19 Sep A great debut for “THE 24″: the first 24 Hours by TBKART!
The weekend of September 7-8 marked a new important milestone in the path of TBKART and IRK Promotion, the division created to expand the Rental activity of the Italian company, promoting a series of first-rate competitions with the products of the Rental Kart Line designed by the historic manufacturer. As many as 34 crews showed up on the Pista South Milano to animate the first 24-hour endurance race organised directly by TBKART.
After having achieved great success with “THE FINALS” on the occasion of the main event of the Rental season dedicated to the world of sprint competitions, TBKART wanted to create an equally premium one for the world of endurance racing. The feedback from karting enthusiasts was immediately positive, with about 200 people involved in the first edition of “THE 24” at the beginning of September, including drivers and other team members. In addition to standing out for this excellent turnout of participants, the event saw a remarkable variety of nationalities represented, which have already given the event an international status. This is how a competition of the highest level took shape in Ottobiano, coordinated by the highly qualified staff of TBKART and IRK Promotion.
The brand new TBKART R-ONE 4-stroke karts have passed the most demanding test of their young career with flying colours. The fleet, developed for exclusive use in IRK Promotion events and renewed with a livery designed specifically for this special occasion, reaffirmed its reliability. In addition to satisfying the drivers for its performance on the track, the model designed specifically for endurance competitions (lightened and enhanced compared to the traditional R25, the reference product of TBKART’s Rental line) has proven to be extremely consistent even in a 24-hour race, always adapting to the changing weather conditions that characterised the event: from day to night, from warm temperatures to cooler ones, from drizzle to downpour. The Friday that preceded the competition therefore proved to be effective, exploited by TBKART’s specialised technical team to test, tune and align all the vehicles in the fleet in terms of performance. The obsessive attention paid to the karts of “THE 24” has ensured the uniformity of their performance in a context of general fairness, supported by the precise technical and sporting regulations as well as by the attentive race direction staff.
The Racing format of the competition was also particularly appreciated, allowing the crews to fully enjoy a real racing experience, both with plenty of driving time available and with the opportunity to personally define the strategies. The weekend started with two hours of free practice sessions, leaving each team the freedom to manage their R-ONE independently from the first minute of the event. In addition to choosing, without any constraints, the drivers to whom they would entrust the vehicle for the practice sessions and the duration of the respective stints, the teams were able to carry out several tests with the tyre pressures, for which the regulations did not impose any parameters to be respected. The tyre pressures were actually what made the difference during a competition affected by large temperature changes and all this dynamism gave rise to a spectacular race. The possibility of making just one request to change kart (while still maintaining the same set of tyres) and of being independent even in the management of pit stops (with a total of 60 minutes to be spent “in the pits” over 24 hours and a time range to be respected for individual stops) made the development of the race even more exciting and its outcome even more uncertain.
The PF Racing crew triumphed at the end of an extremely contested and balanced race, also supported by the participation of Dennis Höller, winner of the Vegas Final in the first edition of “THE FINAL”. The German team thus won the coveted prize money of 10,000 euros that, in perfect TBKART style, manifested the Italian manufacturer’s desire to give well-deserved recognition to the skills employed to win such an intense competition. In addition, the value of this award helped attract some new entries in the IRK Promotion scene, embellished by the side activities arranged in the paddock. In fact, RaceX, a partner of the event, made its driving simulators available, organising tournaments and a series of other games (including, for example, the reflex test and drawing the circuit blindfolded) to entertain both participants and spectators. As per tradition in the big TBKART Rental events, a relaxation area was set up for all drivers, offering food and drinks together with Dragon Energy Drink, another partner of “THE 24”. Finally, the media coverage of the event through photos, videos, live commentary and interviews with the protagonists represented a further added value.
Several moments of sharing therefore marked the historic first edition of “THE 24”, which ended in style with the award ceremony after staging the most symbolic race on the endurance scene. All information relating to the upcoming events of the TBKART Rental season and the related online registration forms are available on the www.irkpromotion.com website.
