OneShift at Porsche Singapore’s 2.4h Endurance Karting Challenge

Porsche organised a 2.4h Endurance Karting Challenge on 10th June for over 30 media and staff from Porsche Asia Pacific and Porsche Singapore.

The kart race was organised in commemoration of Porsche’s 75th anniversary and 100 years of Le Mans. To date, Porsche has logged 19 wins at Le Mans, more than any other sports car manufacturer in the world. Returning to Le Mans, Porsche tried to conquer the Circuit de la Sarthe in its Hypercar-class challenger, the all-new Porsche 963.

Held at KF1 Expo, the 2.4h localised kart challenge was meant to provide a flavour of the actual 24h Le Mans race.

Participants were randomly grouped into teams of three drivers. In order to experience a taste of endurance racing, certain rules were introduced. Each driver had to drive a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes throughout the 144 minutes race. Karts that ran out of fuel would also be disqualified immediately.

Strategies were abuzz amongst the teams on how driver changes should be conducted or which were the best racing lines to take. To make the karting event more authentic, the race also featured the historic ‘Le Mans Start’ where the drivers would run to their karts to begin the race.

The KF1 karts were also wrapped in iconic Porsche liveries from yesteryear, a fitting tribute to Porsche’s storied past at the prestigious Le Mans race.

It was a night to remember with all teams exhibiting a competitive spirit. The smell of burnt rubber, fuel and exhaust also filled the air. Overtaking, contact between karts and mechanical glitches truly made the event an exciting endurance race.

I had a great time at the karting challenge and my team (Team 1!) was the leading kart all the way till the very last 30 minutes and the final driver change. Mechanical glitches from other karts led to congestion around the track and a 'less than slick' final driver change led to us coming in second-place. Nonetheless, it was great teamwork and I was under the 'tutelage' of my experienced teammates who provided tips and guidance on which were the best racing lines to take to reduce lap times.

As for the other OneShifter Joel, despite running into some mechanical issues with their kart which put Team 10 out of action for a good part of 20 minutes, they still managed to post rather consistent lap times and clock a good number of laps. Joel mused that the key lessons enforced during the 2.4h Endurance Karting Challenge consisted of remaining calm during supposedly sticky situations and keeping focused on the goal. This exercise proved to us that small changes made during the entire race could have a large effect on the overall result.

The evening ended with a live screening of the start of the 100th Le Mans race. Kudos to Porsche for igniting and keeping the Le Mans racing spirit alive in the local motoring scene!

Photos by Porsche

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