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| EKN Awards 2009 |
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Winners will be announced on the following:
Feb. 17 - Young Driver of the Year
Feb. 24 - Road Racer of the Year
March 3 - Rising Star
March 10 - Mechanic of the Year
March 17 - Team of the Year
March 24 - All-Star Team
March 26 - Driver of the Year
For the Official Discussion Thread for the EKN Awards 2009, click HERE
 | | Driver of the Year - Marco Di Leo |
MARCH 26, 2010
Driver of the Year
The Driver of the Year category is the final award to be handed out for the 2009 eKartingNews.com Awards 2009. Since the programs inception back in the pages of Shifter Kart Illustrated, the Driver of the Year alumni has grown into what could be considered the ‘Dream Team’ of karting drivers from the past 10 years. Certainly there are a number of drivers that could be considered among the best yet the nine previous winners of the DoY category each performed at the top of their game in their respective winning years. The tenth member of the elite Driver of the Year club - Ontario’s Marco Di Leo - is the 2009 eKartingNews.com Driver of the Year.
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MARCH 24, 2010
All-Star Team
This week wraps up the 2009 edition of the eKartingNews.com Awards. With only the Driver of the Year winner yet to be announced (set for release on Friday, March 26), the EKN staff would like to take the opportunity to congratulate those who have already been selected as winners and nominees. Today, EKN would like to highlight the five drivers that have been selected for the Driver of the Year category. This quintet makes up the 2009 eKartingNews.com All-Star Team.
When the EKN Awards program were launched within the pages of Shifter Kart Illustrated, the program honored the top five drivers of the year, selecting one winner from this prestigious group to be named as ‘Driver of the Year’. In an effort to give this year’s nominees proper kudos for their impressive ’09 seasons, we have decided to bring back the ‘All-Star Team’, highlighting the five drivers who are in the hunt for the big award. This year’s EKN All-Star Team members certainly come from different disciplines of the sport, making it one of the most diverse and talented lists in the awards program’s history.
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 | | Team of the Year - J3 Competition |
MARCH 17, 2010
Team of the Year
One definition of the word ‘team’ states “a number of persons associated in some joint action”. When you observe the inner workings of J3 Competition, you can see the definition come to life as all of the squad’s team members constantly strive to put all their drivers on top of the podium.
Led by Jim Giacomelli, John Giacomelli, and Justin Stefani, the North American Kosmic Racing Team always presents themselves in the most professional manner in the paddock and produces the results on-track with their drivers. The combination of veteran leadership and talented pilots helped them earn numerous championships and victories in 2009.
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 | Mechanic of the Year - DJ Silva
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
MARCH 10, 2010
Mechanic of the Year
Success that drivers achieve on the racetrack is not only gained by what they do behind the wheel, but also what is done in the paddock and back at the shop. Although drivers are generally the ones who receive all the praise, there is just as much work done off the track before a racing machine hits the racing surface. The driver and the mechanic need to work together seamlessly to produce the best results. Today, there are a number of mechanics that work endless hours to help put their driver or drivers on the top of the podium each weekend. With that, EKN is proud to recognize DJ Silva as the Mechanic of the Year for 2009.
Silva has been a top wrench on the karting scene for a number of years. A few seasons back, Silva hooked up with PCH Motorsports driver Jacob Neal, an emerging star in the sport. The two have jelled quiet well over the years, as Neal transitioned from Junior to Senior level racing. In 2009, as Neal entered his second year of shifterkart racing, the duo campaigned both the ProKart Challenge South and North programs in two classes – open shifter S1 and stock moto S3. Neal looked solid in his first weekend out at CalSpeed for the PKC South opener, that is, until a rib injury put him on the sidelines.
From there, the duo went on a winning streak. Neal went seven straight features with a victory between competition in the PKC South and PKC North programs, including the ProKart Challenge West Coast Shootout that pit both series drivers against each other. In the South, Neal recorded five straight wins in the S3 division to control the division and earn the points title. At the same time, running double-duty weekends, Neal scored four wins to clinch the S1 point championship. Making the trek north to the PKC North program at Infineon Raceway, Neal scored three straight for features in S3, including the West Coast Shootout, to help score a third championship on the season. Neal matched his four wins in S1 in the North, however, came just short of the title to end the year second in the standings. Consistency like what was showed by Neal is powered by flawless kart prep and successful tuning and, while Neal was the guy at the top of the podium, a proud Silva was able to clap for his winning driver knowing that he has played an integral role in these victories. The tandem joined forces at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII as well, coming in among one of the favorites in the S3 division. After two heat wins, Neal started the main event on the pole. Following an intense 25-lap battle that left him with a seriously damaged kart, Neal recorded a fifth place position to help put him second in the eKartingNews.com Stock Moto Driver Rankings.
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 | Rising Star - Tyler Bennett
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
MARCH 3, 2010
Rising Star
As one of the first categories of the EKN Awards program, originated in the pages of Shifter Kart Illustrated, the recipients of the Rising Star honor have become established names in the sport of karting and beyond. With a large number of up-and-coming talents within the karting community, a Rising Star nomination has become an excellent indicator of who may very well become the cream of the crop over the next few years. This year’s award winner - Tyler Bennett - did just that in 2009 to be named the next ‘EKN Rising Star’.
