ENDURANCE 3H00 · Finale Race⏱ 2h35

The Finale endurance race at Racing Kart du Mans (Montfort-le-Gesnois, Piste Compétition – 1,150 m) took place on 24 September 2026 over 154 minutes, with 18 teams on the grid. At the chequered flag, Team Aston Martin (kart #6) claimed victory with 135 laps completed, edging out Team Bugatti (kart #22) by a single lap, while Team Ferrari (kart #15) rounded out the podium with 134 laps, a further 30.698 seconds back.

The fastest lap of the entire race was set by Team Bugatti in a remarkable 59.069 seconds. Team Bugatti also posted the best pure pace across the field, recording a median race rhythm of 1:00.316 — the sharpest of any team. Yet it was Team Aston Martin who converted consistency into the win: with an overall lap-time standard deviation of just 1.17 s, they were the most regular team of the day, never allowing their pace to drift far from their median of 1:00.770 across nine stints. Two of their stints did show a slight degradation (0.19 s/lap in stint 5, 0.23 s/lap in stint 8), but these were quickly corrected and their overall rhythm held firm throughout the 154 minutes.

Team Bugatti, despite owning the best raw pace (rank 1 in pure rhythm), showed greater variability (standard deviation: 1.63 s), with two stints where they slowed progressively — 0.22 s/lap in stint 2 and 0.26 s/lap in stint 8. This inconsistency ultimately cost them the win despite equal lap counts and the same 8 pit stops as the winners.

Team Ferrari in third delivered a solid race, although their pure-pace ranking (5th) matched their finishing position fairly closely. Fourth and fifth went to Team Maserati and Team Cadillac, both completing 132 laps; Maserati ranked only 8th in pure rhythm (median 1:02.118), with three stints showing deterioration including a sharp 0.30 s/lap drop in stint 6. Cadillac (7th in pure pace, median 1:01.951) was more controlled but also lost time progressively in stints 2, 4 and 8.

One of the striking stories of the race was Team BMW (kart #10), who finished 7th despite posting only the 16th-best pure rhythm (median 1:03.219). Their strategic management of 8 pit stops and consistent pace distribution allowed them to outperform several faster rivals on the timing sheet — a notable feat in a 154-minute race. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Team Lotus (kart #24) finished only 15th despite recording the 4th-best pure pace in the field — a significant gap between potential and result.

Team Mercedes (kart #4) deserves mention for posting the 2nd-best median rhythm (1:00.323), yet finishing 10th with 129 laps. Their relay data reveals only 4 stints logged in the analysis, suggesting a race disrupted by irregular stint lengths, which impacted their overall lap count.

Team Alfa Romeo (kart #16) was the only team to make 9 pit stops and completed just 60 laps — far fewer than any other finisher — finishing 12th. Their third stint showed a particularly sharp degradation of 0.42 s/lap, the steepest in the field along with Team Koenigsegg.

Key takeaways for teams: This race confirmed that raw pace alone does not win endurance events. Team Aston Martin's victory was built on consistency above all — the lowest standard deviation in the field — while Team Bugatti's superior speed was undermined by rhythm fluctuations across their stints. Managing degradation within stints and maintaining a stable median lap time over 154 minutes proved more decisive than posting the fastest individual laps.