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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – August 19, 2011 – Stock Moto |
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Moving forward with the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings, the TaG and Stock Moto standings for each month will now be published separate, giving each category its own day in the spotlight. Starting this month’s edition will be the Stock Moto division where we have seen a lot of shuffling in the order, especially at the top. Now into August, most of the races from 2010 have been eliminated from standings, putting more of an emphasis on the results from 2011.
After plugging in all the results from the busy month of July, Arizona driver Nicky Freytag (Intrepid) is the new #1 driver. You may be asking yourself, why would an S2 driver have a better score than a S1 driver? Two things have affected the current state of the Driver Rankings for Stock Moto. One, the S2 fields have been stacked with talent on the SKUSA Pro Tour and regional programs across the country. This lifted up the final event rankings for both the SpringNationals and SummerNationals, making the S1 and S2 rankings roughly equal after calculating our weighted system. Two, a number of last year’s top S1 drivers have either not raced or not recorded any EKN Driver Rankings results this season. The top two drivers in the SKUSA Pro Tour for S1 - Daniel Bray and Tom Dyer - only have five races counted toward their standings (SuperNats 2010, SpringNats, and SummerNats).
Moving on, those two factors do not take away the fact that Freytag has been solid in 2011. After placing runner-up at the SuperNats last year, he has finished in the top-five in both Pro Tour events and throughout the season in ProKart Challenge South competition - earning one regional win and one Pro Tour victory. The Innovative Karting driver clinched the PKC South S2 title and sits second in the Pro Tour championship chase heading to Vegas in November. Moving up to second is S1 driver Ryon Beachner (Tony Kart). After a solid season in S2 last year, earning the PKC South title and a sixth at the SuperNats, he made the move up to S1. In March, he earned his first S1 regional win at Buttonwillow. With consistent results thus far on the Pro Tour, he has climbed up the driver rankings.
Remaining in the third position is newly-crowned PKC South S1 champion Brad Dunford (GP). The 2011 season has been his most-successful year yet with more on his sights. Four regional wins helped him earn the PKC title and in July, earned his first Pro Tour victory. The trouble with Dunford came Sunday in Grand Junction, missing out on the Final with an electrical issue. Had he have run and possible stood on the podium that day, he could be sitting at the #1 spot. Moving one spot up fourth is last year’s PKC South S1 champ Clinton Schoombee. Moving back to the CRG chassis in Grand Junction, the Select Shifter driver has yet to hit his stride in 2011 but remains in the top-five of the EKN Driver Rankings. Up for spots to fifth is S1 rookie Lukas Johnson. The GP West driver kept pace with his Kiwi teammate Bray at the SpringNats and added one more Pro Tour podium to his credit at the SummerNationals. Looking ahead to Vegas, Johnson will look to improve on his career record at the SuperNationals.
The rest of the top-10 is made up of all S2 drivers. Double-winner at the SummerNationals, Cory Milne (GP) moves up six spots to the sixth position in the standings. The Aluminos driver has worked hard over the last few months and has himself in the S2 Pro Tour title hunt. Remaining in the seventh position is Texan Jake French (Birel). Unable to make the SummerNationals, the 3G Kart Racing pilot will finish out the year at the regional level along with trips to the Rock Island Grand Prix and the SuperNationals.
Up to eighth in the order is last month’s ‘On the Move’ driver, Kyle Hathcox (GP). He continues to move up the order and continues to lead the S2 Pro Tour championship standings after another podium performance in Grand Junction. Behind him is this month’s ‘On the Move’ driver - Ryan Kinnear (Intrepid) - with his information available below. Completing the top-10 this month is Illinois driver Josh Lane (DR Kart). A sixth place was the best result for the DRT Racing pilot at the SummerNationals as gremlins haunted him throughout the weekend. He along with a number of drivers will be battling for the coveted ‘Rock’ trophy at the upcoming Rock Island Grand Prix.
Coming soon will be the release of the TaG Driver Rankings.
