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| Features |
| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings – September 24, 2012 – Stock Moto |
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Today is the release of the latest eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings for the Stock Moto category. With a limited number of events during the month of September, the Rock Island Grand Prix and Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix events highlighted the changes made this release. The Illinois Labor Day event featured a small field size, thus equally to a smaller overall ranking compared to last year’s event. The Southern California event helped a number of drivers improve on their total, including top driver Fritz Leesmann.
Leesmann (CRG) made his first Streets of Lancaster GP start, which also counted as the final round of the California ProKart Challenge. His victory there moved his total up 15 points to extend his lead by 47 points over Pro Tour championship rival Joey Wimsett (CRG). Former no.1 driver Nicky Freytag (FA Kart) moved up the order to now sit third, thanks to his podium finish in Lancaster. Lukas Johnson (GP) jumped to fourth without adding a race, thanks to the fall of Jake French (Birel). The Texan qualified on the pole position for the King of the Streets event in Rock Island, and finished second to two-time winner Jordon Musser. His third straight podium at the event was not enough, thanks in part to a smaller field then in previous years, and dropped him down to fifth.
Nothing changed in the order for sixth through tenth. Kyle Hathcox (CRG) struggled in Lancaster, crashing out of the main event. Engine issues cost Josh Lane (DR Kart) a chance at a podium finish at both events, but he was quick each weekend. Cory Milne (GP) raced a local event in Colorado and did not improve his score at all. Jimmy McNeil, the new California ProKart Challenge S1 champion, battled Leesmann for the victory up to the second to last corner when they made contact, vying for the same piece of the track. McNeil wrecked hard, but walked away, and still earned the series title despite the DNF. Utah driver Tyler Bennett (Tony Kart) rounds out the top-10 heading into October. Sabré Cook (CRG) is now the top S2 driver in the standings, moving up to the 15th position, gaining just eight more points with her fourth place in Lancaster as Connor Wagner (Formula K) drops to 19th behind Troy Diede (CRG) and Alec Gumpfer (Tony Kart) - other S2 drivers in the top 20.
Just four events remain on the Stock Moto Driver Rankings schedule before the big one - the SKUSA SuperNationals XVI. Coming tomorrow will be the release of the TaG Driver Rankings.
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Aug. 27 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Fritz Leesmann | 8 | 6486 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Joey Wimsett | 7 | 6439 | | 3. | 4 | 1 | Nicky Freytag | 11 | 6204 | | 4. | 5 | 1 | Lukas Johnson | 6 | 6148 | | 5. | 3 | -2 | Jake French | 8 | 6126 | | 6. | 6 | NC | Kyle Hathcox | 9 | 6068 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Josh Lane | 10 | 6020 | | 8. | 8 | NC | Cory Milne | 13 | 5976 | | 9. | 9 | NC | Jimmy McNeil | 9 | 5955 | | 10. | 10 | NC | Tyler Bennett | 12 | 5922 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here
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Stock Moto #1 - Fritz Leesmann
Elk Grove, California
 | Fritz Leesmann
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Leesmann, the current no. 1 driver in the Stock Moto rankings, added another victory to his long resume in shiftkart racing. The thrilling fight for the win came down to contact in one of the final corners, and Fritz escaped with the lead and the victory. Not exactly how he wanted to win, but the trophy is on the mantel. A larger trophy still is void from the PSL Karting/Diede Racing pilot’s trophy collection - a SKUSA SuperNationals victory. He finished second to Speed the year he clinched the Pro Tour title, and ran fourth in a limited schedule last year. Could 2012 be the year Fritz adds his name to the history books?
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SuperNationals 2011 - S1 | 10 | 4 | 1088 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 2 | 1088 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 1 | 1105 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 2 | 1107 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 1 | 1118 | | SKUSA California PKC ’12 #6 - S1 | 8.5 | 1 | 980 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.83
Average Points: 1081
Total Points: 6471
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 | Augie Lerch
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
Stock Moto ‘ON THE MOVE’ - Augie Lerch - #25
Tucson, Arizona
One driver who grabbed the attention of the paddock during the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix was S2 driver Augie Lerch. The 15-year old is making strides in the SKUSA Stock Moto ladder system, completing his second season in S2 after racing S5 Junior to begin his career. Lerch was the top S2 driver all weekend in Lancaster, sweeping the event and giving the S1 drivers a run for their money as he placed second overall. The recent move to Pure Karting and the Tony Kart brand may have been the trigger that brought on the success, but a lot as to do with the maturity Lerch possess during race weekends. Watch for him in Vegas to be a podium contender.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Streets of Lancaster GP ’11 | 8.5 | 6 | 908 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #1 - S2 | 9 | 5 | 975 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #2 - S2 | 9 | 8 | 941 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #2 - S2 | 9 | 15 | 887 | | SKUSA California PKC ’12 #5 - S2 | 8 | 3 | 863 | | SKUSA California PKC ’12 #6 - S2 | 8 | 1 | 917 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 5.33
Average Points: 915.2
Total Points: 5491
Upcoming Stock Moto Driver Rankings Events
| Date | Series | Class | Track | Location | Rank| 9/29 | Utah State Championships #8 | Spec Light | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 8 | | 10/13 | Utah State Championships #9 | Spec Light | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 8 | | 10/20 | Utah State Championships #10 | Spec Light | Miller Motorsports Park | Tooele, UT | 8 | | 10/27 | Northeast Shifter Kart Series #6 | Stock Moto | New Jersey Motorsports Park | Millville, NJ | 8 | | 11/18 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SuperNationals | S1 | Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino | Las Vegas, NV | 10 | | 11/18 | SKUSA Pro Tour - SuperNationals | S2 | Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino | Las Vegas, NV | 9.5 | |
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 2012, 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 SuperNationals is the lone event in the Stock Moto division. The SKUSA Pro Tour 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, Rotax Pan American Challenge 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. A minimum entry total for any events 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 in TaG, six for Stock Moto, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking. |
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