Ryan Norberg remains #1 to begin 2018 (Photo: EKN)

A total of 34 main events have been completed already this season, counting toward the 2018 eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings Powered by Bell Racing USA. It has been a busy racing season already, and we are just getting into the Spring weather across North America with nearly all tracks opening up for 2018. National and regional racing has been underway since the first days of the calendar year, including the annual WKA Daytona KartWeek in December that kicks off the new racing season. Things in the TaG standings remain unchanged at the top with the same trio of drivers on the podium to open up 2018.

Two-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg (PSL / Birel ART) remains at the top of the Driver Rankings to begin 2018. The Florida driver has already earned some hardware for 2018 with the title at the Florida Winter Tour, however, finds himself trailing after the SKUSA Pro Tour WinterNationals weekend. Braden Eves (MDD / Vemme) remains in the second position despite not making a single start in 2018, with his focus on the F4 US Championship. Also looking to make his run at the open wheel ranks in 2018 is #3 Jake Craig. The California driver returned to the SKUSA Pro Tour and matched his victory at the WinterNationals to remain toward the top and is in the hunt for the title.

Canadian Samuel Lupien has been busy this winter, taking advantage of both coasts of racing to move up one spot in the Driver Rankings. The RPG / Kosmic driver has hit all the SKUSA events, including the Winter Series and California ProKart Challenge rounds. It has been some time since we’ve had a Canadian at the top of the Driver Rankings. Down one spot is Brandon Jarsocrak. The KartSport North America / Kart Republic driver has two wins this season – SKUSA Winter Series and WKA Man. Cup – however it was a rough WinterNationals which moved the ‘Shillington Slingshot’ down the Driver Rankings order. Alex Bertagnoli (FMS / Kart Republic) remains in the sixth spot despite losing a few points. The driver from Illinois earned his first SKUSA Pro Tour podium in the Senior category at the WinterNationals, helping to keep the sixth position.

The drop of Cedrick Lupien, Kellen Ritter and Christian Brooks out of the top-10 allows for Dante Yu, Nicky Hays and Ryan MacDermid to move up the order. Yu (CompKart) is back into the top-10 after an inaugural SKUSA Winter Series victory and top-10 at the WinterNationals. Hays (PGR / Ricciardo) – a two time California ProKart Challenge champion – had probably his best SKUSA Pro Tour weekend with a fifth and 10th place results. MacDermid (Prime / Birel ART) competed in exactly the same events as Norberg, earning top-five finishes this winter. Rounding out the top-10 is Billy Musgrave (MRC / Mad-Croc), moving up eight spots. The current EKN Stock Honda Driver Rankings #1 could be the first to hold top-10 positions in both Driver Rankings since maybe Kyle Wiegand.

The 2018 eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings Powered by Bell Racing USA ‘On the Move’ drivers include Callum Bradshaw, Jake Drew, and Hannah Greenemeier. Bradshaw (CRG Nordam) boosted up into the 21st position thanks to his travels from Great Britain. A podium finisher at the SuperNationals, Bradshaw continued that run at the SKUSA Winter Series and a top-10 at the WinterNationals. Drew (PGR / Ricciardo) was impressive in his last three events, earning four victories in five main events that include the Challenge of the Americas races at CalSpeed and Sonoma along with the California PKC opener at Buttonwillow. Greenemeier is among the rookies for the 2018 season, getting nine races in from January to April. Strong performances at the SKUSA WinterNationals and the Challenge finale put her 32nd in the Driver Rankings and in the hunt for top rookie of the season.

Upcoming EKN TaG Driver Rankings Schedule

TaG #1 – Ryan Norberg
Orlando, Florida

(Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

The difference right now for Ryan Norberg in the EKN Driver Rankings is the US Rotax Grand Nationals. Norberg is the only driver with seven races recording a score over 1000. That helps him hold the 189-point advantage heading into the SpringNationals. As a two-time SpringNationals winner, Norberg is going to need to earn a third straight in order to help keep himself at the top of the Driver Rankings. Heading back to the site of his first SKUSA Pro Tour victory, the PSL / Birel ART is sizing up to continue the streak.

Point Breakdown
Race,Rank,Finish,Points
SKUSA SpringNationals ’17 #1,9.5,1,1144
SKUSA SpringNationals ’17 #2,9.5,7,1076
US Rotax Grand Nationals 2017,9.5,2,1048
SKUSA SummerNationals ’17 #1,9.5,2,1179
SKUSA SummerNationals ’17 #2,9.5,9,1096
SKUSA SuperNationals 2017,10,5,1147
SKUSA WinterNationals ’18 #2,9.5,5,1041

Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.43
Average Points: 1104.4
Total Points: 7731

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TaG #2 – Braden Eves
Gahanna, Ohio

(Photo: EKN)

This could be the best we see Braden Eves end up in the EKN Driver Rankings. The MDD / Vemme Kart driver has been away from the driver’s seat in 2018 as he prepares for a full season at the F4 US Championship program. Eves was among the top drivers in his limited open wheel schedule in 2017, gunning for the series championship this year which begins this weekend at VIR. Eves is still around the kart track, supporting drivers and teams, and we expect the Ohio driver to make a few guest appearances this season between F4 races.

Point Breakdown
Race,Rank,Finish,Points
SKUSA SpringNationals ’17 #1,9.5,12,1019
SKUSA SpringNationals ’17 #2,9.5,1,1144
WKA Man. Cup Series ’17 #4,8.5,1,954
WKA Man. Cup Series ’17 #6,8.5,2,956
SKUSA SummerNationals ’17 #2,9.5,1,1191
SKUSA SummerNationals ’17 #2,9.5,2,1179
SKUSA SuperNationals 2017,10,9,1099

Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.00
Average Points: 1077.4
Total Points: 7542

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TaG #3 – Jake Craig
Mission Viejo, California

(Photo: EKN)

There is room for improvement in the Driver Rankings for Jake Craig. The California driver has at least one victory on the SKUSA Pro Tour in the last three seasons, including the 2016 SuperNats, 2017 WinterNationals and this year’s WinterNats. With a DNF at last year’s SpringNationals, Craig (RPM / Tony Kart) has room to improve his score and draw in closer to Norberg to return to the #1 spot as he was just prior to the SuperNationals. Craig is also pursuing the open wheel ranks, set for the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship in Canada this summer.

Point Breakdown
Race,Rank,Finish,Points
SKUSA SpringNationals ’17 #2,9.5,2,1133
United States Pro Kart Series ’17 #5,9,3,1008
United States Pro Kart Series ’17 #6,9,3,1008
SKUSA SummerNationals ’17 #1,9.5,5,1143
SKUSA SummerNationals ’17 #2,9.5,3,1167
SKUSA WinterNationals ’18 #1,9.5,1,1084
SKUSA WinterNationals ’18 #2,9.5,9,997

Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 3.71
Average Points: 1077.1
Total Points: 7540

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 Stock Honda 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 2018, the SKUSA SuperNationals will receive a score of 10 in its initial weighting in the TaG and Stock Honda categories. A base ranking of 9.5 is set for the SKUSA Pro Tour, while a base ranking of 9 goes to the SKUSA Winter Series, United States Pro Kart Series, Florida Winter Tour, Challenge of the Americas, Rok the Rio, Rock Island Grand Prix, US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals, and California ProKart Challenge. Other national and regional program races were given a base ranking of either 8.5 or 8.0.

The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year. A minimum entry total for any event to be 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, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking.

2018 eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings powered by Bell Racing USA – as of April 23, 2018

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