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Jul. 7 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 8 | 7 | Nicky Freytag | 11 | 6023 | | 2. | 6 | 4 | Ryon Beachner | 9 | 5939 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Brad Dunford | 9 | 5917 | | 4. | 5 | 1 | Clinton Schoombee | 10 | 5868 | | 5. | 9 | 4 | Lukas Johnson | 12 | 5825 | | 6. | 12 | 6 | Cory Milne | 11 | 5809 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Jake French | 12 | 5741 | | 8. | 20 | 12 | Kyle Hathcox | 8 | 5671 | | 9. | 90 | 81 | Ryan Kinnear | 6 | 5553 | | 10. | 11 | 1 | Josh Lane | 10 | 5506 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
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 | Nicky Freytag
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
NEW Stock Moto #1 - Nicky Freytag
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Twenty-year old Nicky Freytag has taken the Stock Moto category by storm and is the newest driver to reach the #1 position in the EKN Driver Rankings. After making a run at open wheel racing, Freytag has returned to karting with Innovative Karting and has recorded nothing but strong finishes in the S2 Semi-Pro category in SKUSA. In six regional races with the ProKart Challenge, he placed second in four straight races with a victory to help earn the series title. Adding in a Pro Tour victory and two additional podiums, Freytag’s results put him among the best shifterkart pilots in the country and most likely a contender next year in S1.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SuperNationals 2010 - S2 | 9.5 | 2 | 1077 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #1 - S2 | 9 | 1 | 1033 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #2 - S2 | 9 | 3 | 1012 | | ProKart Challenge South #5 - S2 | 8 | 1 | 877 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’11 #1 - S2 | 9 | 4 | 1007 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’11 #2 - S2 | 9 | 3 | 1017 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.17
Average Points: 1003.8
Total Points: 6023
**************
 | Ryan Kinnear
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Stock Moto ‘ON THE MOVE’ - Ryan Kinnear - #9
Richmond, Texas
This month’s driver ‘On the Move’ for Stock Moto is Texan Ryan Kinnear. No stranger to shifterkart racing, Kinnear returned as a S2 Semi-Pro driver at the start of the season with the SKUSA SpringNationals. Two top-five finishes, including a podium on Sunday, showed he still had the skills to contend for victories. Despite a DNF on Saturday at the SummerNationals, Kinnear struck back with another top-five run on the final day in Grand Junction. Teamed with Champion Racing, the partnership has proven to be successful and is coming off their first regional victory at the Southwest Regional Cup in Katy, Texas.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #1 - S2 | 9 | 5 | 992 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #2 - S2 | 9 | 2 | 1022 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’11 #1 - S2 | 9 | 25 | 789 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’11 #2 - S2 | 9 | 5 | 997 | | Southwest Regional Series #7 - S2 | 8 | 2 | 864 | | Southwest Regional Series #8 - S2 | 8 | 1 | 889 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 6.67
Average Points: 925.5
Total Points: 5553
Upcoming Stock Moto Driver Rankings Events
| Date | Series | Class | Track | Location | Rank| 8/20 | Utah Kart Championships #9 | Spec Light | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 8 | | 8/21 | SKUSA Central States Challenge #5 | S2 | I-55 Raceway | Pevely, MO | 8 | | 8/27 | I-5 Corridor Series #5 | Stock Moto Light | Pacific Grand Prix Raceway | Kent, WA | 8 | | 8/27 | SKUSA Mountain Region #3 | S2 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 8/28 | Great Lakes Pro Series #7 | Stock Moto | Autobahn Country Club | Joliet, IL | 8 | | 8/28 | I-5 Corridor Series #6 | Stock Moto Light | Pacific Grand Prix Raceway | Kent, WA | 8 | | 8/28 | SKUSA Mountain Region #4 | S2 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 9/4 | Rock Island Grand Prix | King of the Streets | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 9.5 | | 9/10 | I-5 Corridor Series #7 | Stock Moto Light | Pat's Acres Racing Complex | Canby, OR | 8 | | 9/10 | SKUSA ProKart Challenge North #6 | S1 | Tom Dash Memorial | Atwater, CA | 8.5 | | 9/10 | SKUSA ProKart Challenge North #6 | S2 | Tom Dash Memorial | Atwater, CA | 8 | | 9/10 | Utah Kart Championships #10 | Spec Light | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 8 | | 9/11 | I-5 Corridor Series #8 | Stock Moto Light | Pat's Acres Racing Complex | Canby, OR | 8 | | 9/17 | SKUSA Mountain Region #5 | S2 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 9/17 | Utah Kart Championships #11 | Spec Light | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 8 | | 9/18 | SKUSA Mountain Region #6 | S2 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | |
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 national programs and selected regional programs. We have included the results for the major one-off events such as the SKUSA SuperNationals, the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals, the Rock Island Grand Prix and the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix.
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 2011, the SKUSA SuperNationals and US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals 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 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. Continuing for 2011 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. |
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