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| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - June 19, 2009 |
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The June edition of the eKartingNews.com Driver rankings has been released, matching the best drivers in the Intercontinental C (ICC), Touch and Go (TaG) and Stock Moto categories. The season is in full swing with action taking place across the country and around the world. Here in North America, the tracks are busy with club, regional and national racing. This month’s rankings are now taking into account the last six months of racing from 2008 and the opening six months in 2009.
In the top category of North American racing, two-time national champion Gary Carlton has reassumed the number one spot with the removal of Canadian Michael Vincec from the position. The TaG category welcomes a first time number one driver by the name of Chris Wehrheim, dropping teammate Kyle Wiegand from the top spot. In the Stock Moto rankings, California star Jacob Neal is now carrying a near perfect score with his 2009 performance in the ProKart Challenge, highlighted by his win at the recent West Coast Shootout.
ICC
ICC Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | May. 15 | +/- | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 3 | 2 | Gary Carlton | 13 | 7533 | | 2. | 1 | -1 | Michael Vincec | 8 | 7406 | | 3. | 2 | -1 | Alex Speed | 16 | 7309 | | 4. | 6 | 2 | Jordy Vorrath | 7 | 7100 | | 5. | 7 | 2 | Ron White | 7 | 6994 | | 6. | 4 | -2 | David Jurca | 7 | 6945 | | 7. | 8 | 1 | Cody Jolly | 9 | 6909 | | 8. | 5 | -3 | Fritz Leesmann | 13 | 6879 | | 9. | 9 | NC | Jacob Neal | 15 | 6813 | | 10. | 10 | NC | Curtis Fox | 7 | 6738 | |
For the full ICC Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Gary Carlton
(Photo: EKN) |
ICC Rankings Report
With the removal of the 2008 Stars of Karting Race of the Americas, the ICC Driver Rankings saw the top of the order shuffled, moving Gary Carlton back to the number one position. The former two-time national champion retains the top spot with his solid second half of the 2008 season which included six wins and a third place finish at the SKUSA SuperNationals XII. With the fields in the now KZ2 division on the national scene, it will be tough for the SSC East/CRG driver to post the same point totals from each race this season, however, if he continues to win there should be no doubt he’ll retain the number one spot.
Former number one Michael Vincec (Cameron Motorsports/CRG) falls just to second in the order, losing his two podium finishes from the Race of the Americas in May 2008. Absent from the recent CKI Grand Prix of New Castle, Vincec’s rankings future is in question. Wunder-Bar Racing/Tony Kart driver Alex Speed falls to third as he too stood on the podium in New Castle over 12 months ago, losing those crucial points to his rankings total. Running second to Carlton just weeks ago, Speed is gearing to challenge his friend for the CKI title.
Even with no ride secured for 2009, former Champion Racing/Intrepid driver Jordy Vorrath moved up two spots to fourth in the order as David Jurca (Italian Motors) fell two spots to sixth as he campaigns a TaG package this season. Ron White (SSC East/CRG) slotted into the top-five, thanks in part to his 2008 results and the win at the Stars of Karting event in Sonoma back in April.
Cody Jolly (Cameron Motorsports/CRG) moves up one position to seventh – he recorded a top-five run at the Stars race and has been putting more time into more regional events, including some road racing with a Stock Moto package at the recent IKF Road Race Grand Nationals in Texas. Down three spots this month is Fritz Leesmann (PSL Karting/CRG) who has not recorded a result since the Florida Winter Tour finale in Ocala back in March. Leesmann was seen wrenching for former teammate Will Martindale at the CKI New Castle event but when we will see him behind the wheel is uncertain. Jacob Neal (PCH Motorsports/CRG) holds strong in ninth, continuing to rack up wins in the S1 division on the ProKart Challenge tour while Canadian Curtis Fox (Cameron Motorsports/CRG) retains the tenth spot.
A driver of note is another Californian, Gregory Liefooghe. The former Rotax driver has transitioned to the ICC package with the help of Leading Edge Motorsports and mechanic Tad Funakoshi. With seven ranking events recorded, Liefooghe is now sitting 13th thanks to his podium finish at the inaugural CKI event in New Castle.
