2016 CIK-FIA Best-of: Great Victory for OK Engines in CIK-FIA Endurance Championship during the 24 Hours of Le Mans Karting

For the first time in its history, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Karting was entered on this year’s CIK-FIA calendar as the CIK-FIA Endurance Championship. The 31st edition of the famous ACO classic took a major turn with more international participation than ever. The collective will of the ACO and the CIK-FIA is gradually attracting major players in sprint karting to the world of endurance. This change accompanies the emergence of the new OK motors.

This premiere was entirely successful and is poised to become a great CIK-FIAclassic. Of the 31 teams entered, there were 11 in the GP1 category with OK engines. This new generation of high-performance, reliable and affordable enginesdemonstrated their qualities by winning on their debut in the great 24 hour race. The top four were equipped with OK engines and fifth also used a enginefrom the OK concept, even though it was from a branded series.

The tyres supplied by LeCont, the winner of the tender, kept the pace without significant decline in their performance over the laps and the fivesets permitted proved to be quite sufficient to cover the distance.

The CRG SpA team (CRG / Parilla / LeCont) dominated Qualifying Practice and the first three hours of the Race. Manche Kartmag (Tony Kart / Vortex / LeCont) startedin last position and had already returned to the top 10 after only 12 laps and was leading for nearly 100 laps. But the crew of Sarthe RTKF 1 (Sodi / Parilla / LeCont) took almost permanent controlduring the night, completing a total of more than 1,000 laps led of the 1421 lap Race. Only the team Sarthe RTKF 2 was able to challenge them for the final victory before finishing in 2ns place by one lap. Very fast, but delayed on several occasions, Rouen GSK-REK (Sodi / Vortex / LeCont) managed to come back in 3rd position, six laps behind, to complete the podium of the Competition. The semi-official team Energy Corse GTL (Energy / Parilla / LeCont) finished 4th in front of Parma Malevaut Sport (Tony Kart / Vortex DVS / LeCont), winner of the 2nd Division, but using an engine using the OK concept. Long battling in the top three, Wintec Centre (Sodi / Parilla / LeCont) droppedto 6th position in the last two hours.

Sarthe RTKF 1 emerged after 24 hours of racing having travelled 1996 km at 81.9 km / h, including stops, without a single engine breakage.

Info CIK-FIA / © Photo KSP