RELAIS ESTIVAL · Course Race⏱ 41 min

The Karting Circuit Paul Ricard hosted a 40-minute endurance race on August 14, 2026, bringing together 23 teams on the 964-metre layout. With every team completing three pit stops, the outcome was decided by the finest of margins at the front, while a fierce mid-field battle raged all the way to the chequered flag.

TEAM 113 CPR MARATHON (kart #6) took the overall victory with 36 laps completed, crossing the line just 0.079 seconds ahead of PARFUM KARTIER (kart #18) — one of the tightest finishes of the season. APOCOCO (kart #12) rounded out the podium, 10.048 seconds off the pace. MANA'S TEAM, LUCAS 2M and LHUI 91 completed the top six, all on 36 laps and separated by a mere handful of seconds.

The fastest lap of the race was set by TEAM 113 CPR MARATHON with a 1:00.096, the benchmark time across the entire field.

Looking beyond the raw result, the pace analysis reveals a more nuanced picture. PARFUM KARTIER actually posted the best median race pace of the entire field at 1:01.327 — making them the fastest team on pure rhythm — yet ultimately had to settle for second place. Their opening stint (1:00.466 median, 9 laps) was their strongest; relay 2 showed a tendency to lose around 0.21 s/lap by its end, but stints 3 and 4 were managed steadily through to the flag.

TEAM 113 CPR MARATHON, the winners, recorded the second-best median pace at 1:01.575, with a standout opening stint (1:00.273 median, 0.15 s standard deviation — an exceptionally consistent 8 laps). Their third relay showed a positive gain of 0.22 s/lap, and the fourth was managed solidly to secure the win by the narrowest of margins.

The consistency award goes to LUCAS 2M (5th), who posted the lowest standard deviation of the race at 0.70 s across all four stints — every relay was rated stable, a remarkable display of metronomic regularity that earned them 5th place despite ranking only 7th on pure pace.

The strategic highlight of the race belongs to TEAM MOSCH (7th), who finished six positions higher than their pure-pace ranking of 13th. Their opening and third stints were genuinely quick (1:00.791 and 1:01.207 median respectively), compensating for two heavier stints where they lost up to 0.33 s/lap — a performance profile that rewarded bold stint management.

On the other side of the ledger, SOLO TEAM (15th overall, 11th on pure pace) left pace on the table, finishing four positions below what their rhythm suggested was achievable.

Further down the field, GIRLS GANG (8th) deserve mention for their progressive improvement: all four of their stints showed an accelerating tendency, and their final relay produced a 1:01.683 median — their best of the race, suggesting their pace was still building at the flag. LA FAMILLIA (9th) showed the widest pace swings, with a standard deviation of 1.54 s and relay degradations as steep as 0.53 s/lap in stint 2, before composing themselves for a solid final 10 laps.

Key takeaways for teams: At Karting Paul Ricard, the 40-minute format with three mandatory stops leaves very little room for error. The victory margin of 0.079 s proves that pit-stop execution and in-lap/out-lap management are decisive. PARFUM KARTIER demonstrated that the best race pace does not automatically convert to victory — consistency across all relays and flawless stop timing are equally critical. Teams targeting the top 10 should also note that LUCAS 2M's approach — trading ultimate lap time for minimal variability — delivered a solid 5th place, outperforming faster but less regular rivals.