|
 |
|
 |
| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - April 17, 2009 |
| |
EKN is happy to release the April edition of the 2009 eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings for the Intercontinental C (ICC), Touch and Go (TaG) and Stock Moto categories. With the winter season behind us and the weather warming up around the country, the season is almost underway nationwide with a number of programs opening up their 2009 year in the next month.
Not much changed in the ICC and TaG rankings among the top-10 however the Stock Moto will continue to evolve throughout the season as more and more drivers add their results to the rankings. The 2008 Stars of Karting ICC National Champion Michael Vincec maintains his position as the top shifter kart driver in North America, according to the EKN Driver Rankings while former ICC number one driver Kyle Wiegand maintains the top spot in the TaG Driver Rankings. Patrick Cushenberry holds strong as the number one in Stock Moto with a number of drivers in position to possibly take their time atop the rankings.
EKN is also happy to announce the addition of the Utah State Championship series added to the Stock Moto driver rankings. With ten races and a number of solid competitors in the region, the program was included in the 2009 Stock Moto Driver Rankings schedule with their first and second rounds taking place June 6-7.
ICC
ICC Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Mar. 30 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Michael Vincec | 12 | 7710 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Alex Speed | 18 | 7666 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Gary Carlton | 14 | 7539 | | 4. | 4 | NC | David Jurca | 9 | 7517 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Jordy Vorrath | 11 | 7341 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Fritz Leesmann | 17 | 7339 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Clayton Snow | 8 | 7146 | | 8. | 8 | NC | Cody Jolly | 12 | 7136 | | 9. | 9 | NC | Ron White | 9 | 7136 | | 10. | 10 | NC | Jacob Neal | 17 | 7124 | |
For the full ICC Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Michael Vincec
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
ICC Rankings Report
With the end of the first quarter of racing in the 2009 year, defending Stars of Karting national champion Michael Vincec continues to hold the number one spot in the ICC rankings. The Cameron Motorsports/SSC East CRG pilot began his title defense in March at the Stars Eastern Division opener with a solid second place and the point lead heading into the Race of the Americas in June. Second in the line-up is the new Florida Winter Tour ProShifter champion Alex Speed. Despite his successes in Florida he could not manage to gain enough points to overtake Vincec. Speed joined him on the podium in Ocala with a third place run for the Wunder-Bar Racing-Tony Kart squad while also doing double duty with KF2 action. PCH Motorsports/SSC East CRG’s Gary Carlton, who is third, had the Ocala feature wrapped up until his chain broke off and cost him the victory. When the three meet again at the Race of the Americas, the victor could just walk out as the number one in the rankings.
Completing the top-five are David Jurca (Italian Motors) and Jordy Vorrath, who will fall in the rankings. Jurca will be running a limited schedule in other divisions on the year while Vorrath is not signed to compete in 2009. Fritz Leesmann (PSL Karting) was runner-up to Speed in the FWT program and was absent at the Stars Ocala round so his rankings future is uncertain.
Clayton Snow (Syar Motorsport) is seventh behind Leesmann in part to a strong 2008 season. The NorCal pilot has not hit the driver’s seat yet in 2009 as he is busy turning the wrenches at numerous events. Top 2008 ICC rookie Cody Jolly returned to CRG at the Stars Ocala event, running alongside Vincec but was unable to post the results he had hoped. Watch for him to battle for podiums in 2009. Ron White returned last season to karting after a few years in the open wheel ranks. The ‘Tornado’ still has what it takes to win and will be running a limited schedule this season. Completing the top-ten is rising star Jacob Neal. The PCH Motorsports CRG driver is focused on the ProKart Challenge programs in ’09 and has been visiting the top of the podium in both S1 and S3.
**************
ICC #1 - Michael Vincec
Stouffville, Ontario, Canada
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Stars Race of the Americas 2008 #1 | 10 | 1 | 1171 | | Stars Race of the Americas 2008 #2 | 10 | 3 | 1148 | | Stars of Karting ’08 - East #5 - Shawano | 9 | 2 | 1045 | | Stars of Karting ’08 - East #6 - Shawano | 9 | 2 | 1045 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #1 | 10 | 3 | 1107 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #2 | 10 | 3 | 1107 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2008 | 10 | 5 | 1087 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.71
Average Points: 1101.4
Total Points: 7710
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Mar. 20 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Kyle Wiegand | 12 | 7697 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Victor Cabrera Jr. | 7 | 7549 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Joey Wimsett | 15 | 7477 | | 4. | 4 | NC | Chris Scribner | 12 | 7430 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Chris Wehrheim | 14 | 7430 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Scott Saunders | 14 | 7397 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Will Martindale | 24 | 7273 | | 8. | 8 | NC | Neil Alberico | 16 | 7191 | | 9. | 9 | NC | Jason Toft | 14 | 7147 | | 10. | 10 | NC | Pat Iannucci | 18 | 7079 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Kyle Wiegand
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
TaG Rankings Report
Similar to ICC, the TaG Driver Rankings remains unchanged at the top with Kyle Wiegand holding strong in the number one spot. A solid effort at the high-scoring events in 2008 helped put Wiegand on top however the 2009 season as not been a great start for the Team Top Kart USA driver. A return to his home track of New Castle in May should change that around. MIA for 2009 is defending Stars TaG national champion Victor Cabrera. A stint in KF2 racing at the Florida Winter Tour with PSL Karting, the Puerto Rican is uncertain of his karting future. The true challenger for the number one position will be Oregon’s Joey Wimsett. The Champion Racing/Intrepid USA pilot held the top spot briefly in ’08 but has yet to return. With a good winter month at the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas, Wimsett is primed to earn a national crown.
