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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - November 9 |
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The end of the 2007 season is fast approaching with the month of October now in the books and another edition of the EKN Driver Rankings is ready for release. The sport's national championships have been decided following the Desert MINI National Finals in Vegas, although one more event remains on the rankings schedule - the SKUSA SuperNationals XI.
With ICA races complete for 2007, the ICC and TaG drivers having just one more chance to move up in the final ’07 EKN Driver Rankings, we're almost locked heading into 2008, which will kick off at the Florida Winter Tour. Heading into the Stars finale, the three #1 drivers in each of our categories all won, as Gary Carlton (ICC), Scott Jenkins (ICA), and Devon Sandeen (TaG) all earned their respective national titles. This leaves Vegas as the only opportunity for drivers to alter their positions heading into the new year.
 | Two-time defending ICC National Champion Gary Carlton
(Photo: EKN) |
ICC
For ICC Rankings, Click Here
The now two-time defending ICC National Champion Gary Carlton did not finish the Stars schedule as hoped, earning just one victory at the Desert MINI National Finals. That win though was enough to put a cap on another championship season, including nine victories in 12 finals and both divisional championships. When not running in the States, the PCH Motorsports-CRG pilot also competed in the European Championship and WSK International Series against the top pilots in the world. With the SKUSA SuperNationals up next on Carlton’s hit list, he will be able to face some of the same pilots on his home soil in hopes to cash in a second $10k check as he did last year.
With the help of a podium finish at the National Finals, Fritz Leesman was able to leap up to second from sixth to make it a CRG 1-2 atop the ICC Driver Rankings. The Wunder-Bar Racing pilot had an outstanding year, finishing second in the Stars ICC standings as well as a runner-up in the Western Division championship. Team Top Kart USA driver Matt Jaskol fell one spot to third after a sub-par National Finals in his hometown of Las Vegas. Cameron Motorsports’ Michael Vincec stays at fourth after a solid sophomore season in ICC but will be absent from the SuperNationals to compete in the Skip Barber Southern Regional program. Former #1 in 2006, Italian Motors pilot David Jurca dropped two spots to fifth despite two top-ten performances in Vegas. Ironically, the top five in the rankings match the finishing order of the Stars ICC championship standings.
Of note, the top rookie in the EKN ICC Driver Rankings is J3 Competition driver Richard Benitez. The Puerto Rican surpassed former top rookie Hayden Duerson of Italian Motors. The two will battle for the top rookie spot at the SuperNationals next weekend.
ICC #1 - Gary Carlton
Marysville, CA
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SuperNationals 2006 | 10 | 1 | 1153 | | Stars Race of the Americas 2007 #1 | 10 | 1 | 1182 | | Stars Race of the Americas 2007 #2 | 10 | 1 | 1182 | | Stars of Karting ’07 - East #3 - New Castle | 9 | 1 | 1067 | | Stars of Karting ’07 - East #4 - New Castle | 9 | 1 | 1068 | | Stars National Finals 2007 #1 | 10 | 3 | 1133 | | Stars National Finals 2007 #2 | 10 | 1 | 1156 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1
Average Points: 1134
Total Points: 7940
Upcoming ICC Ranked Events
| Date | Series | Track | Location | Rank| 11/18 | SKUSA SuperNationals | Sam Boyd Stadium | Las Vegas, NV | 10 | | 11/24 | Southwest Regional Cup - Fall 3 | Gulf Coast Kartway | Katy, TX | 8 | |
 | New ICA National Champion Scott Jenkins
(Photo: EKN) |
ICA
For ICA Rankings, Click Here
The recently crowned Stars of Karting ICA National Champion Scott Jenkins remains the top driver in the EKN Driver Rankings. The Brit hopes to dominate the National Finals, as he did all year long, diminished when he retired early in the first main event. Trouble would stay away from the Champion Racing/Intrepid driver in the second final, taking the victory and clinching the national crown. The event could be his last karting race as he plans to move up to the open wheel car ranks in Europe, possible in the United States as well.
PSL Karting’s Jake Rosenzweig finished the year moving up to second in the rankings with two-top five finishes in Vegas to end the year. Also advancing into the top five includes James Kennedy, who ends up third. The G-Phactory/Sodi Kart USA pilot ended the Stars season strong with a runner-up finish in both finals at the National Finals. Champion Racing/Intrepid driver Tyler Dueck and Cameron Motorsports’ Cody Jolly stay fourth and fifth. 2006 national champion and recently crowned Skip Barber National champion Joel Miller dropped to seventh behind Western Division ICA titlist Nick Tonkin.
