Marijn Kremers remains at the top of the EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings five months into 2023 (Photo: EKN)

The first five months of the 2023 season are now in the books, and it seems like it went by quicker than a shifterkart in sixth gear. As the month of May is concluded, the newest standings of the eKartingNews.com Shifterkart Driver Rankings presented by Skip Barber Racing School are now released. Not much has changed in the order, including no movement in the top-nine factoring in the results from the last 12 months.

The top three drivers in the EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings were at the United States Pro Kart Series Texas Grand Prix at the end of April, with only one driver improving their score. AJ Myers (Magik Kart USA) took the victory at the Speedsportz Racing Park in New Caney, Texas, helping to cut into the advantage current #1 Marijn Kremers (PSL Karting / Birel ART) continues to hold. The gap is now just 121 from 150 a month ago. Hunter Pickett (PSL Karting / Birel ART) remains in the third position with no change after another top-five in the Lone Star State.

Jacob Gulick (GFC Karting) and Billy Musgrave (Factory Kart) make up the top-five. Gulick added no races to his total while Musgrave won another main event at the California ProKart Challenge program held at Buttonwillow without adding to his score. Kyle Wick (GFC Karting) was also idle over the last month to keep himself in the sixth position.

Giorgio Carrara (International Motorsports / Lenzo Kart) grabbed his first USPKS podium at the Texas Grand Prix, placing third in what was his best performance of the 2023 to date. He improved his score but remains in seventh. Also improving his score based on his first big victory is Tahlon Yockel (Magik Kart USA). He remains in the eighth position but bumped up his score a few points with victory under the lights at the Stars Championship Series event at the Trackhouse Motorplex. No change in the point total for Keawn Tandon (GFC Karting) as he remains in ninth after a top-five run at the California PKC event.

The only change in the top-10 was for the tenth spot as Joshua Conquer (Vermont Kart Company / Maranello) moves into the position, dropping Vincenzo Sarracino (VSR / TB Kart) down to 11th. Conquer is coming off a win at the Florida Winter Tour opener to start out the season and recently finished on the podium at the Stars opener to start the month of May.

The biggest ‘On the Move’ driver over the last month was Californian Alan Sciuto (GFC Karting). It was nearly 20 years ago that Sciuto was among the top shifterkart drivers in the country. In 2004, Sciuto won the SKUSA ProMoto Tour championship in SuperPro, just two years after winning the K2 (80cc Junior) title. Sciuto finished second at the SKUSA SuperNationals 25 this past November.

Creeping his way back into the top-50 is former EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings #1 Danny Formal (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic). Now with five events under his belt over the last 12 months, Formal sits 47th. His upcoming schedule includes the final two events of the SKUSA Pro Tour along with the USPKS finale in October ahead the Vegas events to cap off 2023. Expect the inaugural USPKS Pro Shifter winner to move up into or near the top-10 next month.

Upcoming Events

Shifterkart #1 – Marijn Kremers
Gemert, Netherlands

(Photo: EKN – Nate Dean)

The shifterkart king continues to wear the crown. Dutch driver Marijn Kremers remains the driver to beat in shifterkart racing here in the USA. The PSL Karting / Birel ART pilot claimed the Florida Winter Tour title coming off last year’s SKUSA Pro Tour championship. He’s sitting third in the SKUSA title defense after the opening two rounds of the WinterNationals while he remains second in the USPKS standings after two events. The Utah Motorsports Campus and New Castle Motorsports Park suit the 2019 FIA KZ World Champion, which is where the next three events will be held.

Point Breakdown

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Shifterkart #2 – AJ Myers
Tampa, Florida

AJ Myers (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

The #1 position is no stranger to Florida native AJ Myers, having finished the EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings as the ‘Driver of the Year’ three times (2018, 2020, 2021). The former SKUSA Pro Tour champion improved his score with a redemption victory at the second stop of the United States Pro Kart Series, having the Round One triumph taking away due to a mechanical failure. Myers is among the more decorated drivers at the New Castle Motorsports Park, with the opportunity to improve on his second-place spot in the SKUSA Pro Tour standings and third spot in the USPKS title chase following the SpringNationals in Utah, where Myers won on Sunday in the main event last year.

Point Breakdown

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Shifterkart #3 – Hunter Pickett
Benicia, California

(Photo: ChallengeKarting.com)

Adding to the veteran roster in the top-three of the EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings is Hunter Pickett. Grabbing the first wins under the PSL Karting / Birel ART banner at his home track for Challenge of the Americas finale, Pickett is set to celebrate his one-year anniversary with the team next weekend at the SKUSA SpringNationals. The Californian remains a threat each weekend, however, a win at the upcoming SKUSA or USPKS events in June will help his bid to move up the standings, and solidify himself as one of the best over the last several seasons.

Point Breakdown

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 the TaG and Shifterkart categories 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 also included the results for the major one-off events such as the SKUSA SuperNationals, the Rock Island Grand Prix, and other special races.

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 2023, the SKUSA SuperNationals will receive a score of 10 in its initial weighting in the TaG and Shifterkart 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 Vegas, Rotax Grand Nationals, Rock Island Grand Prix, 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.

EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings presented by Skip Barber Racing School – as of May 31, 2023

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