
On July 24th, the heat of midsummer returned and the Endurance Carnival 2011 Motegi KART Endurance Festival "K-TAI" was held. The "Enjoy Class" is limited to parts that can be changed, such as mufflers, carburetors, and rev limiters. It has become a class that anyone can enjoy, from beginners to veterans. This year, 87 teams entered, and each team enjoyed the once-a-year festival with their friends, wearing matching t-shirts and beautifully colored karts.
At the opening ceremony, students from Yomiuri Automobile University gave a refreshing athlete's oath, and everyone sent off the course officials, a customary event. The briefing was held immediately afterward to confirm the Precautions.
A final check was conducted in the brief time before reaching the grid. At the grid, all teams were introduced live, raising the excitement toward the start.
By the time we started, there were a few more clouds, but they provided just the right amount of shade, creating perfect conditions. As planned, we split into two groups using a rolling start method, aiming for the finish 7 hours later at 10:00.
【#10 MIC KARTING】 who won the pole position, took the hole shot, followed by 【#73 Chronos】, 【#1 Yomiuri Automobile University】, 【#68 RG Feather Enjoy C】, 【#27 Monokore】, and 【#25 Robot Racing Pikachu】.
During the final event, there are various events called "K-TAI". Motegi Angels visit the pit for impromptu interviews, and in the paddock,
PIPIRA takes photos with children and
BATTO sprays water, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. In the announcement room, team PR was so popular that there was a waiting time to enter.
After passing the halfway point of the Enjoy 7-Hour Endurance, the sun shines down from the sky, but it is not as hot as usual and the conditions are easier for the drivers.
On the course, the top position changed multiple times during pit stops, but towards the end, #37 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS pulled away in second place and solidified their position. Around 30 minutes remaining, they made their final pit stop and returned to the course in first place. They maintained a safe pace and crossed the finish line, receiving the checkered flag from Aoi Inoue, who won the experience of waving the flag. They also won the award for most laps completed. It was their 9th attempt and they finally achieved their long-awaited goal.
"After various simulations, we were able to go almost as planned, but around the 3-hour mark, we encountered some machine trouble. However, the drivers were careful with their acceleration and were able to cover it well. "K-TAI" has been around since 2003 and has won the most laps award once during the mission era, but our goal was always to reach the top checker. It's finally been achieved after 9 years, and I'm very happy," said Mr. Azuma, team representative of #37 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS.
[TeamKRS-DAI&MKS #37] and [Team Douraku no Kai #39], both completed 136 laps and won the Most Laps Award. [Tokyo Motorsports College A #55] and [Hayakoba Racing #8], both with two Japanese drivers, completed 135 laps, while [TOTSUKA&@SILK #14] completed 134 laps and received the Excellent Laps Award.
The MVP was awarded to [#30 Super ChipsEnjoy], a team composed of women and men of all ages, from children to adults, who also participated in the open practice and enjoyed "K-TAI" with no penalties.
The women's kart club that energized "K-TAI" over the two days was [#773 Arriving! JKB Red], who completed 132 laps!
They showed a strong performance as the highest-ranking team with female drivers and won the Ladies' Award.
At the end of the finale ceremony, each team was given one bottle of non-alcoholic champagne and they all participated in a champagne fight, bringing the 11th "K-TAI" to a close with smiles.