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| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – August 27, 2012 – TaG |
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To compliment the Stock Moto standings, eKartingNews.com is happy to release the updated TaG Driver Rankings as of today. The schedule was very limited for the month of August, but the United States Rotax Grand Nationals put in a major impact to the upper half of the standings. Things will shake up again next month with the Rock Island Grand Prix set for this weekend, along with the season finales for California ProKart Challenge and the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series. For now, Mason Chelootz remains the driver to beat with an increased total, now trailed by former EKN Driver of the Year Daniel Formal.
Chelootz (Top Kart) increased his score following victory at the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series event at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway and a sixth at the Rotax Grand Nationals. The Team Top Kart USA driver was the best finisher of the former top three that included teammate Phil DeLaO and Checkered Motorsports’ Robert Bujdoso, racing against each other for the first time in 2012. Thanks to his victory in South Bend, Formal jumps up to the second spot in the standings. Formal (Tony Kart) earned his third career Rotax title, first in the Senior category with a demanding performance to ensure he is among the top pilots in the country. DeLaO was unable to recover from a tough qualifying effort at the Rotax Grand Nationals, having to come from the LCQ to make the main event, only to be involved in an opening lap wreck. Bujdoso (PCR) was also fighting his way forward in South Bend, and was doing well until trouble struck for him in the feature race as well. Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart) increased his total by 44 points with his results at the WKA race in Norway, but fell to fifth with the advancement of Formal into the top-five.
KartSport North America’s Sam Beasley (Arrow) has become the ‘Suzan Lucci’ of the Rotax Grand Nationals, scoring the runner-up finish the last three years. The former EKN TaG Driver Rankings #1 driver is a great talent behind the wheel and will be a threat at the Rotax Grand Finals, making his third straight trip with Team USA. Matt Johnson (Energy) earned his third California ProKart Challenge victory of the season to all but ensure the championship for 2012. The Buddy Rice Karting driver remains seventh, now tied with Tommy Andersen (Kosmic). Andersen scored his first WKA TaG victory of the season to increase his score and move one spot up to eighth. 2011 Rotax Grand Nationals champ Nick Neri (Tony Kart) just missed a spot on Team USA with a fourth place finish at this year’s event. Running inside the top-three, the Ocala Gran Prix pilot fell back as the race wore on. Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel) completes the top-10, unable to improve his score and fell to tenth. It was a rough week at the Rotax Grand Nationals for the MRP Motorsport driver, coming in underweight during a heat race and losing a chain in the Last Chance Qualifier to miss the show.
Dropping out of the top-10 this month are Louie Pagano and Luke Chudleigh. Pagano (Birel) passed on the Rotax Grand Nationals for the first time in a few years, while the Canadian Chudleigh has his results based on the Florida Winter Tour and Gatorz Challenge of the Americas. Drivers to note inside the top-50 this month include Fritz Leesmann (CRG), the current #1 driver in the Stock Moto Driver Rankings, and Logan Bearden (Haase), moving his way forward.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | Jul. 30 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Mason Chelootz | 29 | 7354 | | 2. | 6 | 4 | Daniel Formal | 14 | 7296 | | 3. | 2 | -1 | Phil DeLaO | 11 | 7265 | | 4. | 3 | -1 | Robert Bujdoso | 22 | 7260 | | 5. | 4 | -1 | Chris Wehrheim | 17 | 7256 | | 6. | 12 | 6 | Sam Beasley | 14 | 7228 | | 7. | 5 | -2 | Matt Johnson | 10 | 7150 | | 8. | 9 | 1 | Tommy Andersen | 18 | 7150 | | 9. | 15 | 6 | Nick Neri | 13 | 7114 | | 10. | 7 | -3 | Jesus Rios Jr. | 11 | 7106 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
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TaG #1 - Mason Chelootz
Spring, Texas
 | Mason Chelootz
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Team Top Kart USA driver Chelootz has the second highest number of races recorded in the EKN Driver Rankings (29) and the best seven-race total to remain the number one driver. His performance at the WKA event in Norway placed him back in the title hunt for the TaG title and was among the contenders at the Rotax Grand Nationals, earning his career best finish of sixth in the main event. With the Rock Island GP and WKA finale on the docket for the upcoming month, Chelootz could increase his lead even more.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - New Castle - TaG 2 | 9 | 1 | 1045 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 Rotax #1 | 9 | 1 | 1053 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’12 - Kershaw - TaG 2 | 9 | 2 | 1045 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’12 - PIRC - TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1041 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’12 - PIRC - TaG 2 | 9 | 1 | 1049 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’12 - Norway - TaG 2 | 9 | 1 | 1032 | | Rotax Grand Nationals 2012 - Senior Max | 10 | 6 | 1089 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.86
Average Points: 1050.6
Total Points: 7354
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TaG ‘ON THE MOVE’ - Andrew Palmer - #22
Chicago, Illinois
 | | Andrew Palmer |
2010 Rotax Grand Nationals Junior Max champion Andrew Palmer will return as a member of Team USA for a second time thanks to his third place finish at this year’s event. The 18-year old has concentrated on the Nationals each year since entering the sport, and combined with the J3 Competition operation, has been a consistent contender in Rotax competition. Palmer warmed up for the Nationals with a victory at the WKA event, beating out the regulars by a healthy margin. Palmer will now focus on Portugal where he hopes to be the next top American in the Senior Max category.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Florida Winter Tour ’12 Rotax #1 | 9 | 10 | 958 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 Rotax #2 | 9 | 7 | 990 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 TaG #1 | 8 | 3 | 835 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 TaG #1 | 8 | 4 | 827 | | Florida Winter Tour ’12 Rotax #6 | 9 | 4 | 1017 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’12 - South Bend - TaG 2 | 9 | 1 | 1079 | | Rotax Grand Nationals 2012 - Senior Max | 10 | 3 | 1123 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.57
Average Points: 975.6
Total Points: 6829
Upcoming TaG Driver Rankings Events
| Date | Series | Class | Track | Location | Rank| 9/1 | IKF Region 7 Sprint Championship #5 | TaG Senior | Grange Motor Circuit | Aplle Valley, CA | 8 | | 9/1 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #5 | TaG Senior | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | | 9/2 | IKF Region 7 Sprint Championship #5 | PRD Senior | Grange Motor Circuit | Aplle Valley, CA | 8 | | 9/2 | SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge #6 | TaG Senior | Grand Junction Motor Speedway | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | | 9/2 | Rock Island Grand Prix | TaG Senior | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 9 | | 9/2 | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rotax Senior | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 8 | | 9/2 | Rock Island Grand Prix | Parilla Leopard | Rock Island Grand Prix | Rock Island, IL | 8 | | 9/8 | Route 66 Sprint Series #6 | TaG 1 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 8 | | 9/9 | WKA West Super Series #6 | TaG Senior | Atwater Kart Club | Atwater, CA | 8 | | 9/9 | WKA West Super Series #6 | PRD Senior | Atwater Kart Club | Atwater, CA | 8 | | 9/9 | Route 66 Sprint Series #6 | TaG 2 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 8 | | 9/15 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series #6 | Parilla Leopard | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 8 | | 9/15 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series #6 | TaG 1 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 9 | | 9/15 | SKUSA California ProKart Challenge #6 | TaG Senior | Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix | Lancaster, CA | 9 | | 9/16 | WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series #6 | TaG 2 | New Castle Motorsports Park | New Castle, IN | 9 | | 9/23 | Rotax Pan American Challenge | Senior Max | The Track at Centennial | Centennial, CO | 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 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. |
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