Wakeskating champion and EuroNASCAR Rookie Challenge debutant Mike Wise gives an exclusive insight on how he handles competition in two different categories for 2025.
NASCAR Euro Series is a championship that welcomes competitors from all sorts of backgrounds. Be it stock car racing itself to other categories such as open wheelers, touring cars or motorcycle racing, you are welcomed to experience the action in EuroNASCAR.
You can now add wakeskating to the list of categories thanks to the addition of Mike Wise in the EuroNASCAR Rookie Challenge division.
Mike Wise’s journey is certainly unlike any other. Hailing from Texas, Wise turned his attention to wakeskating at a fairly young age and has become one of the world’s best after he turned pro in 2008.
To fulfill his ambitions, the American moved to Poland in 2017 and joined their national team that same year. He’s still an integral part of the Polish team to this day, becoming a four-time national champion and securing plenty of other trophies internationally.
For 2025, things will be different. Wise is still participating in wakeskating as part of the Polish national team. However, he will try his hands on another adrenaline sport: Motorsport.
Having long desired an opportunity to race cars, Wise got his wish when he entered the season opener of Raceway Venray’s V8 Oval Series in March. Fast forward a month later and he finds himself in the NASCAR Euro Series as part of Marko Stipp Motorsport.
Right now, Wise is still learning the trades of stock car racing in the regularity-based Rookie Challenge division. However, Wise wants to develop his skills enough to cut his teeth in not just EuroNASCAR, but also NASCAR at home in the US.
Given his unique background, we approached Wise and Marko Stipp Motorsport to get an insight on how his racing career has started and what it’s like to adapt from wakeskating to racing stock cars in Europe.
What makes you interested in making the switch from wakeskating to racing cars? And not just racing in the United States, but Europe in particular?
Mike Wise: “I moved from the United States to Europe in June of 2017. Then around 2019 I joined the Polish National Team as the sole wakeskater representing the country. Since then I rose to become the number 1 ranked wakeskater in the world.”
“I have always had a desire to race cars, and to race NASCAR in particular. When I was 16 years old, I had the opportunity to participate in the Petty Experience at Texas Motor Speedway. The experience was exhilarating and I was hooked.”
“I ended up going to college and life kind of just happened while my dream to race cars was put on hold. Thankfully this year, it seems like all the pieces have finally come together for me to make my dreams a reality and try racing full time.”
As a former wakeskating champion, I’m sure you knew first hand the need to put in a lot of time and effort to prepare before each event. Are there any major differences in preparing for a wakeskating event compared to preparation for racing cars?
MW: “A lot of the preparations for racing cars are very similar to competitive wakeskating and skateboarding.”
“Basically in action sports, you have to spend hundreds of hours behind the scenes working to perfect your maneuvers and to gain consistency in your tricks.”
“Going to the gym and maintaining a healthy lifestyle allows my body to perform and keep up with the tasks I demand from it.”
“In car racing, I have noticed that the more ‘seat time’ you get and the more time you prepare in the simulator will help you to become a much better driver on race day.”
“The mental aspect of keeping a cool head under pressure is also very similar in action sports and car racing.”
Your first ever race was done at Raceway Venray as part of their local V8 Oval Series. What are lessons that you learned from there that helped you during your Rookie Challenge debut at Valencia?
MW: “My first time ever getting into a race car that is designed to race at the track on Sundays was a few weeks ago at Raceway Venray.”
“I will admit that beforehand I was very nervous because I did not want to wreck the car or wreck any of the other drivers. When the race actually started, I was able to push all those thoughts out of my head and just focus on the track.”
“It felt very similar to the simulator which I have been using for the last 2 months. Of course there were some major differences, but visually it was quite similar.”
“This helped me to make some passes and quickly gain the confidence and feeling that I belonged there and I was at the right place.”
“I finished my first race in P5 overall and first in my division (ASCAR). This first trial by fire at Venray helped to give me the confidence to try racing in EuroNASCAR.”
Speaking of Rookie Challenge itself, how did your debut go? Are you satisfied with where you are currently?
MW: “Yes, my debut in the EuroNASCAR event at Valencia went well. Admittedly, all of my preparations in the simulator have been primarily on oval tracks. So the format of being almost entirely road courses for EuroNASCAR is quite different from its US counterpart which focus primarily on oval courses.”
“When it comes to Valencia, I actually had no idea that I would be participating in the Rookie Challenge until one week before while I was at a wakeskating tournament in Belgium.”
“I left directly from that competition to Valencia and did not get to try the course on the simulator beforehand. My first session in the Rookie Challenge was in a car I had never been in and a track I have never been on.”
“I tried to make the best of it and found some areas to improve on. With Vallelunga being a month away, I will have much more time to prepare and I hope to use what I have learned to be up there fighting for a podium with Marko Stipp Motorsport. Those guys are amazing and I wouldn’t be able to drive without their help.”
For the near future, are you planning to do the full Rookie Challenge season? Afterwards, what’s your goal for your motorsport future?
MW: “Yes, I’m planning to race the full season of the Rookie Challenge in car 47 for Marko Stipp Motorsport.”
“My goal is to finish in the top 3 for the championship and hopefully get a sponsorship to race in the Open category for EuroNASCAR next year. Eventually I would like to make it up to the Craftsman Trucks Series or the Xfinity Series.”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.