The Mote KART endurance festival "K-TAI," which started in 2001 as a "participatory event" to share the fun of motorsports with many fans. In this 7-hour endurance event on the 4.8013 km road course of Mobility Resort Motegi, not only the speed of lap times but also the overall strength of the team, including driver changes and pit work such as refueling, is a key factor.

The starting positions for the final event are determined by a grid lottery during participant registration, which is a unique enjoyment of K-TAI. Each team can have 3 to 10 drivers, and with pit crew and helpers included, a maximum of 21 members can enter. The fact that everyone can enjoy it is also a popular point as a participatory motorsport.

The eligible machines are classified into three classes, I to III, based on the type of engine, including sports karts equipped with four-stroke engines, and in addition to the newly established Class E electric karts in 2021, this year also sees the introduction of Class F, which runs on next-generation biomass fuel. This year, marking the 22nd event, a total of 103 entries have been made, with 6 in Class I, 70 in Class II, 22 in Class III, 2 in Class E, and 3 in Class F, all while ensuring thorough measures against the spread of COVID-19.

Although it was slightly cloudy over Motegi during the briefing at 7:20 AM, the clouds gradually cleared as the grid walk and start progressed, and by the scheduled time of 9:30 AM, it was completely clear. With a rolling start led by #32 Rosso@GEN, who drew the pole position in the grid lottery, the 7-hour event finally kicked off. The first to dive into the first corner of the first lap was #43 BOO FOO SETSU, starting from the 4th grid. Following them were pole position #32 Rosso@GEN, #35 Power Cluster K3 Racing from the 8th grid, #55 SEABEES with Kunienti from the 7th grid, and #74 ERK Challenge from the 5th grid. To avoid confusion at the start, the second group, which started in two waves, included #6 TOUSUI RS1, #711 Yoshimune Racing, #78 SPJ TECORSA with RAC, #17 Astemo Mario RT, #57 Nishiiri Racing Team@SILK, and #46 SRKT Tall, all rushing towards the first corner.

The one who returned at the top after the opening lap was the Class E PUTO, which made the most of the strength of the electric motor's torque. "We were lucky to start from the 5th grid, but for the first few laps, we discussed as a team to stand out and stepped on the accelerator as much as possible," said driver Motofumi Miwa, who was in charge of the start. Closely following after that was the Class F U-KART CIRCUIT E90R, which jumped up from the 30th grid. Although they ran the same number of laps as the leader last year, they did not appear in the results due to being disqualified, but this year they officially entered from the newly established Class F. "Using biomass fuel requires completely different combustion chamber shapes and carburetor settings compared to gasoline engines. Also, the amount of fuel per refill is different from gasoline engines, so it's natural to lead in the early stages. However, since there is a limit on the number of pit stops and a maximum fuel capacity of 40 liters, fuel consumption calculations are strict, and the strategy is to escape as much as possible in the early stages to be able to respond to any incidents in the later stages," said driver Hideaki Utagawa. The PUTO ran at the top until the second lap, but suddenly went off course at the second corner of the third lap. "There were no signs at all, but suddenly the tire burst as I entered the second corner, and I couldn't steer or brake, and before I knew it, I was in the gravel. It's disappointing because the feel was not bad," said Miwa.

With this, the #20 U-KART CIRCUIT E90R took the lead, clocking stable laps and completing 41 laps, putting a 1-lap gap between itself and the 2nd place after 2 hours. The 3 vehicles in 2nd place #11 Scuderia LCT and 3rd place #318 Cyber Formula Sugo Asurada are all Class F vehicles, dominating the top positions with strategies clearly different from gasoline karts. Although Class F outperforms other classes in lap times and top speeds, it consumes more fuel compared to gasoline karts, and the number of pit stops is predetermined, making the interim results only provisional rankings. In a short sprint race, a single trouble can often determine the outcome, but in a 7-hour long-distance race, pit stops and fuel efficiency are crucial. It's not a fable of the tortoise and the hare; the strategy throughout the 7 hours matters. Here, not only the drivers but also the mechanics performing refueling and maintenance, the pit crew recording lap times and laps completed, and directing driver changes all enjoy K-TAI in their respective roles.

