This year marks the 18th edition of the Motegi KART Endurance Festival "K-TAI". The popular endurance event, beloved by many karters, was held on August 5 (Sun). At 7:30 AM, under a cloudy sky, over 500 karters gathered in the pit lane, starting with a briefing. Following that, not only the participants but also the spectators enjoyed the pre-race excitement with a grid walk, along with the traditional opening declaration by the Twin Ring Motegi Angels. The introduction of 122 teams was grand, and the start time arrived in a lively atmosphere unique to "K-TAI".

Starting this year, the ranking certification method has changed, and priority rankings will be given to vehicles that receive the checkered flag and complete the final lap at the control line (including the pit lane). In other words, receiving the checkered flag after 7 hours has become the most important aspect of the competition for each team. Indeed, the midsummer kart endurance "K-TAI" has become an event that tests the unity of the teams to complete the 7-hour race.

This time, there are 11 entries in Class I and 111 entries in Class II, totaling 122 vehicles (including 1 non-competitive vehicle). Just after 9:30, with a beautiful rolling start, the 122 vehicles passed the control line aiming for the finish line 7 hours later. The vehicle that dove into the first corner at the start was the pole position starter, #48 CLUB Ag ver.R. Following it were #35 Power Cluster K3, #80 OREGA RACING A @GEN, and #202 Team TWICE☆KOTA No. 2. The opening lap was won by #202 Team TWICE☆KOTA No. 2. Next were #35 Power Cluster K3 and #58 MMRT Power Stage, forming the top group with these three teams. Following them was a large group including #38 TeamKRS-DAI&&MKS, #602 Cyber Formula Albatross DDT, #48 CLUB Ag ver.R, #80 OREGA RACING A @GEN, #204 Moa Collage XAM Takasu Koda Circuit, #22 Red Mamushi Birel Pacific NRT, and #4 K.R.R, which formed a closely contested second group as they passed the control line.

By the time 25 minutes have passed since the start, on the 9th lap, the top runners including #22 RED MAMUSHI VIBRANT PACIFIC NRT, who was leading in the previous lap, #202 Team TWICE☆KOTA No. 2, and #70 racer racer ACCEL have already made their first pit stops. Following them, at the 40-minute mark, #58 MMRT POWER STAGE and #823 A1-RACING RED also head for refueling. As a result, by the time one hour has passed since the start, #70 racer racer ACCEL, who has completed 20 laps, is in the lead, followed by #30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2 and #86 Corolla New Ibaraki-REON KIDS-1, the two teams that won the most laps in Class II last year, rising to the top.

The rankings at the 2-hour mark, after each team has pitted multiple times, are led by #30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2 in 1st place, followed by #82 Racing Team Obi, #70 racer racer ACCEL, #20 YAMAHA Challenge 4 with S・C, #129 Yomiuri Automobile University, #86 Corolla New Ibaraki-REON KIDS-1, and #823 A1-RACING RED, all completing 40 laps on the same lap.

After that, around 2 hours and 44 minutes from the start, a safety car was introduced to remove a vehicle that had stopped at corner 5. At this point, the leader had completed 53 laps. The title "A1" is awarded only to highly skilled Nissan drivers. There is a desire for it to be the same in K-TAI. After a full course caution of about 15 minutes, the race restarted at 12:30, and attention turned to the developments heading into the mid-race.

In Class I, the #34 Tsukuba Automobile University, which secured the 12th grid, started from the top of the class. In the early stages, #125 BLUE EYES K, which recorded fast laps within this class, and #206 B&S206@r-kart, chasing about 10 seconds behind, completed 38 laps by the end of the 2-hour mark, engaging in a fierce battle for the top position from the start. In 2nd place in the class, the two teams #205 r-kart Enjoy Sports Cars and #27 Kamim Team Bear were one lap behind.

Four hours have passed since the start, just after 1:30 PM. In the harsh conditions of the strong summer sun beating down on the asphalt, a significant event occurred that would influence the results of this year. An incident involving several cars happened at the exit of the V corner. With multiple vehicles unable to move on the track, a red flag was raised, and the race was temporarily halted. At this point, a significant divide emerged between the teams that had stopped their vehicles on the home straight and those that had entered the pits.

