenge champion. Robin Bleekemolen bested Valencia winner Jacob Parry in seventh while Nuno Caetano and Maral Ghazarian rounded out the top-10 positions. Mike Wise, Nicole Davidson, Olivier Deschamps, Kelvin Hassell, Maximilian Seth and Ofek Eliyahu filled the remaining classified finishers.
With two solid rounds completed on his debut season, Kajaia moved to the top of the standings with 148 points. Cristovao pursued the Georgian by just one point, mirroring the results from the round in France. Parry dropped to third, but will be a force to be reckoned with his CAAL Racing machine. Bleekemolen and Peters completed the top-5 with a gap of 20 and 22 points respectively.
Rookie Challenge is only the start of NASCAR Euro Series’ homecoming with drivers from V8GP and OPEN ready to lay down their first laps at Circuit Paul Ricard during practice. Two sessions for both divisions will set the initial benchmark for the qualifying and races that will come on Saturday and Sunday. Make sure you keep up to NASCAR Euro Series’ official website and social media accounts for the latest updates and to watch the 2026 season, visit www.nascar.eu/watch for more details.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
