The Mote gi KART endurance festival "K-TAI" has successfully reached its 21st edition. In 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, infection control measures and pre-race health checks were conducted, with 95 vehicles participating. From the morning, the blue sky spread out, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees, exceeding forecasts, and the track temperature rising close to 50 degrees, creating conditions truly suitable for a midsummer endurance event.

With a rolling start, the first group started at almost the scheduled time of 9:30:27. The pole position holder, #510 510club, entered the first corner in the lead, followed by #44 Funny onza, #33 team M's, #900 ★★★METAMORPHOSE★★★, #10 Team FB Racing, and #2 Hayakoba Racing as they exited the second corner. From the back, #20 U-KART CIRCUIT Challengers 4, who showed an incredible comeback from the 37th grid, moved up to second place within the opening lap and took the lead on the second lap! In no time, they established a solo lead. #20 U-KART CIRCUIT Challengers 4 is participating for a practical test of second-generation bioethanol fuel made from agricultural waste, and although not eligible for prizes, they displayed outstanding speed.

In second place, #510 510club is positioned, while the battle for third place is being fought between #314 C.S.I Racing #5 and #75 RF.AOYAMA Sake Powers, and the fourth place group, led by #70 racer racer ACCEL+r, has formed a large pack of over ten vehicles.

The one that moved right after the start was PUTO. Surprisingly, they pitted on the opening lap! Despite being almost at the back, they managed to move up to 6th place by the 13th lap, and then pitted again on the 14th lap. They were employing a strategy to minimize time loss by entering for fuel early.

At the point when 2 hours had passed, #20 U-KART CIRCUIT Challenge 4 was leading the race. In second place was #4 ddd, followed by #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS and #205 MRF with r-kart, all on the same lap.

Then, just before 14:00, after the halfway point, an accident occurred at the 90-degree corner, prompting the safety car to enter. Many teams pitted, but depending on the timing, it resulted in a significant difference in outcomes.

The safety car will return to the pit after 2 laps starting from lap 86, and the restart will be made. Although #20 U-KART CIRCUIT Challenge 4 was still in the lead, as the race approached the last hour, #20 U-KART CIRCUIT Challenge 4 entered the pit, allowing #510 510club to take the lead! However, with a pit stop for refueling still remaining, as #510 510club headed to the pit, #86 Corolla New Ibaraki_ReonKids_1, who had been steadily closing the gap, took the lead. At this point, #888 Douraku no Kai&AMEROID-R@SILK, who was in second place, wanted to catch up, but the pace of #86 Corolla New Ibaraki_ReonKids_1 was fast, and they were instead being pressured from behind to lap down.

And with 8 minutes remaining, #86 Corolla New Ibaraki_ReonKids_1 finally lapped #888 Douraku no Kai&AMEROID-R@SILK. After taking the solo lead, they completed 134 laps and crossed the finish line. Remarkably, they won the award for the most laps overall.

"I'm just really happy. I would say it went according to plan, but there were parts that didn't go as I hoped. In the end, after putting the second place down a lap, I slowed my pace and aimed for the finish line," said driver Hitoshi Nakamura after receiving the checkered flag.

"There was never any room for complacency, but thanks to the team members who considered fuel efficiency in various situations, we were able to finish the race. I believe we were able to secure the top position because all the drivers were fast. It was a victory achieved through team strength," said Yu Oda.

The second checker, which will receive the Outstanding Laps Award, completed 133 laps: [#888 Douraku no Kai&AMEROID-R@SILK], [#4 ddd], and [#510 510club], with [#888 Douraku no Kai&AMEROID-R@SILK] winning the most laps award in Class II. In Class I, [#125 BLUE EYES K] achieved a three-time consecutive victory. In the newly established Class E using electric carts, [#74 ERK Challenge] demonstrated speed by running in third place early on and won the most laps award in Class E.

This year's "K-TAI" was largely led by #20 U-KART CIRCUIT Challenge 4, finishing on the same lap as the leader. Although it did not remain in the results due to being outside of the prize category, it demonstrated the potential of bioethanol fuel through its speed.

And the MVP award goes to #88 Team Douraku no Kai! This team fully enjoyed K-TAI with the motto of Let's all enjoy karting together, demonstrating the spirit of K-TAI. They had no penalties, their kart's appearance and fashion were impressive, and they attended all public practice sessions. The large number of registered drivers, pit crew, and helpers was also a factor in their evaluation.

Last year, it was shortened to 5 hours, but this year, the "K-TAI" will once again be held for 7 hours. The pit report is back! A representative from each team will come to the front of Pit 2, and Rika Mizuhara, who is also a former Twin Ring Motegi Angel, will conduct interviews while maintaining social distance. She will also engage in a wonderful exchange with announcer Kenji Kobata to liven up the "K-TAI".

In 2021, everyone from regular teams to first-time participants, from children to adults, enjoyed "K-TAI" and created new memories.
Let's enjoy "K-TAI" at Twin Ring Motegi in 2022!