SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Two teen brothers from Santa Fe are gaining national recognition in open-wheel racing. Their ultimate goal is to become professional drivers and one day compete in IndyCar.
Santa Fe brothers, 17-year-old Ayrton and 19-year-old Gabriel Cahan, have been racing since they were kids. It started with tag carts, which are a lot like go karts, at the then Albuquerque “Sandia Speedway”, now called “Suika Circuit.”
Now, they are competing in formula cars on a national level. “Our dream is to be an Indy car, but our goal in the long run is to be a professional paid racing driver,” said Gabriel Cahan, 2024 F2000 National Champion.
Their latest win was in the F1600, also known as Formula Ford, which is close racing. “So it was super cool, I won over one point by him actually, so right now as it stands, I’m ranked number one in the country and he’s number two in the country, and it was separated by one point and that’s as close as it gets,” said Ayrton Cahan, 2025 F1600 National Champion.
The brothers said open wheel racing takes dedication, and with limited access to race tracks, they spend a lot of time practicing on a simulator and traveling to other states. “So, it’s not like you can’t practice like you can in any other sport. You can’t go to a basketball court and just shoot balls for an hour. There’s a lot of money that goes into it. It’s a very expensive sport,” said Garbiel. They said it also takes a physical effort with weight training and running, to handle high heart rates during the race, steering, and other factors.
The Cahans said not many people from New Mexico compete at their level and are proud to wear the Zia symbol on their helmets. “It’s really cool to be representing New Mexico, because as brothers too, you have the Unser brothers that made New Mexico famous for racing, and we’re trying to carry on that legacy as brothers as well,” said Ayrton. The brothers are set to compete in the USF 2000 championship, which is the second step on the ladder towards IndyCar.
