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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – 2011 Final Standings – TaG |
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The 2011 season has come to a close and so does the updates for the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings. The past year was full of great races throughout the 12 months, all over the country no matter what the organization or sanctioning body that was hosting the event. As we saw last year, a lot of young and talented drivers are making their way up the karting ranks. Reviewing the TaG category now, the young guns have risen to the top once again with Ohio driver Sam Beasley held through most of the season to end 2011 as the #1 driver.
Beasley (Arrow) ended 2010 as the second-ranked driver but early success helped propel him to the number one slot by April. From there, Beasley put in a solid season of results to remain at the top of the rankings; recording a third straight Triple Crown season in WKA competition (two non-TaG classes included), placing second once again at the Rotax Grand Nationals, and defending his TaG victory at the Rock Island Grand Prix. The 17-year old ended the year with the highest point total to date with 7286.
Not too far behind was his WKA counterpart - Robert Bujdoso (PCR). For a second straight year, the 18-year old from Ohio earned two TaG championships. While Bujdoso’s last two seasons have been impressive, he’s yet to add a victory outside the WKA series. Taking third is last year’s EKN Driver of the Year - Daniel Formal. The ‘Alex Speed’ of the TaG category, Formal has won on just about every brand on the market. Running with MRP and Birel at the beginning of the season, Formal recorded a stellar performance in his national debut aboard an Intrepid, placing second at the SuperNationals. Brazilian Felipe Fraga (Zanardi) had a strong 2011 season in the States to finish fourth in the Driver Rankings. Scoring the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas Rotax Senior title, Fraga scored a fourth place run at the SuperNationals to close out the year. Florida driver Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel) had a mixture of good results across the board. Podiums and victories at the Florida Winter Tour, Pan American Challenge, and WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series helped him finish the year fifth in the rankings.
Dropping to sixth is Aussie David Sera (Arrow). Sitting second for much of the year thanks to his runner-up at the 2010 SuperNationals and Florida Winter Tour 2011 championship, Sera missed the SuperNats but for good reason. Sera competed at the Rotax Grand Finals and was the runner-up, adding to just how solid the top of the EKN Driver Rankings really is. CRG driver Arie Ouimet ended 2011 seventh thanks to a solid campaign in WKA. The former KF2 national champion is a talent behind the wheel of any machine. Eighth is California’s Louie Pagano (Birel). Another driver up to any challenge, Pagano recorded the most races of any driver in the top-10 (22). Inching closer to that first elusive Senior victory after a solid Junior career, Pagano will be a name near the top in 2012. Stepanova Nekeel (Kosmic), the 2010 Rotax Grand Nationals champion, finished ninth in the rankings. More importantly, the Washington driver represented Team USA at the Rotax Grand Finals for a third straight year where he placed a career high fifth place in the main event. Rounding out the top-10 is Senior rookie Mason Chelootz (Top Kart). A strong campaign in the WKA series, the Texan climbed the standings throughout the year.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | Sept. 26 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Sam Beasley | 21 | 7286 | | 2. | 3 | 1 | Robert Bujdoso | 15 | 7173 | | 3. | 7 | 4 | Daniel Formal | 13 | 7143 | | 4. | 12 | 8 | Felipe Fraga | 11 | 7074 | | 5. | 4 | -1 | Jesus Rios Jr. | 16 | 7069 | | 6. | 2 | -4 | David Sera | 8 | 7042 | | 7. | 6 | -1 | Arie Ouimet | 14 | 6993 | | 8. | 14 | 6 | Louie Pagano | 22 | 6989 | | 9. | 5 | -4 | Stepanova Nekeel | 8 | 6980 | | 10. | 8 | -2 | Mason Chelootz | 18 | 6963 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here
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 | Sam Beasley
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
TaG #1 - Sam Beasley
Leroy, Ohio
Looking at the number of talented drivers under the age of 18, Sam Beasley is clearly among the best and the Driver Rankings back that up. The Beasley Motorsports/KartSport North America driver is a threat at any event he competes in. A third straight Triple Crown award in WKA competition, a second straight runner-up performance at the Rotax Grand Nationals, runner-up at the RoboPong 200 and multiple wins throughout the season highlighted his 2011 year. No matter the challenge, Beasley is up to the task and is the perfect driver you want to have behind the wheel when it’s time to battle.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Daytona -TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1018 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Kershaw - TaG 2 | 9 | 2 | 1020 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - South Bend - TaG 1 | 9 | 2 | 1029 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - BeaveRun - TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1040 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - BeaveRun - TaG 2 | 9 | 2 | 1033 | | US Rotax Grand Nationals ’11 | 10 | 2 | 1130 | | Rock Island GP ’11 - TaG Sr. | 9 | 1 | 1016 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.57
Average Points: 1040.9
Total Points: 7286
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 | Robert Bujdoso
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
TaG #2 - Robert Bujdoso
Canfield, Ohio
Four TaG championships in two seasons is an accomplishment that no other driver has ever done before, until Robert Bujdoso completed it this season. With the WKA TaG racing among the most competitive in the country, earning double championships two years straight puts you among the cream of the crop. The package Bujdoso has been able to hit each and every weekend under the Checkered Motorsports tent has yet to be matched for two years now. There will be no doubt the entire TaG field will be gunning for Bujdoso in 2012.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Daytona -TaG 1 | 9 | 2 | 1007 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Kershaw - TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1023 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - Kershaw - TaG 2 | 9 | 1 | 1030 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - South Bend - TaG 1 | 9 | 1 | 1040 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - BeaveRun - TaG 2 | 9 | 1 | 1043 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - New Castle - TaG 1 | 9 | 4 | 1006 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’11 - New Castle - TaG 2 | 9 | 3 | 1024 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.86
Average Points: 1024.7
Total Points: 7173
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 | Daniel Formal
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group) |
TaG #3 - Daniel Formal
Wellington, Florida
When you end the season #1, the only other direction to go is down. Despite last year’s top ranked TaG driver and EKN Driver of the Year falling down to third, it does not take away from the talent this 16-year old possess. With an average finish just under two, Formal’s ability behind the wheel continues to progress from a year ago. It was on display at the SuperNationals where, in his event debut with new team Intrepid North America, Formal overcame a poor qualifying effort to race his way to the front in all three heats. Recording a runner-up finish in the main event, there appears to be more to come from Formal in 2012.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Florida Winter Tour ’11 Rotax #1 | 9 | 3 | 1000 | | Florida Winter Tour ’11 Rotax #2 | 9 | 1 | 1021 | | Florida Winter Tour ’11 Rotax #3 | 9 | 1 | 1015 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’11 - East 3 | 9 | 1 | 997 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’11 - East 4 | 9 | 2 | 987 | | Rotax Pan Am Chall. ’11 - Finale | 9 | 3 | 1001 | | SKUSA SuperNationals XV | 10 | 2 | 1122 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.86
Average Points: 1020.4
Total Points: 7143
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 six in Stock Moto 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 2011, the SKUSA SuperNationals and US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals receive a score of 10 in their initial weighting in the TaG category while the SuperNats is the lone event in the Stock Moto division. The SKUSA Pro Tour and Rotax Pan American Challenge national series events draw a base ranking of nine (9), while the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, Florida Winter Tour, Challenge of the Americas, IKF 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals and other regional program races were given a base ranking of either eight (8) or nine (9).
The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year. Continuing for 2011 is a minimum entry total for any events considered for the Driver Rankings program. 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 in TaG, six for Stock Moto, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking. |
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