|
 |
|
 |
| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - August 27, 2010 |
| |
The latest release of the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings sees a change at the top of one of the two standings. The August release includes a number of regional programs taking part along with two national programs - WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series and Rotax Pan American Challenge Series. Both certainly had an impact on the TaG rankings while the Stock Moto situation remains similar to last months.
The TaG Driver Rankings has its second number one driver in as many months with Florida driver Daniel Formal (Kosmic) taking over the top spot. The 14-year old - who turns 15 later in the year - used his two victories this past weekend at the Rotax Pan American Challenge Series at Homestead Karting to jump over former number Victor Pedrosa (Arrow). Formal’s total will be the bar for drivers to reach as the season closes with the young driver possible not contesting any more EKN Driver Rankings events for the remainder of the season, but will be preparing for his trip to the Rotax Grand Finals in November. Pedrosa did not show well in Miami, placing fifth as his best main event finish in the two-day event and thus not improving his score from last month.
Third thru seventh remain unchanged with Rotax National Champion Stepanova Nekeel (Tony Kart), Taylor Miinch (Top Kart), Canadian Marco DiLeo (Intrepid), Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart) and Michael Politis (Merlin) holding their positions. Ohio driver Robert Bujdoso (PCR) jumped Andy Dunne (Birel) and Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon (Arrow) to sit eighth, thanks to his performances at the WKA Man Cup event at New Castle at the start of the month.
The top of the Stock Moto rankings remains unchanged with the first eight positions holding strong - as Clinton Schoombee (CRG) stays in the number one spot for his second straight month. The newly crowned ProKart Challenge South S1 champion holds a 25 point advantage over former ProKart Challenge champion Jason Toft (GP). PKC North and SKUSA Pro Tour championship leader Fritz Leesmann (CRG) is third with SKUSA Pro Tour S2 double winner Derek Crockett (GP) and SoCal driver Brad Dunford (GP) rounding out the top-five. Nic LeDuc (Energy) - who recently moved to Indiana - sits sixth while Tommy Thompson (CRG) and Jimmy McNeil (CRG) hold static in seventh and eighth. Kiwi driver Daniel Bray (GP) fell out of the top-ten, moving Brett Felkins (Intrepid) and former number one Tyler Bennett (PTK) up one position each.
With the Rock Island Grand Prix King of the Streets (9-ranking) and the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix expected to have a large Stock Moto contingent, the Stock Moto rankings could see some shake-up before entering the SKUSA SuperNationals in November.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | 28-Jul | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 2 | 1 | Daniel Formal | 16 | 7120 | | 2. | 1 | -1 | Victor Pedrosa | 25 | 7077 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Stepanova Nekeel | 15 | 6965 | | 4. | 4 | NC | Taylor Miinch | 15 | 6952 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Marco DiLeo | 13 | 6930 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Kyle Wiegand | 13 | 6925 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Michael Politis | 14 | 6898 | | 8. | 10 | 2 | Robert Bujdoso | 11 | 6892 | | 9. | 8 | -1 | Andy Dunne | 18 | 6846 | | 10. | 9 | -1 | Dan Wheldon | 13 | 6843 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
**************
 | Daniel Formal
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
NEW TaG #1 - Daniel Formal
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
The 14-year old Kosmic driver moves to the number one spot for the first time in his career. The 2008 Rotax Junior national champion has progressed to the Senior ranks quickly and his results prove what a talent the Florida driver is. Standing on the podium four times in this year’s Florida Winter Tour, two DNFs cost him a chance at the title including a heart-breaker in the series finale. Formal bounced back quickly, showing well at the Rotax Pan American Challenge at New Castle in June, backing it up with a third place performance at the Grand Nationals to be part of Team USA at the Rotax Grand Finals in November, set at La Conca, Italy.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #2 | 9 | 1 | 1015 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #3 | 9 | 3 | 998 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #4 | 9 | 1 | 1021 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #5 | 9 | 3 | 1013 | | US Rotax Grand Nationals ’10 | 10 | 3 | 1107 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - Homestead #1 | 9 | 1 | 983 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - Homestead #2 | 9 | 1 | 983 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.86
Average Points: 1017.1
Total Points: 7120
**************
 | Jesus Rios Jr.