The ‘Chris and Chris Show’ of Scribner and Wehrheim stay in fourth and fifth. Both had a solid 2008, with Scribner (Kartel Motorsports) taking the Stars Western Division title and Wehrheim (Team Top Kart USA) earning a couple wins in the East. Scribner is looking at stock car racing while Wehrheim will contend in the WKA Manufacturer’s Series to help keep his ranking scores high. Aussie Scott Saunders sits sixth however his 2009 schedule will be a regional one in the Ontario, Canada area. With the uncertainty of those above them, Will Martindale (Wunder-Bar Racing-Tony Kart) and Neil Alberico (Kartel Motorsports) are bound to move up the order. Martindale started the Stars Ocala round on the pole position however was shuffled back to eighth while Alberico struggled in tenth. Completing the top-ten are a couple drivers looking to move into car racing. Jason Toft is running the Skip Barber National program while Iannucci, who nearly earned the FWT TaG Senior title, is running in the KONI Challenge series after opening up the year with a win in Daytona.
The biggest change in the TaG Driver Rankings were the introduction a few drivers to the top-50. Australian David Sera (BTK Motorsports/Arrow) visited the United States and showed them how they race ‘down under’. A number of victories at the Daytona KartWeek and Florida Winter Tour put him 11th on the order with just eight races. Like Wiegand, Richard Benitez had made the move to TaG Senior and was successful in his debut by winning the FWT class championship. His results move him to 17th in the rankings with Cyndie Allemann (Maranello USA), privateers Michael Herda and Garrison Masters along with Leading Edge Motorsports’ Brett Felkins all making their debut in the top-50 with a solid winter schedule.
**************
TaG #1 - Kyle Wiegand
Bargersville, Indiana
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Stars Race of the Americas 2008 #1 | 10 | 3 | 1132 | | Stars Race of the Americas 2008 #2 | 10 | 3 | 1132 | | Stars of Karting ’08 - East #6 - Shawano | 9 | 3 | 1019 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’08 - New Castle #1 | 9 | 1 | 1034 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #1 | 10 | 2 | 1148 | | Stars National Finals 2008 #2 | 10 | 2 | 1148 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2008 | 10 | 7 | 1084 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 3
Average Points: 1099.6
Total Points: 7697
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Mar. 30 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Patrick Cushenberry | 11 | 5838 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Bobby Legate | 10 | 5812 | | 3. | 36 | 33 | Victor Carbone | 7 | 5782 | | 4. | 3 | -1 | Tommy Thompson | 7 | 5748 | | 5. | 4 | -1 | Clinton Schoombee | 11 | 5686 | | 6. | 10 | 4 | Matt Paderta | 17 | 5679 | | 7. | 41 | 34 | Tyler Cooke | 6 | 5647 | | 8. | 20 | 12 | Cole Bosanoz | 8 | 5627 | | 9. | 5 | -4 | Matt Zeis | 6 | 5616 | | 10. | 8 | -2 | Brad Dunford | 14 | 5600 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
 | Patrick Cushenberry
(Photo: Superkarts! USA) |
Stock Moto Rankings Report
The second edition of the Stock Moto Driver Rankings sees Patrick Cushenberry continue atop the order. The Utah driver improved his score slightly with a runner-up finish at the third round of the ProKart Challenge South at Grange Motor Circuit. Second spot Bobby Legate also improved his score, however lost a few points to Cushenberry as he now sits a close 26 points back. Jumping 33 spots to third is Florida Winter Tour Stock Moto champion Victor Carbone who was a perfect six for six in features at the Tour. His advancement moved Tommy Thompson and Clinton Schoombee back one spot each to complete the top-five.
Midwest driver Matt Paderta used his results from the Florida Winter Tour to advance up to sixth from tebth with his FWT competitor Tyler Cooke moving into the top-ten from 41st. Cole Bosanoz completes the FWT invasion as he holds the eighth spot, dropping Matt Zeis and Brad Dunford to ninth and tenth.
**************
Stock Moto #1 - Patrick Cushenberry
Provo, Utah
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| ProKart Challenge South ’08 #4 | 9 | 1 | 937 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2008 | 10 | 8 | 1023 | | ProKart Challenge South ’09 #1 | 9 | 3 | 979 | | ProKart Challenge South ’09 #2 | 9 | 4 | 968 | | ProKart Challenge North ’09 #1 | 9 | 5 | 943 | | ProKart Challenge South ’09 #3 | 9 | 2 | 988 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 3.83
Average Points: 973
Total Points: 5838
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, Stock Moto (S3), and TaG to determine their overall current point total. 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, and the SKUSA SuperNationals.
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 2009, 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. 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 nine (9) or eight (8). The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year.
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 (six for Stock Moto), we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking. |
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
