Georgian drivers Davit Kajaia and Sandro Tavartkiladze gives their thoughts on the history making EuroNASCAR tests that they did in Italy.
Thirteen drivers participated in EuroNASCAR’s most recent Recruitment Test at Cremona Circuit in Italy. Two of them were Davit Kajaia and Sandro Tavartkiladze, both hailing from the small Eastern European country of Georgia.
On the surface, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything special from Kajala and Tavartkiladze’s outings. However, their participation in Cremona meant that they became the first Georgian racing drivers to test drive an EuroNASCAR stock car.
Kajaia is a driver that would be familiar to touring car fans. The Tbilisi native is a regular in TCR’s international championships. He most recently competed in TCR Eastern Europe with Mertel Motorsport, finishing ninth in the overall standings.
Kajaia also represented Georgia in the most recent edition of FIA Motorsport Games, where he finished seventh in the GT Sprint event.
Kajala was made aware of the Recruitment Test when Georgia Automobile Sport Federation offered him the chance to represent them at Cremona. Keen to try out a motorsport category that’s new to him, the 41-year old accepted the offer.
“Honestly, I was offered to do it by my Automobile Sport Federation,” said Kajala on how his Recruitment Test participation came to reality.
“As an enthusiast, I love to test new possibilities. Anything connected with new driving experiences and with NASCAR, it was going to be my first time.”
Tavartkiladze is much younger than Kajala, but he’s equally talented. Tavartkiladze is a five-time Georgian Hill Climb champion and a three-time Georgia Formula champion. In total, the 25-year old is an 11-time champion across all Georgian racing championships.
Tavartkiladze had earned several opportunities to race overseas in his career. He finished third overall in the 2019 Asian Formula Renault Series, bringing home a victory on just his second race. He also took part in the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games as well.
Like Kajaia, Tavartkiladze was also made aware of the tests by his country’s motorsport federation. He was invited after being crowned as the country’s best racing driver in 2024 and with an empty schedule in his hands, the choice was obvious.
“The President of the Georgian Automobile Sport Federation found out about the Recruitment Tests and they offered me this opportunity as I was nominated best driver of 2024 in Georgia,” said Tavartkiladze.
“I agreed because I had no other plans this year. Besides that, I think that NASCAR is a series where talent matters and if you show good results, you can find your path in motorsports.”
Both drivers arrived in Cremona with no idea on what to expect. Thankfully, they completed their Recruitment Test without any dramas. Kajala said that there were “no issues”, while Tavartkiladze said that it “went very smoothly”.
After the sessions, they agreed that the experience that the EuroNASCAR car provided is unlike any other.
“I have to say it was a completely different experience for me in my racing career so far,” said Kajaia on his feelings with the EuroNASCAR car. “I’ve done touring cars and GT cars, but a NASCAR car was totally different to drive.”
“I believe it can offer good, spectacular racing. Without traction control and no ABS, everything depends upon the driver skills and manners of adopting the new driving style.”
“The car is very different to what I used to drive,” said Tavartkiladze on his own experience. “It was very challenging but fun for sure.”
“It is very enjoyable to drive without any electronics, ABS and traction control. All of these make the car very hard to drive, so I need to adapt your driving style from the single seaters that I used to race from 2015 to 2019.”
The EuroNASCAR experience has certainly left its mark on Kajaia and Tavartkiladze. Both drivers said that they’re interested to try out the cars more, with Tavartkiladze revealing that he’s currently in talks with some teams to see if he can land a ride for the upcoming 2025 season.
“We are just starting to negotiate with some teams!” said Tavartkiladze. “I’m very excited at the prospect of potentially racing in the EuroNASCAR championship this year.”
“I’m confident that winning the championship is achievable from the very first season, but it won’t be easy for sure. Looking forward to driving them more and comparing myself with other NASCAR drivers to show them what Georgians are capable of!”
“I will be really happy if I have to race in NASCAR this season!” said Kajaia. “Frankly, the full season budget is affordable. I will do my best to showcase some tough battles and eye-catching racing.”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.