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
ON THE MOVE: Jesus Rios Jr. - Ranked #15
Miami Beach, Florida
Similar to the new #1 driver, Jesus Rios Jr. is making the transition from Junior to the Senior ranks nearly flawless. With just seven races total counted toward the EKN Driver Rankings, Rios has six races inside the top-five, including five podium finishes. The PSL Karting driver from Florida nearly earned a spot on Team USA as a Junior, finishing second to Nick Neri in the Florida Winter Tour. Now up to the Senior ranks, the current Rotax Pan American Challenge point leader will look to secure a spot with Formal and the rest of the Team USA in October at the CalSpeed double-header. Rios was also a contender at the Grand Nationals, finishing a solid fifth.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - Houston #1 | 9 | 2 | 957 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - Houston #2 | 9 | 1 | 966 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - New Castle #1 | 9 | 1 | 1005 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - New Castle #2 | 9 | 21 | 804 | | US Rotax Grand Nationals ’10 | 10 | 5 | 1084 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - Homestead #1 | 9 | 3 | 964 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’10 - Homestead #2 | 9 | 3 | 964 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 5.14
Average Points: 963.4
Total Points: 6744
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | 28-Jul | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Clinton Schoombee | 12 | 6148 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Jason Toft | 11 | 6123 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Fritz Leesmann | 9 | 6049 | | 4. | 4 | NC | Derek Crockett | 10 | 5982 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Brad Dunford | 16 | 5910 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Nic LeDuc | 8 | 5880 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Tommy Thompson | 13 | 5874 | | 8. | 8 | NC | Jimmy McNeil | 8 | 5775 | | 9. | 10 | 1 | Brett Felkins | 11 | 5726 | | 10. | 11 | 1 | Tyler Bennett | 11 | 5704 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
**************
 | Clinton Schoombee
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Stock Moto #1 - Clinton Schoombee
Laguna Beach, California
The current number one driver in the Stock Moto rankings added hardware to his trophy case recently, wrapping up the ProKart Challenge South S1 title at the PKC West Coast Shootout. Though the event was not as successful as previous events, the SoCal driver earned enough points to claim the championship, his first. Schoombee will now have nearly three months to set his sights on another title, the SKUSA Pro Tour championship at the prestigious SKUSA SuperNationals XIV.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 6 | 1109 | | SKUSA SpringNationals #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 3 | 1033 | | SKUSA SpringNationals #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 1 | 1047 | | ProKart Chall. South #4 - S1 | 8.5 | 1 | 967 | | ProKart Chall. South #5 - S1 | 8.5 | 1 | 967 | | SKUSA SummerNationals #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 4 | 1025 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.67
Average Points: 1024.7
Total Points: 6148
**************
 | Cameron Egger
(Photo: pacificgp.com) |
ON THE MOVE: Cameron Egger - Ranked #46
Mulino, Oregon
The Oregon driver has broken into the top-50 thanks to his latest results which have been successful. The 16-year old traveled to Colorado for the Race the Rockies event outside the Pepsi Center, besting a solid roster of drivers. Egger backed it up with two strong performances at the I-5 Corridor Series regional at Pacific Grand Prix this last weekend. After winning the Saturday, Egger came from 13th to second in the 14-lap main in Sunday. The young driver could be one to watch come SKUSA SuperNationals time in S2.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| I-5 Corridor Series ’10 #2 - PARC | 8 | 1 | 823 | | I-5 Corridor Series ’10 #4 - PGP | 8 | 6 | 785 | | Race the Rockies ’10 #4 - Pepsi Center | 8 | 1 | 892 | | I-5 Corridor Series ’10 #5 - PGP | 8 | 1 | 839 | | I-5 Corridor Series ’10 #6 - PGP | 8 | 2 | 831 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.2
Average Points: 834
Total Points: 4170
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, Rotax Pan American Challenge 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. |
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
