An emotional tenth edition for the Jules Bianchi Karting Marathon
The starting signal was given on September 12 at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet. For just over 42 hours, 35 teams competed in this race in tribute to driver Jules Bianchi. A unique event of its kind.
Neither the vagaries of fate nor the weather spoiled the party. The tenth edition of the Jules Bianchi Karting Marathon came to an emotional close on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet. Two days earlier, 482 drivers divided into 35 teams had taken part in this unique race. “We were lucky to have our crews complete very quickly,” explains Philippe Bianchi, Jules’ father and organizer of the event. An unmissable event for the past ten years, it brings together professionals and enthusiasts for an incredible sporting challenge in memory of the Formula 1 driver, who died in 2015. “When you start the race and say to the others, ‘See you the day after tomorrow,’ it’s a very special race. You can’t do it anywhere else, and that automatically gives you a different feeling,” says co-organizer Franck Lagorce. That’s because this karting competition lasts a total of 42 hours, 19 minutes, and 50 seconds—a time that corresponds to the number of kilometers in the marathon race at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece.
In addition to the challenge, the charitable aspect of the event also brings people together. This weekend, a check for €50,000 was presented by the Jules Bianchi Association to the Archet Hospital in Nice. “We are going to finance a rather special machine for brain injury patients. We all know that hospitals are short of funds and they are happy that we can still help them. It’s also our way of saying that Jules is alive, because it’s thanks to him that we are able to do this kind of thing,” says Philippe Bianchi.
Louis Ducruet at the finish line
At the starting line this year were professionals, anonymous participants, and celebrities such as Benjamin Biolay, Camille Lacourt, Arnaud Tsamère, and Catherine Davydzenka, former actress on the series Ici tout commence. But in the end, it was the crew of JB#17 TMS by Snadec that won. This was a powerful symbol for the tenth edition, as most of its members knew Jules Bianchi and were committed to racing for him. At the finish line, the great driver Jean Alesi, president of the Paul Ricard circuit, and Louis Ducruet were present. The Barbagiuans of Monaco—whose president is the son of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco—made a donation to the Jules Bianchi Association ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix last May. It was a wonderful show of solidarity, the very essence of the event.
The Jules Bianchi Karting Marathon will be back on October 2, 3, and 4, 2026, once again at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet for its eleventh edition.
Source article : https://www.pointdevue.fr/society/actus/une-dixieme-edition-chargee-en-emotion-pour-marathon-karting-jules-bianchi
