After two months, the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings is taking shape, putting the best drivers of the season up toward the top of the standings. A number of races took place in July, adding points to a number of drivers along the way. One consistent remains, Fritz Leesmann (CRG) at the top. The Californian continues to set the bar for the Stock Moto category, and increases his point total heading into the final stages of the 2013 season.

Leesmann’s total, while just two points more, but put him at the 6600 total mark. The SKUSA Pro Tour S1 point leader is in position to earn his second straight, and third title in four years this November. Second place, Billy Musgrave (Tony Kart), increased his point total off the SummerNationals results, placing sixth and second. The Southern Californian is now just 156 points back of Leesmann. Third, despite a rough SummerNationals, is Sabré Cook (CRG). Ill throughout the second stop of the Pro Tour, Cook improved to move up to third. A few weeks following the SummerNats, it was discovered that the CRG-USA driver was suffering from an infected gull bladder. Successful surgery at the end of July have put her on the sidelines while she recovers, with the hope of returning to the seat at the end of August.

Jumping up three spots to fourth is the top S2 driver in the standings – Ryan Kinnear. The Champion Racing/Intrepid scored his first Pro Tour victory at the SummerNationals, against a large S2 field, and now holds the championship lead heading into the SuperNationals in November. The ‘Flyin Hawaiian’ Alec Gumpfer remains in the fifth position, as the Pure Karting/Tony Kart pilot, increased his score but did not improve his spot in the standings. Gumpfer drove to his first S1 top-five finish on the Pro Tour, and putting himself as a podium contender for Vegas.

Down three positions to sixth is Utah driver Tyler Bennett (Tony Kart). A podium finisher at the SummerNationals at his home track, Bennett was unable to match the performance this time around in Colorado. Jimmy McNeil (CRG-USA) also dropped, moving to seventh, despite recording his first top-five finish on the Pro Tour. Moving up to the top-10 in the standings, up from 23rd, is veteran Mike Beeny (Tony Kart). The Utah driver earned his first S1 podium at the SummerNationals, placing runner-up during Saturday’s main event. S2 driver Christian Schureman (CRG-USA) remains in the top-10, now ninth. S1 newcomer Lloyd Mack (CRG) enters the top-10, reaching the minimum six races thanks to his California ProKart Challenge and SKUSA Pro Tour campaign.

(Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

Stock Moto #1 – Fritz Leesmann
Elk Grove, California

One thing remains the same in the Stock Moto categories, as Fritz Leesmann continues his reign over the Driver Rankings. Another win at the SummerNationals solidified him as the top driver in the SKUSA Pro Tour as he looks toward earning his third title in four years. In four years of the SKUSA Pro Tour, only three North American drivers have able to win when Leesmann is not standing on the top step of the podium – Clinton Schoombee at the SpringNationals 2010, Alex Speed at the SuperNationals in 2010 and Joey Wimsett twice last year. Leesmann’s ‘To Do’ list still includes one task – a SuperNationals victory.

Point Breakdown

Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.67
Average Points: 1100.2
Total Points: 6600

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(Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

Stock Moto ‘On the Move’ – #17
Joshua de Losier
Las Vegas, Nevada

This year’s S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto field is exciting. Over 30 drivers are fighting for every inch they can, looking to improve with each outing and making a name for themselves in shifterkart racing. One of the rising names is the Acceleration Karting’s Joshua de Losier. A TaG racer converted to shifterkart, the 18-year old is working under the tutelage of Curtis Cooksey, and making strides on the Pro Tour. This year, de Losier has finished all four main events inside the top-10, and finds himself seventh in the Pro Tour standings with a shot at the #3 SKUSA plate.

Point Breakdown

Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 6.33
Average Points: 968.5
Total Points: 5811

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 2013, 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 Manufacturers Cup, Florida Winter Tour, Rotax Challenge of the Americas, IKF 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals, Rotax Pan American Challenge, United States Pro Kart Series 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.

Stock Moto Driver Rankings – as of August 16, 2013

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