Restart is at 14:00. The second half begins again with a rolling start. The leader at the red flag interruption was 【#20 YAMAHA Challenge 4 with S-C】, having completed 77 laps. Following closely was 【#70 racer racer ACCEL】, making a charge. As each team repeatedly pits, the lead changes each time, creating a situation that is unique to "K-TAI" where the outcome remains unpredictable until the end. At the 6-hour mark, 【#30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2】 was in the lead, with 【#823 A1-RACING RED】, 【#88 Team Douraku no Kai @ SILK】, and 【#20 YAMAHA Challenge 4 with S-C】 all running on the same lap at 107 laps. Following one lap behind those four teams was 【#70 racer racer ACCEL】.

At the 4-hour mark, the status of Class I shows that #206 B&S206@r-kart has completed 72 laps smoothly. The three teams #125 BLUE EYES K, #27 Kaminch Team Bear, and #205 r-kart Enjoy Sports Cars followed behind, each one lap down with 71 laps completed.

Only 1 hour remains for the 2018 "K-TAI". As of 15:30, the leader was [#823 A1-RACING RED], followed by [#30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2]. On the 106th lap, [#823 A1-RACING RED] made its final pit stop. Taking the lead, [#30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2] widened the gap to nearly 2 laps, but on the 115th lap, with 33 minutes to go until the finish, it also slid into the pit road. As a result, [#823 A1-RACING RED] resurfaced to the top, but [#30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2], returning to the track in second place, repeatedly clocked the only 2-minute 40-second laps in the second half. This fierce pursuit allowed it to catch up to its rival on the 120th lap and rise to the top again. Continuing to run without losing pace until the end, [#30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2] crossed the finish line with the checkered flag after 7 hours, winning the most laps award in Class II for the second consecutive year. Although it finished second, [#823 A1-RACING RED] also crossed the checkered flag with the same number of laps as the leader, having persevered until the end despite receiving a 180-second penalty stop. Following them were [#20 YAMAHA Challenge 4 with S.C.], [#88 Team Douraku no Kai @ SILK], [#70 racer racer ACCEL], and [#123 College CRG]. Since [#20 YAMAHA Challenge 4 with S.C.] was not eligible for awards, a total of 5 teams received the most laps award in Class I for the 2018 "K-TAI", leaving a unique record for this event.

"Last year we had a one-two finish, so this year I was secretly aiming for a one-two-three finish, but it didn't go as smoothly as I hoped. The safety car and red flag interruptions threw all our strategies off. After that, I just believed in the kids who were running their hearts out and adjusted our strategy to fit the situation. It was an incredibly fun day." said Omiya, the representative of BATTO 30 Corolla New Ibaraki REON KIDS-2 with a voice full of joy. He also commented, "I wanted to finish first this year, so I am very happy that it came true! When Ishikawa-kun returned to the pit in first place at the end, I was convinced of this result," said Hitoshi Nakamura, who served as the checkered driver.

The #70 racer racer ACCEL, celebrating its 10th anniversary of team participation, is challenging with an engine swapped to World Formula. The #123 College CRG has won the coveted most laps award, moving up from last year's excellent lap award 2nd place.

In addition, the team that won the Jump Up Award, #129 Yomiuri Automobile College, is celebrating its 10th anniversary of participation this time and surprisingly drew the last grid position, 122, in the grid lottery. They started strong with excellent performance and teamwork, running in the top positions, but received a penalty and dropped in position. However, with the unity unique to student teams, they managed to climb back up to 7th place overall.

In Class I, attention was focused on the performance of #206 B&S206@r-kart, who gradually pulled away from the pack from the beginning, and last year's champion #125 BLUE EYES K, who was chasing them. In this showdown, #206 B&S206@r-kart ultimately completed 122 laps and won the most laps award. #125 BLUE EYES K, one lap down, took 2nd place in the excellent lap count award. #205 r-kart Enjoy Sports Cars, who completed 118 laps, won 3rd place in the excellent lap count award, closing the curtain on 2018 with a result that was a rare close finish in recent years.

Thus, the 2018 "K-TAI" came to a close, but once the event was over, it turned out that 5 teams received the Most Laps Award, 1 team received the 2nd place in the Excellent Laps Award, and 7 teams received the 3rd place in the Excellent Laps Award, resulting in a total of 13 teams on the podium just in Class II. Since this event started with the concept of wanting families and friends to casually enjoy motorsports together, it is undoubtedly thanks to the participating teams who understood the concept of not just competing for victory but enjoying KART together with everyone, and to all those who supported them wholeheartedly, that many teams were awarded and the event ended with smiles and without any major injuries. We look forward to seeing even more smiling faces at this event next year than this year!