52 ème Kart Challenge · Pré Finale Race⏱ 3h31

The Pré Finale endurance race at Pole Mecanique Karting Ales on the 1,200-metre circuit took place on 24 October 2026, bringing together 24 teams over 211 minutes of racing. From the front to the back of the field, the event produced a clear hierarchy topped by a dominant performance from MTF 1.

MTF 1 (kart #4) claimed a convincing victory, completing 174 laps — the highest total of the race — and setting the fastest lap of the entire event with a 1:08.660. Second place went to IMAGINE (kart #3), also on 174 laps but finishing 1:05.763 adrift. Ecurie Auto Châteauneuf-du-Pape (kart #7) rounded out the podium one lap down, ahead of MTF 2 (kart #5, 171 laps) and Caterham (kart #9, 173 laps).

The pace analysis sheds further light on the result. MTF 1 posted the best pure pace of the race, with a median lap time of 1:09.494 — a figure that aligns directly with their finishing position. Their consistency was equally impressive, with a standard deviation of just 0.54 s, one of the lowest in the field.

MTF 2 deserves particular attention: the sister team recorded the 2nd best pure pace (median 1:09.936, σ 0.76 s) yet finished only 4th, suggesting that pace alone was not sufficient to convert into a higher classification. IMAGINE, meanwhile, ranked 3rd in pure pace (1:09.959) and finished 2nd — a coherent and efficient performance across the race distance.

The most consistent team over the 211 minutes was Caterham (kart #9), which posted the lowest standard deviation of all analysed teams at 0.48 s — tighter than even the race winner — while maintaining a median pace of 1:10.123. That regularity helped them secure 5th place.

Two teams stand out for strategic reasons. Poids Lourd Ecole Daumet (kart #19) finished 7th despite ranking only 10th in pure pace (median 1:10.451, σ 1.01 s) — a gain of three positions over their raw speed would suggest, pointing to effective race management. On the other side of the ledger, Anti Relay Nimes (kart #22) showed the 8th best pure pace in the analysed group (median 1:10.327) but crossed the line in 12th, a four-place underperformance relative to their speed.

Further down the order, GLP (kart #20, 6th) and Pixel (kart #21, 9th) both displayed solid median times in the 1:10.1–1:10.3 s range. The lower half of the field was separated by significant lap-count gaps, with Les Loups Blancs (kart #13) completing 152 laps in 24th, 22 laps behind the leaders.

Key takeaways for teams: At Pole Mecanique Karting Ales, combining raw pace with high consistency proved decisive — MTF 1's double benchmark in both categories left little room for rivals. Teams capable of a median time below 1:10.0 s with a sub-0.6 s standard deviation consistently finished in the top five. Poids Lourd Ecole Daumet's result demonstrates that disciplined race management can overcome a pace deficit of several positions, while Anti Relay Nimes illustrates that speed without execution comes at a cost.