Maite Cáceres set to make Toyota GR Cup NA debut

Uruguayan racer Maite Cáceres will continue her transition into sports car racing in 2026, returning to RAFA Racing Team for her second season with the squad as she prepares to compete in the Toyota GR Cup Series North America.

Photo credits: RAFA Racing Team

Uruguayan racer Maite Cáceres will continue her transition into sports car racing in 2026, returning to RAFA Racing Team for her second season with the squad as she prepares to compete in the Toyota GR Cup Series North America.

The 23-year-old driver enters the season following her first year racing in North American sports car competitions. In 2025, Cáceres in fact joined RAFA Racing Team in the highly competitive Mazda MX-5 Cup, a championship that runs on the support bill of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and regularly features grids of more than 30 cars.

Despite contesting only four of the seven rounds, Cáceres gained valuable experience during her rookie campaign and recorded a personal best finish of 11th place. She also secured two top-20 finishes before bringing her partial season to a close mid-season.

Earlier this year, the Uruguayan briefly returned to single-seaters for a one-off appearance in the Formula FARA at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where she immediately returned to the podium. Now, Cáceres will shift her focus back to sports cars as she joins the Toyota GR Cup Series North America - another competitive grassroots GT championship that mainly races as part of the SRO America platform.

The championship begins on March 13-15 with the opening round on the streets of Arlington Street Circuit. The event marks the start of the fourth season of Toyota’s one-make series, featuring 14 races across seven rounds contested in identical Toyota GR86 race cars.

“I’m really excited to start this new season,” Cáceres said. “It’s my second year in sports cars after coming from formula cars, and it’s an exciting challenge for me."

“I gained some experience in the MX-5 last year. It’s a different car, more similar to a GT-style car, so now I’m looking forward to continuing to learn and work with the team.”

The continuation with RAFA Racing Team is another important step in her development, allowing her to build on the knowledge gained during her first year in sports car racing.

“I’m really excited to be working with RAFA Racing Team again,” she said. “I’m looking forward to learning from Kevin Conway and the whole group."

“We also have Tyler [Gonzalez] and Westin [Workman] on the team, and we know the results they’ve had in this championship. It’s great to have them there as a reference while I continue learning.”

After building her early career in single-seater racing, the switch to sports cars has required a significant adjustment in driving style and racecraft.

“It’s very important for me because I don’t have much experience at many of the tracks they’ve raced,” Cáceres said. “They can help me understand how the car behaves and how the racing works in this category.

“Coming from formula cars, you’re not allowed to bump draft. When I moved into the MX5, that was one of the first things I had to learn. In this style of racing, you work more with other cars, so I’m still adapting to the technique and how to get the most out of the car. It’s something I’m eager to keep improving.”

Preparation for the upcoming season has been important, particularly with the championship opener taking place on a temporary street circuit. “I’ve been training very hard to prepare for the new season,” she said. “Starting on the streets of Arlington will be a big challenge because street circuits are very demanding. But I enjoy challenges, so it’s a good place to begin the year.”

Motorsport has long been part of Cáceres’ family life. Her father competed in rallying, while her brother, Juan Cáceres, built an international career in single-seaters that included winning the Formula BMW Championship, test-driving in Formula One, and making a race start in Champ Car.

Determined to follow a similar path, Maite spent years demonstrating that her interest in racing was more than a childhood curiosity. Once she finally had the opportunity to drive a kart, her future in motorsport quickly became clear. Cáceres began karting in Uruguay before progressing to Formula 4 in the United States and gradually expanding her career internationally. In 2023 she joined the inaugural grid of F1 Academy, gaining valuable experience and scoring points against a highly competitive and experienced field.

She returned to the US in 2024 to compete in the Ligier Junior Formula Championship, where she enjoyed a breakthrough season that included multiple podium finishes and frequent battles for race victories. “I finished third in the championship and became the first female driver to score podium finishes in that category,” she recalled.

Her move into sports car racing followed in 2025 when she joined the RAFA Racing Team roster. Despite a partial debut season, Cáceres now returns to the team for a full-time campaign in the Toyota GR Cup Series as she continues to represent Uruguay on the international motorsport stage.

The 2026 Toyota GR Cup Series North America calendar features 14 races across seven rounds. After the Arlington opener, the championship will visit Sonoma Raceway, Circuit of The Americas, Road Atlanta, Road America, Barber Motorsports Park, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.