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NEW ICC #1 - Gary Carlton
Marysville, California
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Stars of Karting ’08 - East #5 - Shawano | 9 | 1 | 1055 | | Stars of Karting ’08 - East #6 - Shawano | 9 | 1 | 1055 | | Stars of Karting ’08 - East #5 - Seattle | 9 | 1 | 1027 | | Stars of Karting ’08 - East #6 - Seattle | 9 | 1 | 1027 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #1 | 10 | 1 | 1130 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #2 | 10 | 1 | 1130 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2008 | 10 | 3 | 1109 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.29
Average Points: 1076.1
Total Points: 7533
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | May. 15 | +/- | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 4 | 3 | Chris Wehrheim | 13 | 7413 | | 2. | 1 | -1 | Kyle Wiegand | 13 | 7395 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Joey Wimsett | 15 | 7284 | | 4. | 8 | 4 | Neil Alberico | 16 | 7187 | | 5. | 6 | 1 | Chris Scribner | 9 | 7064 | | 6. | 7 | 1 | Will Martindale | 21 | 7054 | | 7. | 10 | 3 | David Sera | 8 | 7042 | | 8. | 12 | 4 | Marco DiLeo | 10 | 7028 | | 9. | 13 | 4 | Pat Iannucci | 14 | 6990 | | 10. | 14 | 4 | Wes Phillips | 14 | 6971 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Chris Wehrheim
(Photo: EKN) |
TaG Rankings Report
From one Top Kart driver to another, Kyle Wiegand surrenders the number one spot in the TaG Driver Rankings to teammate Chris Wehrheim. The removal of the Stars of Karting Race of the Americas drops Wiegand’s total enough that Wehrheim’s total now stands on top. Though he has not recorded a victory in his seven best results in the past 12 months, there is no doubt Wehrheim has been consistently fast. His most recent event, at the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series South Bend event, Wehrheim recorded two top-three finishes. Wiegand, unable to match similar results as of yet in 2009, moves down to just the second spot while Champion Racing/Intrepid pilot Joey Wimsett holds strong in third despite losing points as well.
Gaining a few more points from last month’s total, Neil Alberico (Kartel Motorsports/Top Kart) moves up four spots to fourth, bringing 2008 Stars of Karting Western Division champion Chris Scribner up with him for a total of four Top Kart drivers in the top-five. Former number one driver Will Martindale (Wunder-Bar Racing) continues to be one of the busiest drivers in the country, currently holding 21 races just toward the Driver Rankings in the past 12 months.
Seventh through tenth represent four drivers who produced solid results in the first half of the 2009 season. The only international start in the top-ten of the rankings is David Sera (BTK Motorsports/Arrow), moving up three spots to seventh. The Australian came to America and put on a driving clinic at the WKA Daytona KartWeek along with the Florida Winter Tour. Canadian Marco DiLeo (Goodwood Kartways) advances four spots to eighth thanks in part to his recent double victory at the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series event in South Bend. Almost clinching the Florida Winter Tour TaG championship, Pat Iannucci is also finding success in the Grand Am Koni Challenge car series this season as well. Completing the top-ten, also up four spots, is the 2009 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas Rotax Senior champion Wes Phillips (Andersen Racing).
