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| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – April 13, 2012 – Stock Moto |
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eKartingNews.com is happy to publish the opening 2012 standings of the EKN Driver Rankings for Stock Moto. The 2011 season was an interesting one, as the S1 category was still in a stage of rebirth since being introduced back into the limelight, while S2 thrived behind a number of young, talented drivers. The upcoming year will see the final growing stages of the S1 division, as a number of pilots have graduated to the top level and more up-and-coming drivers are getting their chance in the spotlight in the S2 ranks. Just as he finished out the 2011 season, Nicky Freytag will retain the #1 position in the EKN Driver Rankings Stock Moto for the start of 2012.
Freytag (Intrepid) was near the front at all the big events in 2011. Opening up the SKUSA Pro Tour with an S2 victory, he went on to score two additional podium finishes to end up third in the S2 Semi-Pro championship standings. Moving to S1 this year, Freytag will need to match his results from a year ago against the best in the business. Jumping two spots to second is another S2 graduate, Cory Milne (GP). The Colorado driver opened up the year at the California ProKart Challenge with a runner-up finish in his S1 debut. Each losing a spot in return are Lukas Johnson (GP) and Kyle Hathcox (GP). Johnson is the highest returning S1 driver in the Driver Rankings, piloting to a third in the 2011 title chase to earn the #3 plate for 2012. He will still be looking for his first S1 main event victory. 2011 S2 Pro Tour champion Hathcox will relinquish the #1 plate for this season to play his hand in S1. Remaining fifth and sixth are Jake French (Birel) and Clinton Schoombee (DR), both scheduled to be at the SpringNationals in S1 this coming weekend.
Swapping positions to start out the year are SoCal drivers Brad Dunford (GP) and Ryon Beachner (Tony Kart). Dunford earned the victory in the opening round of the California PKC, and is hoping to defend his crown against a solid field for 2012. Beachner will continue competing while also racing as a team owner, now managing 2Wild Karting. Conner Wagner enters 2012 as the top returning driver in the S2 category, as he placed ninth in the Driver Rankings and will move to the Formula K chassis for the season. Rounding out the top-10 is Patrick Cushenberry (CRG), another driver making the move from S2 to S1.
Coming tomorrow will be the release of the TaG Driver Rankings.
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Dec. 16 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Nicky Freytag | 11 | 6029 | | 2. | 4 | 2 | Cory Milne | 14 | 5974 | | 3. | 2 | -1 | Lukas Johnson | 6 | 5973 | | 4. | 3 | -1 | Kyle Hathcox | 9 | 5948 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Jake French | 12 | 5898 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Clinton Schoombee | 10 | 5870 | | 7. | 8 | 1 | Brad Dunford | 9 | 5820 | | 8. | 7 | -1 | Ryon Beachner | 8 | 5820 | | 9. | 9 | NC | Connor Wagner | 12 | 5708 | | 10. | 10 | NC | Patrick Cushenberry | 8 | 5645 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
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 | Nicky Freytag
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Stock Moto #1 - Nicky Freytag
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Starting out the season in the top spot, Freytag will need to be on his A-game all 2012 in order to remain #1. A star when it came to main event time - which helped gain him the top Driver Rankings spot - his kryptonite on the year was his unpredictable performances in the heat races. Had his qualifying race results matched his main event finishes, he could have been crowned S2 Pro Tour champion. Earning the nod from SKUSA to obtain his A License to move up to S1, he’s already earned his first podium of the year with a runner-up at the California PKC event in Willow Springs. Racing at his home track for the SpringNationals, the #1 spot could still be his next month.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #1 - S2 | 9 | 1 | 1033 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #2 - S2 | 9 | 3 | 1012 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’11 #1 - S2 | 9 | 4 | 1007 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’11 #2 - S2 | 9 | 3 | 1017 | | Streets of Lancaster GP ’11 - Pro | 8.5 | 2 | 946 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2011 - S2 | 9.5 | 9 | 1014 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 3.67
Average Points: 1004.8
Total Points: 6029
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 | Matias Podboj
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
Stock Moto ‘ON THE MOVE’ - Matias Podboj - #25
Anaheim, California
With only four events from 2012 having be included in the new Stock Moto Driver Rankings, not much has changed in the order. However, one driver making an early move thus far has been S2 pilot Matias Podboj. With Freytag moving up to S1, the spot at the front in the California PKC wars was open for Podboj to take. The Kimball Williams Racing/CRG driver has started the new season with two solid weekends, sweeping the opening event in Buttonwillow and then logging a near-sweep at Willow Springs. Set to make his Pro Tour debut at this year’s SpringNationals, Matias could be climbing the Driver Rankings even more in 2012.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA ProKart Challenge South ’11 #4 - S2 | 8 | 1 | 853 | | SKUSA ProKart Challenge South ’11 #5 - S2 | 8 | 4 | 850 | | SKUSA ProKart Challenge South ’11 #6 - S2 | 8 | 9 | 826 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2011 - S2 | 9.5 | 8 | 1025 | | SKUSA Cali. ProKart Challenge ’12 #1 - S2 | 8 | 1 | 865 | | SKUSA Cali. ProKart Challenge ’12 #2 - S2 | 8 | 1 | 852 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.00
Average Points: 878.5
Total Points: 5271
Upcoming Stock Moto Driver Rankings Events
| Date | Series | Class | Track | Location | Rank| 4/14 | Southeast Karting Challenge #1 | Shifter Karts 2 | NOLA Motorsports Park | New Orleans, LA | 8 | | 4/15 | Southeast Karting Challenge #2 | Shifter Karts 2 | NOLA Motorsports Park | New Orleans, LA | 8 | | 4/21 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SpringNationals #1 | S1 | PKRA | Phoenix, AZ | 9.5 | | 4/21 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SpringNationals #1 | S2 | PKRA | Phoenix, AZ | 9 | | 4/22 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SpringNationals #2 | S1 | PKRA | Phoenix, AZ | 9.5 | | 4/22 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SpringNationals #2 | S2 | PKRA | Phoenix, AZ | 9 | | 4/22 | Florida Karting Championship Series #4 | Stock Moto | Andersen RacePark | Palmetto, FL | 8 | | 4/28 | Northeast Shifter Kart Series #1 | Stock Moto | Oakland Valley Raceway Park | Cuddebackville, NY | 8 | | 4/29 | Racing the Rockies #1 | Spec 125 | The Track at Centennial | Centennial, CO | 8 | | 5/5 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #1 | S1 | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8.5 | | 5/5 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #1 | S2 | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | | 5/5 | SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge #1 | S1 | Gulf Coast Karters | Katy, TX | 8.5 | | 5/5 | SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge #1 | S2 | Gulf Coast Karters | Katy, TX | 8 | | 5/6 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #2 | S1 | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8.5 | | 5/6 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #2 | S2 | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | | 5/6 | SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge #2 | S1 | Gulf Coast Karters | Katy, TX | 8.5 | | 5/6 | SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge #2 | S2 | Gulf Coast Karters | Katy, TX | 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 2012, 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 SuperNationals is the lone event in the Stock Moto division. The SKUSA Pro Tour 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, Rotax Pan American Challenge 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. A minimum entry total for any events considered for the Driver Rankings program is five (5). 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.
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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