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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - April 5, 2010 |
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Now into the month of April, the 2010 racing season is about to get hot and heavy. The temperature is rising across the country and drivers are busy at work making the necessary preparations for the summer months ahead. With that, eKartingNews.com is proud to release the first edition of the Driver Rankings for 2010.
From January to March, it was a busy winter racing season in the states of Florida and California. Not much changed in the Stock Moto rankings, with the top-10 remaining in the same grouping with some jostling for position. Utah driver Tyler Bennett (PTK) remains in the number one spot followed by two-time ProKart Challenge champion Jacob Neal (CRG) and Rock Island Grand Prix King of the Streets winner Jordon Musser (Intrepid). Despite in the early hunt for the new PKC South S1 title, Brad Dunford (CRG) and Clinton Schoombee (CRG) move down the ranking a bit as they lose some solid points from early 2009. Tommy Thompson (Energy), Derek Crockett (GP) and Matt Zeis (Wildkart) all move up the order.
TaG on the other hand has been altered dramatically, minus the number one spot. Canadian Marco DiLeo (Intrepid) remains at the top spot riding off his successful 2009 season. Wes Phillips (Birel) and Australian David Sera (Arrow) both drop drastically as they both lose results from their 2009 winter campaigns. This moved Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart) and Michele Bumgarner (Margay) into the top three. Making a drastic jump up the order is IndyCar’s Dan Wheldon (Arrow). The native Brit spent most of his winter at the kart track, gaining tons of track and plans more events when not behind his National Guard IndyCar during the summer. Expect to see his name remain at the top.
Another new name toward the top is Kenneth Hildebrand (Arrow). The native Swede has raced all over Europe and was the 2005 Rotax Grand Finals Junior champion, representing Estonia. From the end of December thru March, Hildebrand contested 14 Driver Rankings events - also earning EKN Driver of the Month for January - to move him up to sixth, behind Victor Pedrosa (Arrow).
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | Dec. 18 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Marco DiLeo | 17 | 7043 | | 2. | 5 | 3 | Chris Wehrheim | 10 | 6954 | | 3. | 6 | 3 | Michele Bumgarner | 11 | 6879 | | 4. | 171 | 167 | Dan Wheldon | 13 | 6843 | | 5. | 14 | 9 | Victor Pedrosa | 15 | 6815 | | 6. | - | - | Kenneth Hildebrand | 14 | 6792 | | 7. | 9 | 2 | Kyle Wiegand | 7 | 6786 | | 8. | 16 | 8 | Daniel Mark Bumgarner | 8 | 6669 | | 9. | 4 | -5 | Joey Wimsett | 12 | 6662 | | 10. | 12 | 2 | Michael Hogg | 10 | 6662 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
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 | Marco DiLeo
(Photo: Autosports Media) |
TaG #1 - Marco DiLeo
Markham, Ontario, Canada
The 2009 EKN Driver of the Year Marco DiLeo (Intrepid) remains at the top of the TaG Driver Rankings, right where he ended last season. Claiming the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series TaG championship helped the Canadian earn the top spot in the rankings, along with the honor of becoming the first non-shifterkart driver to be named Driver of the Year. In addition to his accomplishments in the States, the Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada driver was the vice-champion in the Rotax Senior category at the Canadian National Championships, earning him a return to the Rotax Grand Finals.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - South Bend #1 | 9 | 1 | 1024 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - South Bend #2 | 9 | 1 | 1027 | | 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 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Lowe’s #2 | 9 | 2 | 989 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #5 | 9 | 3 | 1003 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.57
Average Points: 1006.1
Total Points: 7043
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 | Justin Coplen
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
ON THE MOVE: Justin Coplen
Murrieta, California
One of the great things about the EKN Driver Rankings as it gives us a chance to view the progression of young stars making the transition up. One of those in 2010 will be Justin Coplen. The Reaction Karting pilot was an accomplished Junior driver throughout California and on the national level. Kicking off the 2010 season, the 19-year old has already two wins on his CV, both coming from the competitive Gatorz Challenge of the Americas program. With just seven races collected, it’s certain Coplen will continue to move up the rankings order.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SuperNationals ’09 | 10 | 19 | 939 | | Challenge of the Americas ’10 - PKRA #1 | 8 | 11 | 813 | | Challenge of the Americas ’10 - PKRA #2 | 8 | 12 | 802 | | Challenge of the Americas ’10 - CalSpeed #1 | 8 | 1 | 905 | | Challenge of the Americas ’10 - CalSpeed #2 | 8 | 6 | 862 | | Challenge of the Americas ’10 - Infineon #1 | 8 | 15 | 770 | | Challenge of the Americas ’10 - Infineon #2 | 8 | 1 | 897 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 9.29
