The 16th Motegi KART Endurance Festival "K-TAI" was held this year. The Enjoy Class was also held on the last weekend of August. Although the weather was a concern due to a typhoon approaching, the rain that fell in the middle of the night stopped by morning and the sky was visible through the clouds by the time the briefing began. By the time the 123 karts were on the grid and ready to start, the sun was shining on the asphalt and the temperature was rising. After that, the sky became cloudy and the heat was not as intense as usual, making for comfortable conditions for the 2016 "K-TAI".

"K-TAI" started with a rolling start divided into two groups. First, 【#129 Yomiuri Automobile University】 who drew the pole position went into the first corner, followed by 【#66 Shin-Chitose Motor Land Manual Machine】, 【#28 Challenge Team Bear】, 【#82 Racing Team OBI】, 【#77 Autocraft Fujii @ Endo AS】, and 【#68 E.R.O Racing】. The second group was led by 【#417 La Fiesta m.417】, chasing after the front. The team that returned in first place after the opening lap was 【#919 AWA by Sugimura Juku】. Following them were 【#30 Corolla Ibaraki ~REON KIDS~2】, 【#174 Xanaduex】, and 【#129 Yomiuri Automobile University】. There were some cars spinning in certain places right after the start, but after 20 minutes, a car stopped on the course and the safety car was deployed. About an hour later, the safety car was deployed again for the same reason, resulting in two safety car periods in the early stages. Many teams took this opportunity to refuel, which made a difference depending on the timing.

After two hours of turmoil in the early stages, #20 Super Chips Dream recorded 37 laps to take the lead. This was followed by #72 Onigiri Racing, #78 Super-jiji OMSC, and #29 Leve RT Thursday Club, all on the same lap. However, after four hours had passed, #29 Leve RT Thursday Club took the lead with 75 laps. This was followed by #20 Super Chips Dream, #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS, and #15 Bomber Racing r-kart, all on the same lap, as the top four teams began to separate themselves. As the final hour approached, the focus narrowed down to #38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS and #29 Leve RT Thursday Club.

At the 45-minute mark, 【#38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS】 was leading the race, but they made their 8th pit stop. This allowed 【#29 レーヴRT木曜会】 to take the lead, but at the 33-minute mark, they also made their 9th pit stop. 【#38 TeamKRS-DAI&MKS】 then regained the lead and completed 132 laps to take the checkered flag.
"I think we won the checkered flag with the effort of the entire team. We saw that 【#29 レーヴRT木曜会】 was running at a fast pace since the public practice, so we aimed for the top as challengers. In order to do that, we had to complete 134 laps, so we focused on speed and fuel efficiency. Considering that the safety car came out twice, I think we achieved our goal. I'll say it again, this is the result of everyone's hard work," said team representative, Dai Azuma.

Unfortunately, the #29 Leve RT Thursday Club, who received the Most Laps Award on the same lap as the second place checker, entered the pit with 30 minutes remaining, saying that the fuel consumption was tight and as planned. However, they had a jump start at the start and received a 60-second penalty stop. If it wasn't for this penalty, they might have received the checker at the top, but this is also part of the fun of racing events. In 2016, the K-TAI Most Laps Award was achieved by two teams with a result of 132 laps.

The second place for the Best Lap Award recorded 131 laps. There were a total of 8 teams, and the first to receive the checkered flag was [#20 Super Chips Dream]. [#20 Super Chips Dream] said that their fuel consumption was strict and they pitted 10 times as planned. With their speed, they could have aimed for even higher if they improved their fuel consumption. Behind them, [#36 K-E POWER WORKS] and [#174 Xanaduex] followed closely.

The MVP was awarded to three teams who participated and livened up the "K-TAI" experience: [#318 Cyber Formula Sugo], [#319 Cyber Formula Aoi], and [#320 Cyber Formula Union].

The "K-TAI" in 2017 will be the Twin Ring Motegi's 20th anniversary celebration. Everyone, please come and join us!