CHALLENGE OUEDCHE · Course Race⏱ 1h01

The 61-minute endurance race at Karting Circuit Paul Ricard (964 m) on 10 September 2026 brought together 18 teams for a hard-fought battle across 50 laps for the frontrunners. All classified finishers completed their three mandatory pit stops, making strategy execution a decisive factor alongside raw pace.

DOMINIQUE/TH2O (kart #2) took the chequered flag in first position with 50 laps completed, crossing the line ahead of BRICE/LEA by 12.901 seconds and SEBASTIEN/CLEMENT by 14.046 seconds. Fourth went to MAX/ADRIEN (+19.847 s) and fifth to REMI/EMILE (+26.940 s), all four of those teams also on 50 laps. LOTFI/CAMILLE (6th, 24 laps) and BOULBI/WANDJI (7th, 49 laps) completed the top seven.

The absolute fastest lap of the race was set by REMI/EMILE (kart #14) in 1:02.461, the benchmark time of the day on the Paul Ricard karting layout.

Looking beyond the finishing order, the pace analysis reveals a more complex picture. SEBASTIEN/CLEMENT posted the best pure median lap time of any team in the race (1:04.325), yet finished only third — a standard deviation of 2.26 s reflects greater variability across their stints. Their stints 2 and 3 both showed an improving tendency, which helped them recover pace after slower sectors, but the gap in consistency ultimately cost them the win.

MAX/ADRIEN held the second-best pace (median 1:04.900, 2nd in pure rhythm), finishing fourth on the road. Their consistency was solid across stints 1 and 3, though stint 4 showed a higher median of 1:06.920 — a drop that, combined with their race position, left them behind the podium.

The most notable strategic performance of the race came from BRICE/LEA, who finished second despite ranking only 10th in pure pace (median 1:05.885). Their consistency varied widely across stints — an exceptional opening stint (median 1:03.888, σ 0.56 s) contrasted with a much slower second stint (median 1:08.010) — yet their pit stop execution helped them convert a mid-pack pace into a podium position.

Race winner DOMINIQUE/TH2O was the most consistent team on track all day, recording the lowest standard deviation of the field at just 1.15 s across all four stints. All four relays showed a stable tendency, with median times ranging narrowly between 1:04.595 and 1:06.392. They ranked only 5th in pure pace, but their ability to minimise variation from lap to lap proved decisive.

At the other end of the spectrum, PIERRE/REBECCA (kart #8, 13th on the road) produced one of the sharpest contrasts of the race: ranked 3rd in pure pace, they crossed the line in 13th position, highlighting the impact of consistency and strategy on the final result. Their third stint also recorded the steepest pace fade in the field, slowing by 0.19 s per lap.

Key takeaways for teams: At Karting Paul Ricard, lap-time consistency proved more valuable than peak pace. DOMINIQUE/TH2O's victory with the field's lowest standard deviation (1.15 s) shows that maintaining a controlled, repeatable rhythm over 61 minutes outweighs occasional fast laps. Teams with strong raw speed — SEBASTIEN/CLEMENT, MAX/ADRIEN, PIERRE/REBECCA — all finished behind a winner whose advantage was regularity, not outright performance. Managing pace degradation within each stint and executing clean pit stops remained the clearest path to the top of the results sheet.