24H OPEN KART 390CC · 24H OPEN KART COURSE Race

The 24H Open Kart endurance race took place on 5 September 2026 at the Le Mans Karting International – Alain Prost circuit in Le Mans, on the 980-metre Piste Alain Prost B. Thirty-five teams lined up for one of the most demanding kart endurance events in the calendar, and the race delivered a gripping contest at the very top of the classification.

INFINITY RACING (kart #23) claimed victory with 1,262 laps completed and 23 pit stops, edging out JOKER TEAM (kart #3) by just 53.076 seconds — a razor-thin margin after a full 24-hour race. Both teams recorded exactly the same number of laps, making this one of the closest finishes seen at Le Mans Karting. LECLUSE AUTOMOBILES RACING (kart #1) completed the podium one lap down (1,261 laps), while SPIRIT OF KART (kart #53) and CHRONO TEAM RACING 72 (kart #72) rounded out the top five at 4 and 5 laps respectively. The top eight teams were separated by just 10 laps, underlining the exceptional competitive density of this edition.

The fastest lap of the race was set by LECLUSE AUTOMOBILES RACING with a time of 1:02.787, the sharpest single lap of the entire event.

Analysing the pure pace data reveals a compelling story beneath the final standings. LECLUSE AUTOMOBILES RACING held both the best median race pace (1:04.148) and the best consistency (standard deviation of 0.75 s) across all 22 stints — yet they finished third. Their pace advantage over the top two was real: INFINITY RACING posted a median of 1:04.183 (3rd best pace, 23 stints) and JOKER TEAM 1:04.243 (4th best), meaning the winner and runner-up both relied on strategic execution to convert their speed into positions ahead of the fastest team on pure rhythm.

SPIRIT OF KART stands out as the second-fastest team on pure pace (median 1:04.172) despite finishing fourth — a combination of strong raw speed and a slight gap in lap count cost them the podium. Conversely, SIMU APEX (kart #10) finished 15th while ranking only 20th on pure pace, gaining five positions through pit stop strategy — a clear example of tactical efficiency making the difference over a full day of racing.

KARTING EMPURIABRAVA (kart #27) is another notable case: 16th on pure pace but only 25th at the flag, suggesting that on-track pace was not reflected in their final classification, likely due to additional time lost in the pits. VLTK RACING (kart #43), who made 33 pit stops versus the 23 of the leaders, posted the 9th best median pace but finished 10th, demonstrating that pit stop count directly impacts lap totals in this format.

What teams should take away: at Le Mans Karting International, raw speed alone does not win a 24-hour race. LECLUSE AUTOMOBILES RACING proved that the best pace and the best consistency are not sufficient without the lap count to match. The winner INFINITY RACING combined a competitive median pace with exemplary stint management — 23 stints, overwhelmingly stable tendencies across all relays. In a race decided by 53 seconds over 24 hours, every second lost unnecessarily in the pits or through irregular lap times is potentially decisive.