|
 |
| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - December 18, 2009 |
| |
Now just days away from turning over the calendar on the 2009 year, the final edition of the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings for the season is now released. The standings represents the racing exactly 12 months prior to today’s date with a host of national and regional events included in the EKN formula to equate the best in the TaG and Stock Moto divisions. For the final release of the EKN Driver Rankings, Marco DiLeo becomes the first Canadian to hold the number one spot in the TaG division, wrapping up a solid 2009 season. On the Stock Moto side, Tyler Bennett’s phenomenal performance at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII helped keep him atop the standings to close out the year.
Taking a quick look at the EKN Driver Rankings for 2009, this year was the introduction of the Stock Moto division, and thus we have seen a lot of changes in the standings throughout the year. As far as the TaG rankings, this year sees only three events scoring a 10-base ranking (Rotax Grand Nationals, Rock Island Grand Prix, and SKUSA SuperNationals) compared to five from last year. Below you will find a review of the top three in each category.
This edition of the rankings ended with the final WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series event and a couple IKF Region 7 weekends for the TaG rankings. The Stock Moto standings had only the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII added. From now until roughly March, the EKN staff will evaluate the program and 2010 schedules to format the baseline for next year’s Driver Rankings.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Oct. 23 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 2 | 1 | Marco DiLeo | 17 | 7091 | | 2. | 5 | 3 | Wes Phillips | 16 | 7088 | | 3. | 3 | NC | David Sera | 9 | 7042 | | 4. | 1 | -3 | Joey Wimsett | 10 | 7039 | | 5. | 4 | -1 | Chris Wehrheim | 10 | 6954 | | 6. | 8 | 2 | Michele Bumgarner | 12 | 6918 | | 7. | 41 | 34 | Caleb Loniewski | 8 | 6822 | | 8. | 9 | 1 | Andrick Zeen | 25 | 6806 | | 9. | 6 | -3 | Kyle Wiegand | 10 | 6795 | | 10. | 12 | 2 | Joey Licata Jr. | 8 | 6756 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
**************
 | Marco DiLeo
(Photo: Autosports Media) |
NEW TaG #1 - Marco DiLeo
Markham, Ontario, Canada
Marco DiLeo puts an exclamation point on a solid 2009 campaign by becoming the first Canadian to hold the number one spot in the TaG Driver Rankings. The President of Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada contested the full WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series as well as the Florida Winter Tour aboard his Intrepid/Rotax package. DiLeo ran second to Australian David Sera at the Daytona KartWeek event to begin the season and followed that with mixed results at the competitive FWT. In May, DiLeo earned his first victory of the Man. Cup season at the Michiana Raceway Park circuit on day one, backing it up with another win the next day. A pair of podium finishes at Road America in July helped to extend his championship lead and earn him solid Driver Rankings points. In August, DiLeo nearly wrapped up the championship with a victory at New Castle before clinching the title with his fourth win of the year at the Lowe’s event in early November. On the year, DiLeo also earned the runner-up position at the Canadian National Championships in the Rotax Senior category to earn a trip to the Rotax Grand Finals in Egypt where he finished 25th. According to many as one of the most-decorated Canadian karters, DiLeo certainly is one of the best in North America.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Daytona #1 | 9 | 2 | 1020 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Daytona #2 | 9 | 2 | 1020 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - South Bend #1 | 9 | 1 | 1024 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - South Bend #2 | 9 | 1 | 1024 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Road America #2 | 9 | 2 | 995 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - New Castle #1 | 9 | 1 | 1006 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Lowe’s #1 | 9 | 1 | 999 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.43
Average Points: 1013
Total Points: 7091
**************
 | Wes Phillips
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
TaG #2 - Wes Phillips
American Canyon, California
One of the top Rotax racers in the country continues to be Wes Phillips. The ’05 Rotax Grand Nationals champion had a short but strong 2009 season to help promote himself up the TaG Driver Rankings and end the year second. The Andersen Racing karting team manager spent most of his winter racing before concentrating on building the new program out of Palmetto, Florida. A one-off at the WKA Daytona KartWeek event scored himself two-third place finishes, behind Sera and DiLeo. Phillips then bounced back and forth from Florida to California for the Florida Winter Tour and Challenge of the Americas. His main focus however was defending his CotA title, where he earned five of six podium trips aboard his Birel/Rotax machine to score a second consecutive championship. What helped put Phillips to second in the rankings was his performance at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII. Starting 12th, Phillips advanced up to record a fifth place run, the top finish for a Rotax competitor.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Daytona #1 | 9 | 3 | 1009 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Daytona #2 | 9 | 3 | 1009 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 ‘FK’- Homestead #1 | 9 | 2 | 1001 | | Challenge of the Americas ’09 - CalSpeed #1 | 9 | 1 | 982 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 Rotax - Ocala #1 | 9 | 3 | 989 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 Rotax - Ocala #2 | 9 | 2 | 999 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 5 | 1099 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.71
Average Points: 1012.6
Total Points: 7088
**************
 | David Sera
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
TaG #3 - David Sera
Melbourne, Australia
