Skylar Dunning finished as the top driver in the 2016 Briggs Weekly Racing Series program

In March 2015, Briggs & Stratton announced the ‘Briggs Weekly Racing Series presented by RLV’ program for the grassroots Briggs LO206 racers across North America. The premise is to match up racers against other racers at tracks from the same state, the same region, and the entire continent. While Briggs presented the WRS to tracks all over the country, the ultimate responsibility was put on the racers to have their own track or club series sign up for program, and in return both the tracks and racers would receive a prizes at the end of the season, including many of the great products produced by Briggs & Stratton.

The format is simple. A racer must compete in the Senior or Masters LO206 category – and new for 2016 a Junior division –  at ONE recognized Briggs WRS tracks or series, racing in at least seven events in the calendar year before November 1, all in accordance to the Briggs & Stratton rule set. Each track must be a sanctioned facility in good standing with WKA, IKF, NKA, TAG USA or AKRA. The Senior, Masters, and Junior LO206 classes must follow the Briggs & Stratton factory rule set in its entirety with no exceptions (in Canada, the official ASN rule set). The track must submit a maximum of 11 race dates (including rain dates), and the final results within one week following said events.

Points are accumulated based on the first eight races attended, with the best seven of eight counted at the end of the season. Both Senior and Masters drivers compete head-to-head in the standings, while Junior drivers will have their own rankings. Points for Senior/Master are based on three categories:

* Category 1 – Quantity of karts participating in the class. The scale is 1 point to 10 points, based on the number of karts. More than 10 karts is still 10 points.

* Category 2 – Finishing position. First place equates to 10 points down to 10th place or above at 1 point.

* Category 3 – Number of karts finished ahead of (maximum is 10 karts).

Points for Junior are based on these three categories:

* Category 1 – Quantity of karts participating in the class. The scale is 1 point to 7 points, based on the number of karts. More than 7 karts is still 7 points.

* Category 2 – Finishing position. First place equates to 7 points down to 7th place or above at 1 point.

* Category 3 – Number of karts finished ahead of (maximum is 6 karts).

The three US regional winners and one Canadian champion in Senior/Master standings will be crowned at the end of the season. The top three will be awarded a P3000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator ($1,500 value). Fourth through 10th in each region receive a P2300 watt PowerSmart Inverter Generator ($650 value). Eleventh through 12th are awarded the 2,200 PSI Briggs & Stratton Brute Pressure Washer ($350 value) with 13th-17th each receiving a Sonic Tools 61 piece Socket Set ($175 value). The total value is over $10,600 per region.

For the Junior standings, the top-20 drivers earn the Sonic Tools 61 piece Socket Set ($175). Twenty-first through 60th are awarded custom youth-sized Briggs & Stratton driving gloves ($70). All that comes in at over $12,000 in additional prizes for the Briggs WRS program.

In total, over $55,000 will be awarded at the end of the Briggs & Stratton Weekly Racing Series presented by RLV.

For complete standings and information, visit briggswrs.com.

Senior

It was an amazing second season for the Briggs Weekly Racing Series with an expanded prize package, and an expanded roster of drivers participating. Each week, weekend warriors take to their local kart tracks, competing with the popular Briggs 206 engine package in the Senior/Masters categories. In total, the driver total for the season was 1,523 – a 25% increase from the opening year of the program hosted by 45 tracks across Canada and the United States.

Looking at the numbers more in-depth, Canada and West regions make up 61% of the drivers in the Briggs WRS program, with Canada welcoming the most with 476 from 11 tracks. The West has the largest number of tracks at 15, while the East only boasts six, all coming from the southern section of the coastline. Thus, a void is left in the northeastern portion of the country, which should be represented next year with the continued growth of the Briggs 206 engine.

The final calculations have been made, with three drivers earning maximum points over the course of the 2016 season to finish tied at the top of the Briggs Weekly Racing Series. The deciding factor was the ‘karts finished ahead of’ column in the calculations, thus giving Canadian driver Skylar Dunning the overall #1 position. The Edmonton & District Kart Racing Association (EDKRA) averaged over 15 drivers a race on the year, helping Dunning to claim the top spot. Fellow Canadian Cameron Nickerson matched the score via his results at the Atlantic Motorsport Karters Association in Nova Scotia. Top driver in the Midwest region – Logan Smith – also recorded a perfect score for his efforts at the Concept Haulers Motor Speedway just outside Chicago, Illinois – another popular facility for Briggs 206 racing.

Barry Peel and JT Swygert topped the other two regions to claim the top prize in the West and East. Peel was among the top challengers for the #1 position overall all season from the Gulf Coast Karters facility outside Houston, Texas, finishing fourth with the top honor in his region. Swygert moved up late in the year, climbing to the top spot in the East at the Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina, finishing the year sixth overall. Canada claimed the top spot, and took five of the top-10 positions. Midwest followed with three drivers while just the top drivers in the West and East completing the top-10.

Canada (Overall)

Skylar Dunning
Points: 203
Track: EDKRA

Age: 19
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta
Occupation: Student
Chassis: K&K Cobra OTB
Sponsors: RK Kartsport, Ar-jays 2000
Years Karting: 12

MidWest

Logan Smith
Points: 203
Track: Concept Haulers Motor Speedway

Age: 18
Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois
Occupation: College Student
Chassis: Arrow
Sponsors: Polygem Epoxy and my Parents
Years Karting: 11

West

Barry Peel
Points: 201
Track: Gulf Coast Karters

Age: 37
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Construction Project Superintendent
Chassis: Alpha
Sponsors: Alpha Karting
Years Karting: 2

East

JT Swygert
Points: 195
Track: Carolina Motorsports Park

Age: 36
Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina
Occupation: Energy Lighting/Electrical Contractor
Chassis: CompKart
Sponsors: CompKart Southeast, JAM Motorsports, J3 Competition, Lighting Carolina, and my beautiful wife for the support and bringing our next generation racer into the world
Years Karting: 4

Junior

2016 marked the first season including the Junior categories as part of the Briggs Weekly Racing Series. As the song states, the children are the future, and by the numbers the future is bright. Nearly 800 drivers at 39 facilities from Canada and the United States took part in the program, with the USA providing more with 464 drivers and 28 track. Canada won the war, scoring the overall #1 position with Matthew Taskinen. A solid national-level driver and recent Team Canada member at the Rotax Grand Finals, Taskinen scored maximum points at six of the seven races at the EDKRA program counted toward his total. Leading the way in the United States is driver Macy Williams, competing at the Colorado Junior Kart Club.

Canada (Overall)

Matthew Taskinen
Points: 138
Track: EDKRA

Age: 16
Hometown: New Sarepta, Alberta
Occupation: Student
Chassis: Awesome Kart
Sponsors: Venables
Years Karting: 4

United States

Macy Williams
Points: 136
Track: Colorado Junior Kart Club

Age: 12
Hometown: Littleton, Colorado
Occupation: Student – 6th Grade
Chassis: Tony Kart
Sponsors: Glass Works, Inc., Fleet Movers LLC., Unser karting, Christian Bird Motorsports, Terry Nash Hyper Motors
Years Karting: 6

Briggs Weekly Racing Series Standings – Senior – 2016 Final Rankings