If you haven’t been living under a rock, you would know that Porsche is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. 2023 is truly a special year for the German marque, and its deep racing roots headed to one of the world’s most prominent racing events – Le Mans. Porsche rocked the 100th 24 Hours of Le Mans dancefloor in the Hypercar segment, debuting its all-new 963.

She’s a beauty ain’t she?

To kickstart the momentous Le Mans occasion, Porsche Singapore recently organised a fun 2.4-hour Endurance Karting Challenge. This race saw members of the media banding together to form teams and race against each other. Think Le Mans, but on a cuter scale.

To make it fair for all participants, everyone was grouped into random teams of three drivers, and each team has the liberty to draft up unique strategies for the race.

The race had a duration of 144 minutes, and each driver is forced back into the pits after a maximum of 30 minutes, ensuring each stint is fair. In total, at least four driver changes were needed to complete the race, and the fatigue garnered over the course of the 2 hours really provided a genuine experience of endurance racing.

To really bring the spirit of Le Mans to the track, Porsche Singapore partnered with KF1 to dress up the karts in timeless, iconic Porsche liveries that are renowned throughout the decades. Some notable liveries included the Apple Computer, Pink Pig, and the Martini.

True to the spirit of endurance racing, and to the dismay of the first drivers, the kart race was flagged off with a historic ‘Le Mans Start’ – where each driver had to run to their kart to start the race. 

It was a sensational race throughout, with close bumper-to-bumper racing, lots of contact, mechanical issues, and sore limbs. People were jumping into karts raring to go, and coming back into the pits exhausted after a bountiful number of hot laps. 

Though everyone were in karts, the 2.4-hour kart race was every bit as exhilarating as the real deal. We hope.

After the chequered flag was waved and winners coined, all participants then got to wind down with a live screening of the start of the 100th running of the Le Mans. Talk about a motorsports-fuelled evening. 

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On 30th October, Cycle and Carriage Kia officially set a new national record for Singapore’s Longest Test Drive Relay. The challenge was covered by the all-new Niro Hybrid, and it achieved a distance of approximately 970.3 km on a single tank of fuel. This is the equivalent of travelling between Changi Airport and Tuas 17 times!

18 participants accomplished this task over a period of 21 hours and 32 minutes, cementing Cycle and Carriage Kia in the Singapore Book of Records for the Longest Test Drive Relay ever recorded.

What’s more amazing is that this challenge was done over the weekend, when more congestion is usually expected. Despite intermittent road and traffic conditions, as well as varying driving styles, the Niro Hybrid was still able to clock a peak fuel efficiency of more than 24km/litre.

Participants also had the opportunity to experience the Niro’s Kia Connect Lite feature during their drives, which through remote control and monitoring, assisted in facilitating a smooth drive throughout the event. 

With so many external factors in play, setting up a challenge attempt like this was not an easy feat. “The team went through many considerations in planning for The Longest Test Drive Relay. We factored in different road situations, traffic conditions and driving styles to put the Niro Hybrid’s fuel consumption to the real-life test.

Other challenges include strategising detailed contingency plans, which were put in place for any possibilities of accidents or no-shows of participants for the relay which may potentially cut short and disrupt the record-setting experience. Thankfully we had the support of all participants, and the Niro Hybrid has risen to our expectations in achieving superior performance in fuel efficiency.” said Ho Wing Sum, Assistant Marketing Manager, Kia.

Interested in exploring more about the Kia Niro Hybrid? Head on down to Cycle & Carriage’s Kia Showroom today or visit their website for more information.

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