Much like Phillips, Australian David Sera produced his results in the winter months of 2009. The eight-time Australian national champion made his American debut with two victories at the Daytona KartWeek. In his first Florida Winter Tour Rotax event, the factory Arrow Kart driver came from 22nd to sixth in a stacked international field. The next day, Sera scored his first FWT win. Skipping the second round, Sera returned state-side for the Ocala double weekend. First in the Rotax, he scored the win on day one but fell victim to a mechanical DNF on day two while leading the main. The next weekend in TaG Sera dominated, overcoming more mechanical obstacles to earn two more victories, bringing his total to six in just three months. Sera, however, is not schedule to compete in anymore events in the states, minus a possible appearance at the SuperNationals XIV.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Daytona #1 | 9 | 1 | 1030 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Daytona #2 | 9 | 1 | 1030 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 Rotax - Homestead #1 | 9 | 6 | 958 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 Rotax - Homestead #2 | 9 | 1 | 1009 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 Rotax - Ocala #1 | 9 | 1 | 1009 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 TaG - Ocala #1 | 9 | 1 | 1003 | | Florida Winter Tour ’09 TaG - Ocala #2 | 9 | 1 | 1003 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.71
Average Points: 1006
Total Points: 7042
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Oct. 23 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Tyler Bennett | 11 | 6195 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Jacob Neal | 14 | 6156 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Jordon Musser | 8 | 6077 | | 4. | 13 | 9 | Clinton Schoombee | 9 | 6040 | | 5. | 4 | -1 | Tommy Thompson | 11 | 5983 | | 6. | 17 | 11 | Brad Dunford | 13 | 5937 | | 7. | 10 | 3 | Derek Crockett | 8 | 5927 | | 8. | 6 | -2 | Matt Zeis | 7 | 5925 | | 9. | 12 | 3 | Steven Reasoner | 9 | 5914 | | 10. | 11 | 1 | Colby Yardley | 11 | 5912 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
**************
 | Tyler Bennett
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Stock Moto #1 - Tyler Bennett
Layton, Utah
Certainly there is no question that Tyler Bennett is one of the top Stock Moto drivers in the country and the EKN Driver Rankings backs that up. Bennett backed it up as well with a stellar performance at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII in the S3 main event. After falling back to ninth following hard contact, Bennett muscled his wounded Msquared PTK machine to a third place finish and fast lap of the race. Coupled with his solid year in the Utah State Championship series, Bennett ends the 2009 season on top in the Stock Moto rankings. With his performance at the SuperNats, Bennett was awarded a scholarship to the 2010 Jim Russell Future Driver Selection Shootout December 19-22.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Utah State Champ. ’09 #6 | 9 | 3 | 993 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #7 | 9 | 2 | 1009 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #8 | 9 | 1 | 1027 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #9 | 9 | 2 | 1008 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #10 | 9 | 1 | 1014 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 3 | 1144 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2
Average Points: 1032.5
Total Points: 6195
**************
 | Jacob Neal
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Stock Moto #2 - Jacob Neal
Wildomar, California
Setting the bar throughout the year for the Stock Moto category, Jacob Neal certainly can not be disappointed with his 2009 season. The SoCal driver was the target for those in California as he dominated the ProKart Challenge South and North in the S3 category. Neal had a seven-race win streak at one point in the season, helping him earn the class championship in both programs. While racing the S1 division as well, Neal walked away with three PKC titles on the year. The PCH Motorsports/CRG driver was one of the favorites going into the SuperNationals and he looked as if he could pull off the big victory. In the end however, Neal settled for fifth in his S3 debut at the Vegas event after running S1 the previous year.
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 South ’09 #6 | 9 | 1 | 1014 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 5 | 1121 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.33
Average Points: 1026
Total Points: 6156
**************
 | Jordon Musser
(Photo: Joe Brittin - Go Racing Magazine) |
Stock Moto #3 - Jordon Musser
Coppell, Texas
Making the transition from Rotax to Stock Moto, four-time Rotax Grand National champion Jordon Musser has positioned himself as one of the top Stock Moto drivers in the country. Teamed with friend and ’08 S4 SuperNationals champion Chris Jennings, the duo traveled around Texas pacing any Stock Moto race they entered in preparation for two events - Rock Island Grand Prix and the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII. First up, Musser scored the pole position and victory in the revised King of the Streets for his first crown in dominant fashion. Making the trip out to Vegas in the highly-contested S3 category, Musser struggled in qualifying but made it up in the first two heats. The third however would see Musser complete zero laps to put him 28th on the main event grid. From there, Musser would knife his way up to 11th at the checkered flag.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SWRC ’09 #3 | 9 | 1 | 988 | | SWRC ’09 #4 | 9 | 1 | 988 | | SWRC ’09 #7 | 9 | 1 | 974 | | SWRC ’09 #8 | 9 | 1 | 974 | | RIGP King of the Streets ’09 | 10 | 1 | 1102 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 11 | 1051 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.67
Average Points: 1012.8
Total Points: 6077
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 TaG and six in Stock Moto (S3) 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 in TaG, six for Stock Moto, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking. |
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