Bennett came into the 2009 season riding the momentum from a podium finish at the SKUSA SuperNationals XII in the S3 class - one of the most exiting shifter kart races in the history of the sport. Not much was known about Bennett at the time, as he had been an emerging talent in Utah’s local karting scene, except that he had earned his spot on the podium that day. Starting the ’09 season off with a title in the Ice Breaker Kart Championship running Spec Light (Stock Moto) at his home track of Miller Motorsports Park, Bennett began his assault on the 10-race Utah Kart Championship. Following a slow start to the campaign, Bennett finished the year on top of the standings with nine of ten finishes on the podium, including three feature wins.
With his results on the year, Bennett propelled himself upwards from 51st in the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings in the Stock Moto category. Entering the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII as the number one driver in the country, the pressure was put on Bennett to perform. Just days before turning 20 years of age, the young Msquared Karting pilot did not disappoint. Up against some of the top shifter kart pilots in the country, Bennett qualified second overall and raced his way to a fourth starting spot in the main event following a win and two-runner-up performances.
Early on in the main event, Bennett mixed it up with the lead group in what became some intense moments during the course of the race. One of these moments would include Bennett, as another kart drove overtop the bow of Bennett’s PTK machine, dropping him to ninth and damaging the front-end of his ride. With grit and determination, Bennett muscle his jacked-up kart around the temp course in record time while demoting virtually every kart in his path. At the checkered, Bennett crossed the line third for his best career SuperNationals finish and capped off an impressive performance that secured his spot at the top of the EKN Driver Rankings. His showing also earned him a Jim Russell Championship Series Future Driver Selection scholarship, participating at Infineon Raceway back in December with rave reviews.
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 | Road Racer of the Year - Anthony Honeywell
(Photo: EKN) |
FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Road Racer of the Year
The Road Racer of the Year category is the next presentation for the EKN Awards 2009. Evolving from just shifter kart pilots to all types of road racing drivers, the Road Racer category has honored a number of high-profile names in this particular genre of karting. Handling the high speeds and some of the toughest road courses is a skill that many of the former winners have achieved. The newest member to the club - Anthony Honeywell - did just that, collecting some serious hardware in the process.
The Oklahoma driver completed a rare feat in road racing community or karting in general in 2009. Honeywell scored three Karters of America Racing Triad (KART) national championship ‘Triads’, a prestigious International Kart Federation (IKF) Duffy, and two outstanding victories at the World Karting Association (WKA) Daytona World Championships.
A regular in the KART Mid America Road Racing Series (MARRS), Honeywell placed second or higher in 18 of 19 races, including 14 wins, helping him earn a championship in the 100cc Open class. At the June KART Enduro National Championships, held at Heartland Park Topeka facility in Kansas, Honeywell went 3 for 4 in his bid for the organizations Triad trophy. Scoring wins in the 100cc Open and A-Limited in his laydown machine, Honeywell also scored the win in the Sprint CIK Yamaha 1 Final.
The next month he traveled to Eagles Canyon Raceway for the IKF Road Race Grand Nationals. Honeywell’s victory came in the 100cc Open category where he lapped the entire field to earn a Duffy, also scoring three podium victories in Yamaha Limited Sprint Lite and Heavy as well as 125cc-150cc Open/FKE II.
Completing the year, Honeywell returned to famous Daytona International Raceway for the Daytona KartWeek World Championships on the famous 3.56-mile road course. Honeywell started the event with a dominant victory on the opening day in the Formula 100 category. The next day, a number of high-profile drivers joined in the fight. Honeywell mixed it up in the lead draft with some of the best and after 45-minutes, edged out his competition by just 0.009-seconds at the line.
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 | Young Driver of the Year - Nick Neri
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
Young Driver of the Year
The Young Driver of the Year presentation kicks off the EKN Awards 2009 announcements. The Young Driver category has honored a number of incredibly talented pilots over the years, many of which have found success early in their careers, carrying this momentum to other forms of motorsports as they developed into professionals. The newest member to be added to the EKN Young Driver of the Year alumni is Nick Neri.
The Florida teenager produced a solid CV in 2009, posting a number of victories and championships. Neri kicked off the year by earning his first victories and championship during the Florida Winter Tour. Scoring the opening round win in the Rotax Junior category, Neri went on to record an additional four podium finishes, including two runner-up finishes at the series finale to secure the title. During the other three weekends of the Florida Winter Tour, Neri ended up third in the KF3 standings as a class rookie with three podiums and a single, albeit impressive, victory.
The five-race series of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series saw Neri battle in four categories throughout the season, walking away with a total of three victories and 12 podium finishes. Neri’s best class was HPV Jr. Heavy, where he would claim the championship while ending the year in second, third and fourth in the HPV Jr. Lite, Yamaha Jr. Heavy and Yamaha Jr. Lite categories, respectively. Neri was also perfect in his regional campaign in the Florida Karting Championship Series, going 10 of 10 in victories in Yamaha and HPV competition to add two regional titles to his season.
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JANUARY 29, 2010
EKN Awards 2009 Nominees Selected
eKartingNews.com - the leading website for karting information, news and race reports - is proud to announce the nominations for the 2009 EKN Awards, as well as a change in the format of the program. Unlike previous editions of the EKN Awards, the approach with which we will recognize the best from the ’09 has been changed to position the site’s viewers as the decision makers for those to be honored as the winners in each category. In addition to the new selection process, the EKN Awards 2009 winner announcements will be released over a six-week span, with one of the six categories to be released each week.
For the 2009 EKN Awards, the staff of the website has produced five nominations for each of the six categories. Over the course of the next two weeks (January 29 to February 11), viewers of the site will be encouraged to email us their choice of the winner of the categories. Starting February 17, the winner from one category will be announced each week.
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