With no events left on the 2007 calendar including the ICA division, the rankings will be static until the opening round of the Florida Winter Tour.
ICA #1 - Scott Jenkins
Winterbourne Down, Bristol, England
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Stars Race of the Americas 2007 #1 | 10 | 1 | 1142 | | Stars Race of the Americas 2007 #2 | 10 | 1 | 1142 | | Stars of Karting ’07 - East #3 - New Castle | 10 | 1 | 1054 | | Stars of Karting ’07 - East #4 - New Castle | 10 | 1 | 1054 | | Stars National Finals 2007 #2 | 10 | 1 | 1147 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1
Average Points: 1108
Total Points: 5539
Upcoming ICA Ranked Events
2008 Events TBA
 | New Stars Spec Racer National Champion Devon Sandeen
(Photo: EKN) |
TaG
For TaG Rankings, Click Here
With only eight Stars of Karting finals to his credit, the new Stars Spec Racer champion Devon Sandeen stays atop the EKN TaG Driver Rankings. After finishing second in the class championship last season, Sandeen was determined to claim the crown in 2007 and did so. Recording just one finish outside the top five, the Checkered Flag Racing pilot was the most consistent driver and one of the fastest in the Stars Spec Racer category all year. Next on Sandeen’s hit list is a win at the SKUSA SuperNationals next weekend in the TaG Senior category, where he’ll battle 79 other drivers for the win and defend his #1 spot on the rankings.
First year Senior driver Conor Daly ran nearly everywhere in 2007, gaining as much experience as possible, and it paid off. The Team Top Kart pilot moved to second following a top-five finish in Vegas to end up as the runner-up to Sandeen in the overall chase, along with his Eastern Division championship. The first winner of the year, Jason Toft, ended the Stars season strong as well, moving him up 16 spots to third. The MRP-Birel America driver recorded a podium finish in the first final in Vegas and added a fourth to that in the second. Chris Scribner of Scribner Plastics moved up four spots with a podium run at the National Finals aboard his Tony Kart. Completing the top five is rising star Joey Licata Jr. The TNR Motorsports pilot has strong regional finishes to his credit along with six-top five finishes on the Stars Western Division Schedule.
The biggest jump into the top ten is from Colin Katsakian. The Diede Racing/Leading Edge Motorsports driver moved 40 spots to ninth with just seven races to his credit. Of those seven, two of them are Stars victories, one from Miller Motorsports Park and the other from Moran Raceway. Add in two more top ten finishes, one from Vegas, and the Intrepid driver jumps into the top ten.
TaG #1 - Devon Sandeen
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Stars Race of the Americas 2007 #1 | 10 | 5 | 1076 | | Stars Race of the Americas 2007 #2 | 10 | 4 | 1087 | | Stars of Karting ’07 - West #6 - Moran | 9 | 1 | 1038 | | Stars National Finals 2007 #1 | 10 | 2 | 1130 | | Stars National Finals 2006 #2 | 10 | 1 | 1141 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 3
Average Points: 1094
Total Points: 5472
Upcoming TaG Ranked Events
| Date | Series | Track | Location | Rank| 11/18 | SKUSA SuperNationals | Sam Boyd Stadium | Las Vegas, NV | 10 | | 11/24 | Southwest Regional Cup - Fall 3 | Gulf Coast Kartway | Katy, TX | 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 top seven finishes in ICC to determine their overall current point total. The top five as used for ICA and TaG due to the lower number of available events. With each new release, results posted from more than one year ago are discarded. To deliver this current ranking list, we tabulated the results of all the Snap-on Stars of Karting national events, as well as other regional programs. We have also included the results for the major one-off events such as the Rock Island Grand Prix, SKUSA King of the Streets, the SKUSA SuperNationals, the KartSport Grand Prix and the Greeley Grand Prix.
Each race was 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 2007, the Stars of Karting Race of the Americas and National Finals, the SKUSA SuperNationals and the Rock Island Grand Prix are the only events to receive a score of 10 in their initial weighting. For the ICC, ICA and TaG divisions, the Stars of Karting national series events draw a base ranking of nine (9), while the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, Florida Winter Tour, and other regional program races were given a base ranking of eight (8). For the TaG, most of the events have a base ranking of nine (9). The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event, and at the end of the year for the 2008 season.
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 (top 25 for ICA and TaG) 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 for ICC and the best five for ICA and TaG, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking. |
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