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| February 17, 2010 News |
| EKN Awards 2009: Young Driver of the Year - Nick Neri |
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 | Young Driver of the Year - Nick Neri
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Over the next six weeks, the eKartingNews.com Awards 2009 program will honor six winners in six categories as one winner will be announced each week, beginning on February 17. The staff at the website produced five nominations for each of the six categories and then gave EKN’s viewers two weeks to submit their ballots to determine the winners in each category. The votes have now been tabulated and EKN is proud to release the winner of each category.
The Young Driver of the Year presentation kicks off the EKN Awards 2009 announcements. The Young Driver category has honored a number of incredibly talented pilots over the years, many of which have found success early in their careers, carrying this momentum to other forms of motorsports as they developed into professionals. The newest member to be added to the EKN Young Driver of the Year alumni is Nick Neri.
The Florida teenager produced a solid CV in 2009, posting a number of victories and championships. Neri kicked off the year by earning his first victories and championship during the Florida Winter Tour. Scoring the opening round win in the Rotax Junior category, Neri went on to record an additional four podium finishes, including two runner-up finishes at the series finale to secure the title. During the other three weekends of the Florida Winter Tour, Neri ended up third in the KF3 standings as a class rookie with three podiums and a single, albeit impressive, victory.
The five-race series of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series saw Neri battle in four categories throughout the season, walking away with a total of three victories and 12 podium finishes. Neri’s best class was HPV Jr. Heavy, where he would claim the championship while ending the year in second, third and fourth in the HPV Jr. Lite, Yamaha Jr. Heavy and Yamaha Jr. Lite categories, respectively. Neri was also perfect in his regional campaign in the Florida Karting Championship Series, going 10 of 10 in victories in Yamaha and HPV competition to add two regional titles to his season.
It doesn’t end there, not by a long shot. Neri’s biggest victory of the year came in September at the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals in the Rotax Junior category. After qualifying second in Norman, Neri recorded a second place finish and an important win in his first two heats before a tough eighth place finish in the final moto put him back to third overall to start the Prefinal. From there, Neri went on to score a seven-second win to sit on the pole for the Final, a position he would leverage fully to earn his second Rotax National Championship, his first Junior crown. Neri then represented Team USA at the Rotax Grand Finals in Egypt, recording the top finish of the North American contingent with his result of 16th in the Junior feature race. Nick’s position also helped Team USA finish second in the Nations Cup standings, the highest place for the American squad in the event’s history.
Neri is set to return to the Junior ranks in 2010, having just turn 14 in December. Neri is once again contesting the Florida Winter Tour and will be a factor at the US Rotax Max Challenge and the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series once again.
 | Neri piloted his Tony Kart to many victories on the season in a number of different categories
(Photo: EKN) |
eKartingNews.com would like to congratulate Nick Neri for his successful 2009 season and the Young Driver of the Year award.
Former Young Driver of the Year Award Winners
2008 - Phil DeLaO
2007 - Jarvis Gennari
2006 - Brett Smrz
2005 - Zach Schiff
2004 - Cole Whitt
2003 - Cole Whitt
2002 - Alan Sciuto
2001 - Wade Van Hooser
2000 - Preston Peebles
1999 - Alex Speed
To discuss the awards, visit the Official Discussion Thread |
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