The 16th Motegi KART Endurance Festival "K-TAI" was held this year. The Enjoy Class was also held on the last weekend of August. Although the weather was a concern due to a typhoon approaching, the rain that fell in the middle of the night stopped by morning and the sky was visible through the clouds by the time the briefing began. By the time the 123 karts were on the grid and ready to start, the sun was shining on the asphalt and the temperature was rising. After that, the sky became cloudy and the heat was not as intense as usual, making for comfortable conditions for the 2016 "K-TAI".

"K-TAI" started with a rolling start divided into two groups. First, 【#129 Yomiuri Automobile University】 who drew the pole position went into the first corner, followed by 【#66 Shin-Chitose Motor Land Manual Machine】, 【#28 Challenge Team Bear】, 【#82 Racing Team OBI】, 【#77 Autocraft Fujii @ Endo AS】, and 【#68 E.R.O Racing】. The second group was led by 【#417 La Fiesta m.417】, chasing after the front. The team that returned in first place after the opening lap was 【#919 AWA by Sugimura Juku】. Following them were 【#30 Corolla Ibaraki ~REON KIDS~2】, 【#174 Xanaduex】, and 【#129 Yomiuri Automobile University】. There were some cars spinning in certain places right after the start, but after 20 minutes, a car stopped on the course and the safety car was deployed. About an hour later, the safety car was deployed again for the same reason, resulting in two safety car periods in the early stages. Many teams took this opportunity to refuel, which made a difference depending on the timing.

After two hours of turmoil in the early stages, #20 Super Chips Dream recorded 37 laps to take the lead. This was followed by #72 Onigiri Racing, #78 Super-jiji OMSC, and #29 Leve RT Thursday Club, all on the same lap. However, after four hours had passed, #29 Leve RT Thursday Club took the lead with 75 laps. This was followed by #20 Super Chips Dream, #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS, and #15 Bomber Racing r-kart, all on the same lap, as the top four teams began to separate themselves. As the final hour approached, the focus narrowed down to #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS and #29 Leve RT Thursday Club.

With 45 minutes remaining, #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS, who was leading, made their 8th pit stop. This allowed #29 Leve RT Thursday Club to take the lead, but with 33 minutes left, they made their 9th pit stop. Once again, #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS took the lead and completed 132 laps to take the checkered flag.
"I believe the top checker was won by the combined efforts of the entire team. From the public practice, Leve RT Thursday Club was running at a fast pace, so we aimed for the top as challengers. To do that, we had to complete 134 laps, so we focused on both speed and fuel efficiency. Considering that the safety car came out twice, I think we achieved our goal. I will say it again, this is the result of everyone on the team working hard," said team representative Dai Agatsuma.

Although they finished second, 【#29 Leve RT Thursday Club】 received the Most Laps Award for completing the same number of laps. They pitted with 30 minutes remaining, which was planned due to strict fuel consumption. However, they had a jump start at the beginning and served a 60-second penalty stop. It’s a what-if scenario, but without this penalty, they might have taken the checkered flag in first place. This is also part of the excitement of race events. The 2016 K-TAI Most Laps Award was shared by two teams, both recording 132 laps.

The second place for the Best Lap Award recorded 131 laps. There were a total of 8 teams, and the first to receive the checkered flag was [#20 Super Chips Dream]. [#20 Super Chips Dream] said that their fuel consumption was strict and they pitted 10 times as planned. With their speed, they could have aimed for even higher if they improved their fuel consumption. Behind them, [#36 K-E POWER WORKS] and [#174 Xanaduex] followed closely.

The MVP was awarded to three teams who participated and livened up the "K-TAI" experience: [#318 Cyber Formula Sugo], [#319 Cyber Formula Aoi], and [#320 Cyber Formula Union].

The "K-TAI" in 2017 will be the Twin Ring Motegi's 20th anniversary celebration. Everyone, please come and join us!