Nuno Caetano used the experience he learned from Rookie Challenge to perform well on his return to Pikes Peak – The Portuguese completed the climb to the clouds with pure racing experience
- Nuno Caetano transferred his Rookie Challenge knowledge to the mountain roads at Pikes Peak
- The Portuguese finished inside the top-25 on his return to the famous hillclimb event
- Caetano is hoping for better fortunes in Rookie Challenge after the summer break
Not many drivers can say that they have competed in both the NASCAR Euro Series and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, but Nuno Caetano can claim to have done so. Caetano took part in the “Race to the Clouds” as part of a 72 driver field that featured top class competitors from around the world. The Portuguese, who is part of the famed Speedhouse outfit, utilized the lessons he learned from European NASCAR racing’s time attack division to complete the climb inside the top-25, proving the potential of learning how to drive in a pure racing experience on the most famous hillclimb event in the world.
Caetano previously ran the Colorado hillclimb in 2023 and 2024, both took place before he discovered the Rookie Challenge. Even though the two disciplines are very different to each other, the goal remains the same: “You are fighting the clock in both, just in different ways. Both still require a combination of speed, control and consistency to achieve results. Going all out is not going to get you there,” said Caetano.
While hillclimb cars are allowed to feature the latest driving aid technology, the Rookie Challenge puts everything in the hands of the driver. With the NASCAR Euro Series machines, there’s no modern gizmos to help you put all 400 horsepower down to the road. You are in control of your destiny: Rookie Challenge emphasized the importance of car control to its competitors. Every touch of the steering wheel, every tap of the gas and every braking point has to be carefully thought out in order to maximize the results.
This mindset was unlike any other in motorsport and for Caetano, it has tremendously stepped up his game for his return to Pikes Peak: “The Rookie Challenge car is very powerful and analog with no traction control and no ABS. I found myself looking for exactly the same setup in my Pikes Peak car, despite having multiple traction control & ABS options to play with. I think that the challenge has made me more comfortable with rawer, more direct machines.”
Caetano faced a steep learning curve when he first joined the Rookie Challenge in 2025, but he was blessed with the guidance from legendary figure Lucas Lasserre. The Frenchman meticulously taught Caetano everything he needed to meet the physical demands needed to wheel the NASCAR race car around the best European circuits. It was these lessons that allowed the Portuguese to find his sixth sense in a death defying environment like Pikes Peak.
“The lack of driver aids really refines your perception of how a race car behaves and reacts to inputs,” adds Caetano. “Away from that, the transfer of mass is also a lesson I took to Pikes Peak with me. A lot of my hillclimbing happens with low weight, prototype type cars. Not so at Pikes Peak where I drove a Porsche Cayman GT4 which is fundamentally a momentum vehicle, very close to the EuroNASCAR experience.”
The 48-year old is already a top contender in Rookie Challenge, having finished third overall in the 2025 battle. The journey in 2026 has been considerably tougher, but everything is possible with three more showdowns in the Czech Republic, Italy and Belgium still remaining.
“I can’t really put a pin on why 2026 has started on the left foot,” sums Caetano, who is trailing in tenth on the overall standings after two events in Spain and France. “I think I was unlucky in Valencia where I had a string of good laps canceled by track limits. It just seems to have snowballed from there. I hope to turn things around in the next few rounds.”
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
