On August 2nd (Sun), the second day of "K-TAI" in 2009, the 7-hour final event for the 4-stroke sports kart class was held. With a category that allows for more casual participation, 116 karts gathered on the grid with their own unique machines and team compositions! Well-known figures such as Bridgestone's Yuhei Hamashima, who is known to all F1 fans, as well as mechanics and service staff who support the drivers, voice actor teams including Nana Mizuki, kids teams with impressive driving skills, and a women's kart team made up of race queens and event companions who love motorsports all participated, creating an exciting atmosphere befitting of the Endurance Carnival name.

Before the start, the event began with the unique opening ceremony of "K-TAI," followed by the athlete's oath by the members of 【#1 sbc-K (SBC-K)】, who were the MVPs in 2008.
Also, as with the previous day (mission-equipped class), greetings from the officials were given. On this day, rescue official Yuichi Kawakami represented the officials in delivering a greeting, and the participants and officials exchanged cheers for the upcoming 7-hour endurance race, marking the start of the event.
At 10 a.m., the 2009 "K-TAI" started as scheduled with a rolling start. First, [#98 Club Racing Cattle], starting from the 6th grid position, cleared corners 1 and 2 in the lead. They were followed by [#45 Almendra], [#85 BEAR Racing HKR], [#25 Robot Racing Pikachu], [#75 Hakata-ya Honpo T-STYLE & Aoyama], and [#50 D.KELLY-RT & NAVI].

In the early stages, no team was able to break away and the large group continued to lap, but around 40 minutes after the start, rain began to fall sporadically from the sky. At first, it would stop and start, and it wasn't enough to wet the road, but around noon the rain intensified and the safety car entered the course, making for a tumultuous start to the race.

During the final event, messages were continuously collected via mobile email, and Kazumi Inano, known as "Inacchi," who was in charge of the on-site announcements, introduced comments. On the 2nd floor of the control tower, "Inacchi's Room" was set up, where participating teams visited and commented on their team status and appeal points through the public address system. Additionally, the Twin Ring Motegi Angels conducted surprise interviews in the pits, creating a relaxed atmosphere as the final event progressed.
In 2009, "Inacchi" returned to "K-TAI" for the first time in five years. Drawn by her bright personality, more teams than usual came to visit the announcement room.

At the 4-hour mark, the top position was held by [#808 Opera Super Performance]. In second place was [#21 Ore-ra Racing + TRM KL], followed by [#100 Six Stars] in third. By this time, the rain had mostly stopped and many teams were switching from rain tires to slick tires as the track dried up.

At the remaining 1 hour and 25 minutes mark, the second safety car was deployed due to oil on the V-shaped corner exit side. Seeing this, #808 Opera Super Performance quickly pitted in. In fact, due to fuel consumption concerns, they pitted again before the safety car was released to refuel. With these two pit stops, #100 Six Stars caught up to #808 Opera Super Performance, who was leading the race.

And at 5pm, 7 hours have passed since the start, and the 【#808 Opera Super Performance】 crossed the finish line in first place. They completed 131 laps and won the award for most laps completed for the second consecutive year. 【#100 Six Stars】 finished with a time of 1 minute 51 seconds 866 and also won the award for most laps completed for the second consecutive year.

And the highest honor award of “K-TAI,” the “2009 MVP,” was awarded to 【#92 racing the Ape】. The MVP is given to the team that most embodies the “K-TAI” spirit and enjoys “K-TAI” the most. 【#92 racing the Ape】 participated with a large group of six members. In preparation for this event, all drivers obtained the TRMC-S (Twin Ring Motegi Club Sports) license, which is the circuit license for Mobility Resort Motegi, in March 2009. Despite all being from the distant city of Toyohashi in Aichi Prefecture, they participated in all three public practice sessions and completed the entry procedures smoothly. Of course, they had no penalties, demonstrated excellent teamwork, and enjoyed completing the race together, which was the reason for their selection in 2009.

The second place for the Excellent Lap Award went to [#2 ViMO K2 RACING] with 128 laps, and the third place went to [#75 Hakataya Honpo T-STYLE & Aoyama] and [#21 Ore-ra Racing + TRM KL] and [#25 Robot Racing Pikachu] with 127 laps each.

During the award ceremony, the official who returned from the course sounded the horn and praised the 7-hour completion and hard work. Participants responded with waves and applause, and everyone involved came together as one for a peaceful and moving finale, marking the end of the 2009 "K-TAI".

In 2009's “K-TAI,” 114 out of 116 cars completed the race. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of this memorable event.
Let's all enjoy the 2010 “K-TAI” together!