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NEW TaG #1 - Chris Wehrheim
Norcross, Georgia
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’08 - New Castle #1 | 9 | 2 | 1024 | | Rock Island Grand Prix ’08 - TaG SuperPro | 10 | 3 | 1069 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #1 | 10 | 4 | 1125 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #2 | 10 | 6 | 1102 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2008 | 10 | 8 | 1073 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - South Bend #1 | 9 | 2 | 1014 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - South Bend #2 | 9 | 3 | 1006 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4
Average Points: 1059
Total Points: 7413
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | May. 15 | +/- | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 4 | 3 | Jacob Neal | 8 | 5995 | | 2. | 1 | -1 | Bobby Legate | 10 | 5903 | | 3. | 2 | -1 | Patrick Cushenberry | 11 | 5903 | | 4. | 3 | -1 | Tommy Thompson | 10 | 5888 | | 5. | 10 | 5 | Jordon Musser | 7 | 5834 | | 6. | 5 | -1 | Victor Carbone | 7 | 5782 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Clinton Schoombee | 11 | 5774 | | 8. | 13 | 5 | Chris Jennings | 7 | 5740 | | 9. | 8 | -1 | Matt Paderta | 16 | 5738 | | 10. | 6 | -4 | Brad Dunford | 15 | 5731 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Jacob Neal
(Photo: Tony Leone - Superkarts! USA) |
Stock Moto Rankings Report
With six victories in the ProKart Challenge program, Californian Jacob Neal has taken over the top spot in the Stock Moto Driver Rankings. Though it is hard to calculate just what a perfect score would be, the 18-year old is well on his way to scoring both the North and South championships in the S3 division. He has six straight wins in the category while also running and winning the S1 class on the same weekends. Former number ones Bobby Legate and Patrick Cushenberry each fall one spot to second and third as they both continue to chase Neal at the PKC events. Tommy Thompson falls one spot as well to fourth but continued to record strong results to keep him in the PKC North championship chase.
Up five positions into the top-five is former Rotax Grand National champion Jordon Musser. The Texan is contesting and leading the Southwest Regional Championship Stock Moto category and was the pole sitter for the division at the 2008 Rock Island Grand Prix. Florida Winter Tour Stock Moto champion Victor Carbone falls one more spot this month to sixth while PKC regular Clinton Schoombee holds strong in seventh.
Also up five spots is Musser’s teammate Chris Jennings. The reigning S4 SuperNationals champion is keeping his skills sharp to defend his title in November by running the SWRC Stock Moto division against Musser. Florida Winter Tour runner-up Matt Paderta falls one more spot to ninth with PKC regular Brad Dunford down four spots round out the top-ten.
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NEW Stock Moto #1 - Jacob Neal
Wildomar, California
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| ProKart Challenge South ’09 #2 | 9 | 1 | 998 | | ProKart Challenge South ’09 #3 | 9 | 1 | 998 | | ProKart Challenge North ’09 #2 | 9 | 1 | 997 | | ProKart Challenge South ’09 #4 | 9 | 1 | 1003 | | ProKart Challenge Shootout 2009 | 9 | 1 | 1022 | | ProKart Challenge North ’09 #4 | 9 | 1 | 977 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1
Average Points: 999.2
Total Points: 5995
EKN Driver Rankings Calculation Process
The EKN Driver Rankings are calculated using a driver’s best finishes in major North American races. Assembled using events from the previous 12 months from the current date, we use a driver’s best seven finishes in ICC, Stock Moto (S3), and TaG to determine their overall current point total. With each new release, results posted from more than one year ago are discarded. To deliver this current ranking list, we tabulated the results of all the Snap-on Stars of Karting and Championship Karting International (CKI) national events, as well as other regional programs. We have also included the results for the major one-off events such as the Rock Island Grand Prix, SKUSA King of the Streets, and the SKUSA SuperNationals.
Each race was initially weighted based on the prestige and history of the event or series with a score of ten (10) being the highest attainable base ranking. For 2009, the SKUSA SuperNationals and the Rock Island Grand Prix are the only events to receive a score of 10 in their initial weighting. The Stars of Karting and CKI national series events draw a base ranking of nine (9), while the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, Florida Winter Tour, and other regional program races were given a base ranking of nine (9) or eight (8). The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year.
Added to these initial rankings are two variables that help confirm the true importance of an event to the ranking process – field size and field strength. A percentage of one weighting point is added for the size of the field, while the number of existing top 50 drivers entered offers another full point or fraction of a point. The sum of these numbers becomes the overall ranking for any race. Following a race, drivers receive points based on their finishing positions with 100 points earned for a win. Each subsequent position drops by one point with 99 points given to the second place driver and so on throughout the field. These points are then multiplied by the overall ranking to produce a driver’s final point total from each event. Using a driver’s best seven races (six for Stock Moto), we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking. |
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