Photos: Таня Пенева/LAP.bg

Kyustendil welcomed more than 260 drivers from 19 countries for EKO 25 Hours Bulgaria on 20–21 June 2026. A total of 56 teams entered the karting marathon, which set a new benchmark for the length of such races in Bulgaria. After 25 hours of competition, Germany’s PF Racing took victory, with Bulgarian team Kandilarov finishing second.

PF Racing takes a commanding victory

Led by Dennis Höller, the winning team finished two laps clear of its closest challenger. Kandilarov’s line-up featured Konstantin Kirchev, Kaloyan Varbitsaliev, Adrian Anachkov and French driver Guillaume Fayet. Their second place secured a Bulgarian presence on the podium against strong international opposition.

The fight for third was much closer. Ukraine’s JustiniRT beat LVF by just 18 seconds after more than a day of racing. Georgi Iliev and Viktor Nikolov, joined for this event by French driver Luc Walter, finished just outside the top three.

EKO 25 Hours Bulgaria karting race in Kyustendil — Таня Пенева/LAP.bg

Names from Formula 1 and international motorsport

Aston Martin Formula 1 reserve driver Jak Crawford was among the participants, alongside racing driver and content creator Cameron Das. Andy Stobart from Aston Martin’s WEC communications team added another link to international motorsport, joining the EKO and Friends team just days after the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Bulgarian success in Silver

The Gold category also delivered a close finish, with Germany’s ERT by KCG beating Bumper Busters by only 9.5 seconds. Bulgarian team Lochman JR won Silver and reached 26th overall despite the five additional pit stops required for its category.

The results captured the different challenges of endurance karting: a two-lap advantage for the overall winner, but only seconds separating rivals in other key battles. In this format, consistency, driver changes and pit organisation carry as much weight as outright pace over a single lap.

Sources: AUTO BILD Bulgaria; Sportal.bg.