Average Points: 855.4
Total Points: 5988
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Dec. 18 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Tyler Bennett | 11 | 6195 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Jacob Neal | 10 | 6134 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Jordon Musser | 8 | 6077 | | 4. | 5 | 1 | Tommy Thompson | 12 | 5968 | | 5. | 7 | 2 | Derek Crockett | 8 | 5927 | | 6. | 8 | 2 | Matt Zeis | 7 | 5925 | | 7. | 6 | -1 | Brad Dunford | 14 | 5923 | | 8. | 4 | -4 | Clinton Schoombee | 8 | 5923 | | 9. | 9 | NC | Steven Reasoner | 8 | 5914 | | 10. | 10 | NC | Colby Yardley | 11 | 5912 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Tyler Bennett
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
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Stock Moto #1 - Tyler Bennett
Layton, Utah
One thing to watch in 2010 will be the Stock Moto Driver Rankings. With the new SKUSA Pro Tour, everyone will be gunning for current number one, Tyler Bennett, to knock him off the top of the mountain. The 2009 season was one to remember for Bennett, who was awarded the EKN Rising Star award for his efforts. Scoring the Utah State Championship, Bennett was among the front-runners at the SKUSA SuperNationals. Battling back from adversity, the Msquared Karting driver stunned the crowed with his drive from behind to the podium.
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
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 | Peter Abba
(Photo: Tony Leone - sixspeedphotos.com) |
ON THE MOVE: Peter Abba
Anaheim, California
With just five races recorded in the EKN Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Peter Abba is one of the driver’s to watch in 2010. The Extreme Karting pilot is making the transition from the former S1 category of modified moto engines and ICC powerplants to the Stock Moto package. Campaigning the ProKart Challenge South program, Abba is in the hunt for the championship after three events, thanks to his recent win at the Grange Motor Circuit. With three more events on the series calendar, Abba could be the next PKC champion and a member of the top of the EKN Driver Rankings.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| ProKart Challenge South ’09 #7 | 9 | 2 | 995 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 18 | 969 | | ProKart Challenge South ’10 #1 | 8.5 | 3 | 918 | | ProKart Challenge South ’10 #2 | 8.5 | 5 | 909 | | ProKart Challenge South ’10 #3 | 8.5 | 1 | 967 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 5.8
Average Points: 951.6
Total Points: 4758
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 to determine their overall current point total. With each new release, results posted from more than one year ago are discarded. To deliver our ranking list, we tabulate the results of all the WSK North American Series, Superkarts! USA Pro Tour, and other national programs and events, as well as other regional programs. We have also included the results for the major one-off events such as the SKUSA SuperNationals, the Rock Island Grand Prix and the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals.
Each race is 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 2010, the SKUSA SuperNationals, US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals and the Rock Island Grand Prix receive a score of 10 in their initial weighting in the TaG category while the SuperNats is the lone event in the Stock Moto division. The WSK North American Series, SKUSA Pro Tour, and Rotax Pan American Challenge national series events draw a base ranking of nine (9), while the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, Florida Winter Tour, Challenge of the Americas, IKF 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals and other regional program races were given a base ranking of either eight (8) or nine (9).
The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year. New for 2010 is a minimum entry total for any events considered for the Driver Rankings program. If an event does not have at least five (5) drivers starting the race, those results will not be tabulated toward the Driver Rankings.
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.
For the complete 2010 EKN Driver Rankings schedule, click HERE. |
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