Toyota GR Cup NA: Maite Cáceres and Paityn Feyen share Top Female Finisher Award in COTA
- RACERS
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At Circuit of the Americas, Maite Cáceres claimed another Top Female Finisher award with a great recovery in Race 2, while Paityn Feyen had secured the class win in the first race. Rookie Ava Schletz battled closely throughout a highly competitive Toyota GR Cup weekend.
The third round of the Toyota GR Cup North America at Circuit of the Americas turned out to be another action-packed weekend, where the category’s three female drivers once again featured prominently in tightly contested midfield battles.
Maite Cáceres (RAFA Racing Team) continued her adaptation to GT racing by securing another Top Female Finisher award in Race 2 after a determined recovery drive, while Paityn Feyen emerged as the leading female in Race 1 following a combative performance. Rookie Ava Schletz remained in contention for the top 20 throughout the weekend, battling closely with both rivals in each session and race.
Cáceres arrived in Austin riding strong momentum after a top-ten finish at Arlington in her debut weekend and continued top female results at Sonoma. The Uruguayan, transitioning from single-seaters - where she made history as the first woman from her country to win at Formula 4 level - has adapted quickly to the Toyota GR86 platform.
Schletz (Fast Track Racing), meanwhile, has been a consistent presence inside the top 20 in her first rounds, while Feyen, representing Copeland Motorsports, rebounded from early-season misfortunes by showing improved pace at Sonoma and carried that form into COTA.
Practice sessions already hinted at a closely matched trio: Schletz led the female contingent in the opening session with a 2:31.698, just tenths ahead of Feyen and Cáceres, all steadily building confidence on the demanding Austin circuit. In the second session, Feyen found further improvement with a 2:31.541, placing her 19th overall and setting the stage for a tight qualifying.
Qualifying 1 on Saturday morning was disrupted by a red flag that limited running to just a handful of laps, but Cáceres maximized the opportunity. After early laps in the 2:31.7 range, she improved significantly in the closing minutes, setting a 2:31.090 to secure P17 overall and was top female. Schletz struggled to find a clean lap but still managed a 2:31.462 for P19, while Feyen posted a 2:31.673 to qualify P22.
Race 1 began with all three drivers in close proximity: Cáceres P16, Schletz P18, and Feyen P21. Feyen immediately made a strong impression, launching aggressively into the uphill Turn 1 and gaining multiple positions to move into P17, while Schletz held P20 and Cáceres, boxed in by traffic, dropped to P21. An early full-course yellow following an incident for Harrison neutralized the race, with Feyen leading the female runners in P18 ahead of Schletz and Cáceres.
At the restart, the midfield battles intensified with cars running three-wide into Turn 1. Cáceres, struggling with a technical issue, was shuffled further back amid the chaos, losing positions to Thomas and Sofronas, while Schletz also came under pressure. The situation worsened for Cáceres on lap three, when a fuel pump issue caused her to lose significant pace, dropping multiple seconds per sector, before she was eventually forced to pit and retire.
Up front in the female battle, Feyen held firm in the top 20, running consistent 2:31 pace despite pressure from faster cars behind. She engaged in a tight fight with Dilauro while also fending off Sofronas, who eventually found a way past. Behind her, Schletz remained within a second, setting competitive laps such as a 2:31.5 on lap seven to stay in contention. Both drivers gained positions when Delong served a drive-through penalty.
Another FCY for Araujo’s accident bunched the field again, and on the restart Feyen executed a clean getaway, while Schletz lost ground and dropped to P22 after being overtaken by Delong and Wilson. Feyen continued to defend her position effectively, maintaining her place in the top 20. As incidents unfolded ahead, including Schweid slowing dramatically, Feyen climbed to P17, with Schletz recovering to P19 before a late caution ultimately ended the race under yellow.
After post-race penalties were applied, Feyen was promoted to an impressive P12 overall, securing the Top Female Finisher award, while Schletz was classified P15, in a solid result while struggling with some setup issues.
Sunday’s Qualifying 2 saw further improvements across the board. Feyen dipped into the 2:30s with a 2:30.322 for P21, while Schletz delivered a brilliant performance: after an initial 2:32.1, she improved dramatically to a 2:30.436 and then a 2:29.670, breaking the 2:30 barrier and securing P19. Cáceres, back on track after resolving her Race 1 issues, posted a 2:30.428 for P23 after consistent gains throughout the session.
Race 2, held under overcast skies, once again produced intense midfield battles. Starting P19, Schletz initially dropped to P21, while Feyen slotted into P22 and Cáceres, despite a strong launch, fell to P24 in the early shuffle. Feyen quickly applied pressure to Schletz in the fight for top female honors, with the two separated by less than half a second.
Cáceres, meanwhile, steadily rebuilt her race after a challenging start. Running consistent 2:30 pace, she fought back past Wilson and began closing on Brunson ahead. Schletz moved forward by passing Harrison for P20, briefly creating a buffer to Feyen, but the battle reignited on lap five when Feyen capitalized on Schletz losing ground to Harrison, overtaking her to reclaim P21. The two continued to exchange positions, running nose-to-tail in one of the race’s most engaging duels.
Cáceres’ pace however became a defining factor in the second half of the race. Setting times down to 2:30.0 and eventually into the 2:29.9 range - competitive enough for the top ten - the RAFA Racing driver rapidly closed on the group ahead. On lap 11, she overtook Feyen for P21 and began chasing Schletz, who had briefly opened a gap after passing Thomas. Cáceres soon reeled her back in, making a decisive move to take P20 and the lead among female drivers.
Once ahead, Cáceres continued her charge, pulling a one-second gap and overtaking Sunseri for P19 on lap 15. Her pace remained among the strongest in the midfield as she hunted down Thomas in the closing laps. Behind, Feyen recovered again, passing Brunson to move up, and later overtook Schletz, who was unfortunate with a contact in the closing stages and ultimately dropped behind multiple cars before pitting with a bent control arm.
On the final lap, Cáceres closed significantly on Thomas and attempted a last-lap move, ultimately crossing the line in P19. Despite carrying a track limits penalty, she retained the position and secured another Top Female Finisher award - her fourth of the season - highlighting an impressive recovery after the setbacks of Race 1.
Feyen finished P21 after another combative drive, while Schletz was classified P25 following her late-race issues.
The weekend at COTA once again showcased the development of all three drivers within one of North America’s toughest single-make championships. Fighting spirit and good pace for all three of the female drivers of the series ensured that the battle for top female honors remained exciting across both races.
The series now heads to Road Atlanta on 12–14 June, where the trio will look to continue their learning curves.
