The Mote tai (Mote endurance) Festival, which started in 2000 and is now in its 17th edition, took place this year on the first weekend of August. Under a cloudy sky, a briefing was held early in the morning, followed by a grid walk and the start procedure. As scheduled, 117 karts were divided into two groups and started with a rolling start at 9:30, aiming for the finish line 7 hours ahead.

The pole position of Group 1 was taken by #9 ddd, who seized the holeshot, followed by #20 Super Chips Dream in the second grid. It seemed that these two familiar teams from K-TAI would continue to lead. Following them were #5 MIC KARTING, #37 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS, and #10 Team FB Racing. In the opening lap, #5 MIC KARTING returned in the lead, but #35 Power Cluster K3 Racing, starting from the 23rd grid on the inside, moved ahead. #43 BOO FOO SETSU was in third place, followed by #37 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS, #20 Super Chips Dream, and #515 e-connection515, while #9 ddd was slightly behind, completing laps.

After that, the top position changed rapidly during the pit-in timing, and by the time two hours had passed, #689 DRP (B-side) was in the lead with 39 laps. Following them were #17 KEIHIN MARIO RT, #823 A1-RACING RED, and #52 BLACK OUT RACING, all on the same lap.

However, it was #30 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~2 that was showing the speed. They consistently completed laps at a high pace in the low 2-minute 40-second range. This led to a situation where the strong contenders #9 ddd and #17 KEIHIN MARIO RT were chasing them.

After 4 hours, car #9 has completed 76 laps and is in the lead. Following closely are car #43, car #30, car #123, car #88, and car #823, all on the same lap.

After that, the #30 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~2, showing overwhelming speed, was in the lead with one hour remaining, but pitted with 40 minutes left. The lead changed between #689 DRP (B side) and #823 A1-RACING RED, but when both teams pitted, #86 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~1 rose to the top. From behind, teammate #30 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~2 was closing in at a pace 3 to 5 seconds faster per lap, but the gap was about 1 minute. Ultimately, the gap was 36 seconds and 676 milliseconds, but #86 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~1 was the first to complete 135 laps and received the checkered flag. Following that, #30 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~2 crossed the finish line, resulting in a 1-2 finish for Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS.
"The fuel efficiency was good, and we had speed, so we were able to win the most laps award. I want to thank the team for providing such a wonderful machine. #30 was fast too, but I didn't feel like I would lose to my teammate," said Shunsuke Hanawa from #86 Corolla New Ibaraki~REON KIDS~1.

"Last year, I couldn't win the most laps award, so I'm happy. #30 had a significant disadvantage with pit stop time, but they showed incredible speed to overcome that. The power of children is truly amazing," said Ken Omiya, representative of Corolla New Ibaraki ~ REON KIDS.

In the background, two cars, receiving the checkered flag almost simultaneously, recorded 135 laps: #88 Team Douraku no Kai @ SILK and #689 DRP (B side). The 2017 "K-TAI" award for the most laps was given to four teams.

This year, due to the fact that the safety car did not enter even once, the four teams that recorded the most laps achieved 135 laps. The top positions were occupied by Class II, and the highest in Class I was #125 BLUE EYES K, which recorded 131 laps and received the most laps award in 5th overall.

#701 YMC.ADVANRacing has been selected as the MVP.

In 2017, many teams participated in "K-TAI". There were instances of contact and overtaking in yellow flag sections that resulted in penalties, but the fact that the safety car was never deployed is evidence of improved manners. Let's meet again with smiles at next year's "K-TAI"!