Endurance KM 24H · 24H Endurance Race Race⏱ 24h02

The 24H Endurance Race at Motorsport Romania (Karting Track, 1,240 m) took place on July 25, 2026, bringing together 12 teams for 1,442 minutes of racing. When the chequered flag fell, Kronstadt Racing Team (kart #25) claimed the overall victory with 1,117 laps completed, one lap ahead of Jouless Racing (kart #1, 1,116 laps) and Hotshots (kart #11, 1,116 laps, +8.799 s on the road). Fourth went to Kartingmaxers (1,110 laps, –7 laps), fifth to Team Prieteni (1,108 laps, –9 laps), and sixth to Mecanici de Sarbu (1,100 laps, –17 laps). The fastest lap of the race was set by Jouless Racing in 1:11.458.

From a pace perspective, the picture is considerably more nuanced. Mecanici de Sarbu posted the best pure median pace of the entire field — 1:11.274 per lap, fastest of all 12 teams — yet finished only sixth, having made 28 pit stops against 26 for most rivals. Their lap-time standard deviation of 2.05 s was the highest in the race, indicating significant consistency swings across stints that ultimately cost them positions on the road.

Kronstadt Racing Team's winning margin was built on a combination of solid pace and outstanding consistency. Their median pace of 1:12.825 ranked them third in the field (3rd-best pure pace), yet they outscored everyone at the finish. Crucially, they recorded the lowest lap-time standard deviation of the race at 0.75 s across 20 stints, with 17 of those rated as stable. Only stints 2 and 3 — short relays of 12 and 5 laps — showed degradation, shedding 0.16 s/lap and 0.68 s/lap respectively before the team regrouped into a long run of steady stints throughout the night.

Hotshots (3rd overall) delivered the 2nd-best median pace (1:12.669) across 25 stints and were arguably the fastest consistently-running team over distance. However, two very short stints (relay 8: 5 laps, degrading 0.87 s/lap; relay 6: 9 laps, –0.25 s/lap) and the same lap count as Jouless Racing left them classified third on the road by 8.799 s.

Jouless Racing set the outright fastest lap (1:11.458 in relay 1) and held the 4th-best median pace (1:12.942), but experienced the sharpest single-stint degradation in the race: relay 3 dropped at 0.90 s/lap over just 5 laps. Despite 23 stints and a standard deviation of 0.84 s, their management of short unstable relays — three stints of 5, 5, and 9 laps showing clear degradation — likely prevented a stronger challenge for the lead in the final hours.

Ben Dover Racing Team (7th) ran a median pace of 1:13.551 with 26 stints but their overall regularity (σ = 1.02 s) and a particularly long relay 16 of 109 laps at 1:13.584 median illustrate a strategy built on endurance rather than speed. Golden Arrows Racing (11th) and Mecanici de Sarbu (6th) both required 29 pit stops — the highest count alongside Golden Arrows — which represents additional time lost to the pit lane compared to the 26-stop majority.

Key takeaways for teams: The race confirmed that in 24-hour kart endurance at Motorsport Romania, raw lap speed is not sufficient on its own. Mecanici de Sarbu's fastest median pace in the field translated into only sixth place, undermined by the highest variability and extra pit stop. Kronstadt Racing Team's victory rests on a textbook consistency strategy: minimal standard deviation, stable long stints, and disciplined pit stop management at 26 stops. For teams targeting the top step, controlling degradation in short stints and limiting unplanned pit calls appear to be the decisive factors on the 1,240 m Karting Track.