After that, the fast run of #20 U-KART CIRCUIT E90R continued, pulling away from the second place #11 Scuderia LCT by 7 laps at the 4-hour mark, building up an advantage. In third place was #125 BLUE EYES K, who had won three consecutive championships in Class I until last year, followed by #555 Team supArna@GEN in fourth place from Class II, and the top of Class III, #35 Power Cluster K3 Racing, running in ninth overall. However, while the leader was on lap 92, a machine experienced an oil leak in the third corner. This resulted in a full course yellow flag, and the safety car entered the track. As two safety cars led a long line of over 100 vehicles to organize, the pit area became bustling with driver changes and refueling. Each team had conducted meticulous fuel consumption calculations during public practice to prepare for the event, but with the introduction of the pace car, they had to change their plans and rethink their strategy for the restart.

At this timing, the strategy collapsed for the car that had been running in 2nd place since the beginning, #11 Scuderia LCT. "We planned to complete two pit stops while the safety car was out, but during the second stay, it was lifted, causing a delay in the restart," resulting in a drop to 7th place. Rising to 2nd place was #125 BLUE EYES K. Although there is an 8-lap gap from the leader, Class I has a pit stop duration of 5 minutes, which is 1 minute shorter than Class F, and there is no mandatory number of pit stops, so depending on fuel efficiency, they can pressure #20 U-KART CIRCUIT E90R, showcasing their skill as a three-time class champion.

After 5 and a half hours since the race start, when PUTO completed 107 laps, Scuderia LCT, which had temporarily dropped to 7th place, rose back to 2nd place. With less than 1 and a half hours remaining, the top 2 in Class F must calculate their pit stops and fuel efficiency even more critically. If the gas link class adopts a no-refuel strategy for the remaining time, the 6-minute stay during a single pit stop will become a significant bottleneck.

As the 6-hour mark approached, the battle for second place heated up with #125 BLUE EYES K, #35 POWER CLUSTER K3 RACING, #11 SCUDERIA LCT, and #510 510club swapping positions on the leaderboard with each lap. Then, with just 20 minutes to go, #888 Douraku no Kai & AMEROID-R@SILK surged into second place after 6 hours and 40 minutes. Attention turned to whether #11 SCUDERIA LCT, which had just completed its final pit stop and returned to the track, could fend off the fierce pursuit. However, in a surprising turn of events, #11 SCUDERIA LCT experienced fuel starvation at the end, allowing #11 SCUDERIA LCT to take the lead.

After 7 hours from the start, the first to receive the checkered flag at 4:32 PM was the dominant racer, #20 U-KART CIRCUIT E90R, who led the race with a solid performance. "I was a bit flustered when the safety car came out, but the lap times were as expected, and during tough fuel consumption periods, we entrusted stints to lighter female drivers. With about an hour and a half left, we could see the goal of matching the record of 136 laps, which was the most we had ever achieved. Last year, we had 134 laps without any awards, so surpassing that to win the overall most laps award is a testament to the team's overall strength," said driver Utagawa after receiving the checkered flag.

The Overall Excellence Lap Count Award was won by #11 Scuderia LCT, who completed 131 laps after a remarkable comeback, finishing in second place. In Class I, #125 BLUE EYES K achieved a four-time consecutive victory, while #70 racer racer ACCEL won Class II, and #35 POWER CLUSTER K3 RACING completed 130 laps each, earning the most laps in their respective classes. #74 ERK Challenge, which led right after the start and created a highlight, won the Class E Most Laps Award with 91 laps.

And the MVP award goes to 【#711 Yoshimune Racing】. They consistently participated in all three public practice sessions, had a large number of registered drivers and pit crew, and had no deficiencies in various procedures, which were key points in evaluating their enjoyment of K-TAI.

Not only seeking rankings, but the great appeal of K-TAI is that colleagues, motorsports enthusiasts, young carters from middle school to seasoned veterans over 70 can enjoy the same stage together.
"Once this year's K-TAI is over, I'm already thinking about next year," says K-TAI, which continues to captivate entrants.

Let's enjoy the best summer in 2023!