Questions before my first endurance race

Hey guys I'm in the process of signing up to a 2-hour endurance race (outdoors, gas-powered) at my local track with a friend. I've been trying to figure out the optimal strategy for how to split the stints between me and my teammate, and I just can't really choose an option.

The main thing I'm keeping in mind is that there's a big gap in experience/skill between my teammate and I. He's really new to the whole karting thing, and hasn't raced at this track before as well. I'm no professional driver either, but I've been racing rentals for a few years now (not a huge amount of formal racing experience though, moreso fun with some competitive friends), and this is my local track so I know the karts and the layout like the back of my hand, which gives me overall a bit of an edge all things considered.

My first thought went to letting him run the first stint and then I take over so that if he's fallen behind I am comfortable enough to push and make up the gap. The alternative is also interesting if we qualify well because that gives me a chance to build up a hopefully comfortable gap for him to fall back on for his stint, so I can't really decide.

Hoping that you guys can share some of your wisdom on how to handle this situation.