Karaihe Endurance Championship
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| Category | Endurance racing |
|---|---|
| Country | Regional |
| Inaugural season | 1956 |
| Drivers | 183 |
| Teams | 32 |
 Current season | |
The Karaihe Endurance Championship (KEC) is an auto racing championship based in Ngati Onekawa-Nukanoa, Pulau Keramat and Zanzali and organised by the Karaihe-Ozeros Sportscar Racing Association (KOSRA). One of the two component racing series that make up the Karaihe GT Grand Champhionship and sibling to the Karaihe Sprint Championship, the Karaihe Endurance Championship is one of the oldest continous racing series in the world, when it began with the inaugural 1956 season.
The Karaihe Endurance Championship features two distinct classes of production-based GT race cars and three classes of drivers, competing in a series of endurance races that vary from six to twenty-four hours long. The Karaihe Endurance Championship has always placed an emphasis on the performance of the team over individual drivers, and initially did not have driver championships, with championships awarded only for teams and manufacturers. It wasn't until the 1982 Drivers Strike that threatened to prematurely end the that season that driver championships were awarded.
History
Classes
GTK Open
The GT Open is the flagship racing class of the Karaihe Endurance Championship. Still based on production-based GT cars, GTK Open cars allow for the most extensive developments and deviations from the baseline manufacturer offered vehicles and is technically open to drivers of all skill levels. GTK Open regulations allow for significant use of exotic materials and aerodynamic changes, but requires the vehicle still be road legal and still "remain in line with the aesthetics of the baseline model".
Engines are specifically limited to 6.2L naturally aspirated or 5.0L turbo/supercharged, and has a minimum weight requirement of 1,100kgs. These changes, alongside other Balance of performance (BoP) requirements are intended to ensure that all competing cars are roughly competitive with each other and provide closer racing.
GTK Mix and GTK Am
The GTK Mix and GTK Am both using the same class of car. Like the GTK Open vehicles, these are production-based GT cars, but with significantly less allowed in terms of changes made to the baseline model. The us of exotic materials is significantly scaled back from GTK Open vehicles, as well as changes to the body to improve aerodynamic performance. The minimum weight is also notably higher, at 1,250kgs. The engine in the car also must also be the same offered in the base model, with minimal improvements to it except to facilitate compliance with BoP requirements.
However, unlike the GTK Open there is less restriction on the displacement of engines, with an increased reliance on other BoP measures to help facilitate a more even playing field. This often results in a wider variety of cars participating in the event then in the GTK Open.
Whilst the GTK Mix and GTK Am both using the same vehicles, they have different driver requirements. All Karaihe Endurance Championship cars require a team of three drivers, with GTK Mix must have an amateur and 'semi-professional' driver with only one professional driver; whilst the GTK Am is an amateurs' only class.
Circuits and Format
Six races over a period of six months take place in the Karaihe Endurance Championship. Whilst three of the six circuits change season-to-season, the other three are "heritage" circuits and occur every year and often during the same month of every year. These "heritage" circuits are were established in 1975 with one chosen from each nation surrouding the Karaihe as both "representative of the type of GT racing specific to the nation" and "providing the best experience for fans of the sport and the teams, drivers and manufactures involved" and have remained the same ever since, although updates to the specific circuits have occurred. These are the Awakihi 24 in Ngati Onekawa-Nukanoa, the [INSERT RACE HERE] in Pulau Keramat and the [INSERT RACE HERE] in Zanzali.
Awakihi 24
The Awakihi 24 is a twenty-four hour long endurance race that is typically the final race of the Karaihe Endurance Championship that takes place in Ngati Onekawa-Nukanoa. Being present in nearly every season since the establishment of the Karaihe Endurance Championship, the Awakihi 24 takes place over both a race circuit and street circuit, with approximately 4.6km of the total 10.3km race going off the Awakihi race course into the surrounding streets, which have not been modified to faciliate auto-racing and featuring significantly less forgiving track surface and corners then the regular Awakihi race course.