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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – April 13, 2012 – TaG |
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Following the release of the Stock Moto category yesterday, eKartingNews.com is proud to publish the opening 2012 standings of the EKN Driver Ranking for TaG. Familiar names filled up the top of the order in 2011. Just into the fourth month of the new season, the shuffling has already begun, which should set up for an exciting year as the EKN Driver Rankings unfolds. Still holding on to the #1 position for TaG as 2012 begins is Sam Beasley.
The 2011 season was certainly one to remember for Beasley (Arrow). Victories and podiums across the country led to the Ohio driver holding the top spot for much of the season. Starting off the year with another podium, Beasley has set the mark for the rest of the TaG contingent to beat. Leading the charge is now multi-time WKA champion Robert Bujdoso (PCR). With a victory at the recent Manufacturers Cup Series event in Kershaw, Beasley’s lead is down to just 74 points. 2010 EKN Driver Rankings #1 driver Daniel Formal (Intrepid) was unable to improve on his point total through the winter months in his home state of Florida and remains third.
After those three is where all the major changes occur. Jumping up to fourth is SoCal driver Louie Pagano (Birel). Putting in a couple strong performances at the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas helped promote the former Junior champion, still looking for his first big Senior victory. Mason Chelootz (Top Kart) has been very fast since moving up to the Senior ranks last year. A big win at the Florida Winter Tour opener and solid results in the first stops for WKA move the Texan into the top-five for the first time.
The winter months have been a great start to the 2012 season for Kiel Spaulding (FA Kart). A championship contender at the Gatorz COTA, his strong results equated to the biggest mover into the top-10, up 14 spots to sixth. Also moving into the top-10 are Matt Johnson and Nick Neri. Johnson (Energy) was third on the SKUSA Pro Tour last year and two wins at the California PKC have him in the right direction for the standings and championships in 2012. Neri (Tony Kart) is the 2011 US Rotax Grand Nationals champion, in addition to the S2 SKUSA SuperNationals winner. Leading the Florida Winter Tour standings after four rounds, Neri missed the final round to race with the Tony Kart factory squad at a WSK Masters Series event in KZ2. Dropping four spots from fifth to ninth is Florida’s Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel). After a great 2011 season, the FWT was not kind to the local driver, thus the reason for his fall in the standings. Rounding out the top-10 is former KF2 national champion Arie Ouimet (CRG), banking off a top-five season in 2011 following the WKA schedule.
Missing from the top-10 is Brazilian Felipe Fraga (CRG), Aussie David Sera (Arrow) and Stepanova Nekeel (Vemme). Fraga has moved on to open-wheel cars, Sera competed in just four USA races this winter with Nekeel down with a number of talented drivers recording only six races toward the EKN Driver Rankings.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | Dec. 16 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Sam Beasley | 16 | 7268 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Robert Bujdoso | 17 | 7194 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Daniel Formal | 16 | 7092 | | 4. | 8 | 4 | Louie Pagano | 18 | 7088 | | 5. | 10 | 5 | Mason Chelootz | 23 | 7087 | | 6. | 20 | 14 | Kiel Spaulding | 9 | 7083 | | 7. | 12 | 5 | Matt Johnson | 12 | 7066 | | 8. | 15 | 7 | Nick Neri | 13 | 7028 | | 9. | 5 | -4 | Jesus Rios Jr. | 14 | 7018 | | 10. | 7 | -3 | Arie Ouimet | 11 | 7001 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
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 | Sam Beasley
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
TaG #1 - Sam Beasley
Leroy, Ohio
The one driver that was in contention throughout the 2011 season was Beasley. The KartSport North America/Arrow driver was fast in any TaG category, from Rotax to Leopard or any 125cc engine he strapped onboard. Beasley added another podium to his resume at the WKA Daytona KartWeek. While his karting schedule for 2012 is not set, Sam has set a mark that will be hard to beat in the coming months.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - South Bend - TaG 1 | 9 | 2 | 1029 | | Rotax Pan Am Challenge ’11 - South Bend #2 | 9 | 1 | 997 | | 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 | | Rock Island GP ’11 - TaG Sr. | 9 | 1 | 1016 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’12 - Daytona -TaG 1 | 9 | 2 | 1023 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.57
Average Points: 1038.3
Total Points: 7268
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 | Luke Chudleigh
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
TaG ‘ON THE MOVE’ - Luke Chudleigh - #12
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
The April ‘On the Move’ driver for TaG is also the top Canadian pilot in the rankings - Luke Chudleigh. Behind a solid winter campaign, including travels to Florida Winter Tour and the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas, the victory in Tucson was the highlight of the three month journey. While his goal of scoring a championship and ticket to the 2012 Rotax Grand Finals did not come about, a solid summer season could land the Ontario driver a spot on the coveted Team Canada for the November event, which may limit any return to a United States event.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SpringNationals ’11 #2 | 9 | 6 | 976 | | Rotax Pan Am Challenge Finale ’11 | 9 | 2 | 1011 | | Challenge of the Americas ’12 - Tucson #1 | 9 | 1 | 1026 | | Challenge of the Americas ’12 - Tucson #2 | 9 | 5 | 986 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 Rotax #5 | 9 | 4 | 1001 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 Rotax #6 | 9 | 7 | 973 | | Challenge of the Americas ’12 - CalSpeed #1 | 9 | 6 | 976 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.43
Average Points: 992.7
Total Points: 6949
Upcoming TaG Driver Rankings Events
| Date | Series | Class | Track | Location | Rank| 4/15 | WKA West Super Series #2 | TaG Senior | Blue Max Kart Club | Davis, CA | 8 | | 4/15 | WKA West Super Series #2 | PRD Senior | Blue Max Kart Club | Davis, CA | 8 | | 4/21 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SpringNationals #1 | TaG Senior | PKRA | Phoenix, AZ | 9 | | 4/22 | Florida Karting Championship Series #4 | TaG | Andersen RacePark | Palmetto, FL | 8 | | 4/22 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SpringNationals #2 | TaG Senior | PKRA | Phoenix, AZ | 9 | | 4/28 | Route 66 Sprint Series #1 | TaG 1 | Mid-State Raceway | Springfield, IL | 8 | | 4/29 | Route 66 Sprint Series #1 | TaG 2 | Mid-State Raceway | Springfield, IL | 8 | | 5/5 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #1 | TaG Senior | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | | 5/5 | SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge #1 | TaG Senior | Gulf Coast Karters | Katy, TX | 8 | | 5/5 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series #3 | Parilla Leopard | Pittsburgh International Race Complex | Wampum, PA | 8 | | 5/5 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series #3 | TaG 1 | Pittsburgh International Race Complex | Wampum, PA | 9 | | 5/5 | IKF Region 7 Sprint Championship #2 | TaG Senior | Willow Springs International Raceway | Rosamond, CA | 8 | | 5/6 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #2 | TaG Senior | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | | 5/6 | SKUSA Texas ProKart Challenge #2 | TaG Senior | Gulf Coast Karters | Katy, TX | 8 | | 5/6 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series #3 | TaG 2 | Pittsburgh International Race Complex | Wampum, PA | 9 | | 5/6 | IKF Region 11 Championship Series #2 | IKF TaG | Shasta Kart Club | Redding, CA | 8 | | 5/6 | IKF Region 7 Sprint Championship #2 | PRD Senior | Willow Springs International Raceway | Rosamond, CA | 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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