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| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – August 19, 2011 – TaG |
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As stated in the release of the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings for Stock Moto on Monday, the two different categories will be published separately. Today is the publication of the most recent TaG Driver Rankings, including the addition of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series at BeaveRun, SKUSA Pro Tour SummerNationals, and the first 10-base ranked event of the year - the United States Rotax Grand Nationals.
Continuing to produce solid results week after week is Ohio driver Sam Beasley (Arrow). Extending his point total by 101 points, his lead now stands at 192 markers. A first and second place in the TaG features at the WKA event in BeaveRun led to another runner-up finish at the Rotax Grand Nationals for the KartSport North America/Beasley Motorsports driver. While it was not as dramatic as his performance last year, Beasley came up just short for his first Rotax title. Second remains Aussie driver David Sera thanks to his Florida Winter Tour results and runner-up at last year’s SKUSA SuperNationals. With Beasley set to battle at the Rotax Grand Finals, Sera may be able to better his score in Vegas to challenge his fellow Arrow driver for the #1 spot.
Robert Bujdoso (PCR) continues a strong campaign in WKA competition and now holds third alone. Jumping into the top-10 this month is newly-crowned US Rotax Grand Nationals champion Nick Neri (Tony Kart). The Ocala Gran Prix driver moves 12 spots to fourth. A quick stat on Neri - he is the only driver to earn a championship in Mini Max, Junior and Senior categories in the United States. Rounding out the top-five is last year’s Rotax champion, Stepanova Nekeel (Kosmic). After a DQ in the Prefinal, Nekeel gave a Beasley-like run from the back to finish seventh in the main event.
Remaining sixth is MRP Motorsport driver Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel). A solid season for the Florida driver has kept him among the top of the standings. Dropping from third to seventh is 2010 eKartingNews.com Driver of the Year Daniel Formal (Birel). With the lost of his third place run at last year’s Rotax Grand Nationals, a flat tire took the Florida driver out of contention at this year’s event and dropped him in the rankings order. Up into the top-10 for the first time is J3 Competition driver Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic). Moving up to the Senior level back in February, DeGrand has recorded nothing but solid results since and continues climbing the EKN standings.
Challenge of the Americas champion Felipe Fraga (CRG) moves up to ninth with the loss of Louie Pagano and Michael Politis from the top-10. Returning back toward the top of the order is veteran Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart). The Grand Products driver currently leads the Parilla Leopard point standings and sits third in TaG 2 for the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | Jul. 7 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Sam Beasley | 19 | 7377 | | 2. | 2 | NC | David Sera | 9 | 7185 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Robert Bujdoso | 15 | 7092 | | 4. | 16 | 12 | Nick Neri | 12 | 7015 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Stepanova Nekeel | 9 | 6998 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Jesus Rios Jr. | 17 | 6995 | | 7. | 3 | -4 | Daniel Formal | 13 | 6986 | | 8. | 11 | 3 | Tristan DeGrand | 11 | 6962 | | 9. | 10 | 1 | Felipe Fraga | 10 | 6923 | | 10. | 13 | 3 | Chris Wehrheim | 11 | 6875 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
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 | Sam Beasley
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group) |
TaG #1 - Sam Beasley
Leroy, Ohio
KartSport North America/Beasley Motorsports driver Sam Beasley has established himself as the top driver in the TaG category. Solid results throughout 2011 have put him on the pedestal in the division with everyone chasing him down. Finishing first and second at the WKA BeaveRun weekend helped him gain additional points to his ranking total. A repeat of the runner-up finish at the Rotax Grand Nationals assured him the #1 spot once again. A total of 7377 points is among the highest ever recorded, making it tough for the rest of the TaG drivers to knock Beasley off the number one position.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Rock Island GP ’10 - TaG Sr. | 10 | 1 | 1107 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Daytona -TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1018 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Kershaw - TaG 2 | 9 | 2 | 1020 | | WKA Man. Cup Series’ 11 - South Bend - TaG 1 | 9 | 2 | 1029 | | WKA Man. Cup Series’ 11 - BeaveRun - TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1040 | | WKA Man. Cup Series’ 11 - BeaveRun - TaG 2 | 9 | 2 | 1033 | | US Rotax Grand Nationals ’11 | 10 | 2 | 1130 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.57
Average Points: 1053.9
Total Points: 7377
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 | Austin Elliott
(Photo: Bev Ban) |
TaG ‘ON THE MOVE’ - Austin Elliott - #27
Shingle Springs, California
Top Kart driver Austin Elliott is enjoying his first full season as a Senior driver, and is this month’s ‘On the Move’ driver for TaG. A solid campaign thus far at the ProKart Challenge North program has the California driver in the championship lead heading into the season finale in two weeks. Working with Grand Products, Elliott traveled east to the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series race in Pennsylvania, coming away with a quality sixth place run at a track he had never seen before. Under the guidance of SKUSA SuperNationals winner Wesley Boswell, Elliott is developing into an outstanding young talent behind the wheel.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| ProKart Challenge North ’11 #1 | 9 | 1 | 959 | | ProKart Challenge North ’11 #2 | 9 | 2 | 936 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #1 | 9 | 15 | 884 | | ProKart Challenge North ’11 #3 | 9 | 2 | 965 | | ProKart Challenge North ’11 #4 | 9 | 4 | 934 | | WKA Man. Cup Series’ 11 - BeaveRun - Leopard | 8 | 6 | 884 | | ProKart Challenge Shootout ’11 | 9 | 4 | 974 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.85
Average Points: 933.7
Total Points: 6536
Upcoming TaG Driver Rankings Events
| Date | Series | Class | Track | Location | Rank| 8/21 | SKUSA Central States Challenge #5 | TaG Senior | I-55 Raceway | Pevely, MO | 8 | | 8/27 | IKF 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals | TBA | CalSpeed Karting | Fontana, CA | 9 | | 8/27 | New Jersey Sprint Series #4 | TaG 1 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, NJ | 8 | | 8/27 | SKUSA Mountain Region #3 | TaG Senior | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 8/28 | New Jersey Sprint Series #4 | TaG 2 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, NJ | 8 | | 8/28 | SKUSA Mountain Region #4 | TaG Senior | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 9/4 | NorCal Gold Rush Series #3 | TaG Senior | Stockton Motorplex Park | Stockton, CA | 8 | | 9/4 | Northwest Gold Cup Sprint Series #7 | IAME Cup | McMinnville Kart Track | McMinnville, OR | 8 | | 9/4 | Rock Island Grand Prix | IAME Senior | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 9 | | 9/4 | Rock Island Grand Prix | TaG Senior | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 9 | | 9/4 | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rotax Senior | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 8 | | 9/10 | Route 66 Sprint Series #6 | TaG 1 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 8 | | 9/10 | SKUSA ProKart Challenge North #6 | TaG Senior | Tom Dash Memorial | Atwater, CA | 9 | | 9/11 | Route 66 Sprint Series #6 | TaG 2 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 8 | | 9/17 | SKUSA Mountain Region #5 | TaG Senior | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 9/17 | WKA Man. Cup Series #5 | Parilla Leopard | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 8 | | 9/17 | WKA Man. Cup Series #5 | TaG 1 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 9 | | 9/18 | SKUSA Mountain Region #6 | TaG Senior | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, CO | 8 | | 9/18 | WKA Man. Cup Series #5 | TaG 2 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 9 | |
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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