RELAIS ESTIVAL · Course Race⏱ 42 min

On July 15, 2026, twelve teams lined up for a 42-minute endurance race on the 964-metre Karting Paul Ricard circuit. With every kart making exactly three pit stops, strategy and consistency were set to be decisive from the opening lap.

TEAM 1 CPR KEVIN (kart #2) took victory after completing 36 laps, crossing the line 0.845 seconds ahead of AJA RACING TEAM (kart #16), who matched the winner's lap count. MRT (kart #18) completed the podium, also on 36 laps but 10.023 seconds further back. TEAM 3 CPR LUCAS (kart #22) and TEAM 2 CPR MANU (kart #14) rounded out the top five, both on 36 laps at 24.274 s and 26.425 s respectively. Positions six through ten all completed 35 laps, while MAVERICKS (kart #6) and LH POWER (kart #24) were classified 11th and 12th on 34 laps. The fastest lap of the race was set by MRT in 59.873 seconds.

The race analysis confirms that the result faithfully reflects the pace hierarchy at the front. TEAM 1 CPR KEVIN recorded the best median pace of the field at 1:00.389 and also posted the strongest consistency figure with a standard deviation of just 0.62 s across all four stints. All four relays were rated stable, a textbook endurance performance that combined speed with regularity and left no room for AJA RACING TEAM to find an opening.

AJA RACING TEAM backed up its second-place finish with the second-best pure pace (median 1:00.537, σ 0.66 s) and four stable stints, confirming a deserved runner-up result with no weakness to exploit over the 42 minutes.

The most intriguing subplot belongs to MRT. Despite claiming third place overall and setting the outright fastest lap of the race, the team ranked only 4th in pure pace (median 1:01.183), finishing ahead of TEAM 3 CPR LUCAS whose median of 1:01.164 placed it 3rd in pace. MRT's second stint was notably slower (median 1:01.808), whereas its third stint was its sharpest at 1:00.195. The team's pit-stop sequencing ultimately allowed it to convert a pace deficit over TEAM 3 CPR LUCAS into a 14-second advantage on the road — a clear strategic gain.

TEAM 3 CPR LUCAS displayed a higher consistency spread (σ 1.14 s) with two stints trending faster as the stint progressed, suggesting pace that was not always fully controlled. TEAM 2 CPR MANU recorded the sharpest degradation of the race in its opening stint, losing 0.20 s per lap, before settling into stable rhythms over the remaining three stints.

At the back of the field, LH POWER stood out for the opposite reason: the highest inconsistency in the field (σ 2.11 s overall), with two stints trending faster by up to 0.35 s per lap and wide swings between relays, including a second-stint median of 1:06.406 — the slowest of any stint recorded in this race.

Key takeaways for teams: On this 964-metre layout, the gap between winning and finishing mid-pack comes down to sustaining a sub-1:01 median across all stints. Consistency (σ below 0.70 s) proved as valuable as raw pace — TEAM 1 CPR KEVIN combined both to dominate. MRT's race shows that well-timed pit stops can compensate for a weaker pure pace, gaining a full position over a faster rival. Degradation in the first stint, as seen with TEAM 2 CPR MANU, costs time that is difficult to recover later.