8h of Brussels 20/09/26 · Finale Race⏱ 8h20

The Finale of the endurance event at First Kart 'Inn (FKI) in Machelen brought together 15 teams for a gruelling 500-minute race on the Kart Track circuit. At the chequered flag, PULSE RACING TEAM (kart #9) claimed victory with 499 laps completed, holding off FAST AND EXPERIENCED R (kart #13) by one lap and KC RACING (kart #10) by two laps. All 15 teams completed the distance, and every crew made 11 pit stops — with the exception of SCUDERIA IPA, who made 13.

The best lap of the race was set by PULSE RACING TEAM with a time of 52.315 s, underlining their dominant pace throughout the event. FAST AND EXPERIENCED R responded with a best lap of 52.407 s, and KC RACING with 52.387 s — the top three were separated by less than a tenth on outright lap time, making the classification extremely tight at the front.

PULSE RACING TEAM were the quickest crew on pure pace, posting a median race rhythm of 52.970 s (1st in pure pace rankings) with a strong overall consistency figure of 1.06 s standard deviation. Their 11 stints were all stable, with particularly sharp median times in stints 5 (52.562 s), 8 (52.621 s) and the final stint (52.806 s), where they also clocked the absolute fastest lap of the race. Their pace ranking perfectly matched their race result — a deserved double.

FAST AND EXPERIENCED R confirmed their 2nd place on pace as well as on track. Their 2nd stint stands out: 111 laps at a median of 52.927 s with a consistency of 0.43 s, an exceptionally long and disciplined stint. Their overall standard deviation of 1.16 s was slightly higher than the winner's, partly pulled by an opening stint that came down progressively before finding its cruising pace.

KC RACING (3rd, pure pace rank 3rd, median 53.204 s) produced a very consistent race with a 0.95 s standard deviation — the tightest in the top three. Their opening stint was short and slow as they found their bearings, but from stint 2 onwards they maintained a very disciplined rhythm to the flag.

Among the notable stories further down the field, CCW (7th on the road, 10th in pure pace) was the team that outperformed their pace ranking the most through strategy, gaining three positions over their raw speed. Conversely, DONNAY DREHSEN (8th on pace, 10th at the finish) left some positions on the table relative to their pace potential.

The honour of most consistent crew across the full race distance goes to VLV19R ACADEMY (6th), who recorded the lowest standard deviation in the field at just 0.82 s — a testament to their metronomic lap-to-lap regularity over 500 minutes.

Key takeaways for teams: At FKI Machelen, outright pace and on-track position were closely aligned at the front, with PULSE RACING TEAM converting the best median rhythm and the best lap into a race win. The gap between 1st and 3rd (2 laps) was narrow enough that strategic pit stop execution proved critical for the podium positions. CCW's gain of three places over their pure pace rank shows that pit timing can make a real difference in the final standings, while DONNAY DREHSEN's result is a reminder that pace alone does not guarantee classification. Teams targeting the top 5 should prioritise both a sub-53.0 s median rhythm and a consistency figure below 1.10 s.