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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - 2012 Final Standings - Stock Moto |
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The 2012 season marks the fourth year of the eKartingNews.com Stock Moto Driver Rankings and now the second time a driver has ended the season as the number one driver. Superkarts! USA Pro Tour S1 Pro Stock Moto 2012 champion Fritz Leesmann clinched the championship and the number one position at the end of the season, similar to his 2010 season. The California driver made it look easy, but with the growth of the Stock Moto category on the Pro Tour and across the country, drivers will be gunning for his mark in the upcoming 2013 season.
Leesmann (CRG) was at the front all year in 2012. In the eight races he competed at counting toward the 2012 EKN Driver Rankings, he finished either first or second…a strong indication of the dominance he displayed this season. The same could be said for second place driver Joey Wimsett has he challenged Fritz all year. Wimsett (CRG) was stellar in his S1 debut at last year’s SuperNats, standing on the podium and backing it up with a victory in his SKUSA Pro Tour debut at the SpringNationals. When Fritz was not on the top step of the podium, it was Wimsett at the first six races they faced one another. The seventh meeting - the SKUSA SuperNationals was won by Lithuanian and reigning KZ2 European CIK and WSK champion. Arizona driver and 2011 EKN Driver Rankings #1 pilot Nicky Freytag finished the season in the third position to back up his results from a year ago. The first S2 driver to hold the number one position at the end of the season, Freytag jump to the S1 category this year with mixed results. The Phil Giebler Racing driver scored two top-five finishes in five Pro Tour races in addition to three podium runs at the California ProKart Challenge.
Moving back into the top-five for the end of the year is CRG-USA’s Kyle Hathcox. The 2011 S2 Pro Tour champion battled all season long in his S1 rookie season. Hathcox (CRG) was top-six at the SpringNationals but just could not find the pace at the SummerNats to move higher than 10th. The consolation for his never-quit attitude is ending the season fourth in the EKN Driver Rankings. Texan Jake French finished 2012 in the same position he did a year ago, fifth. French (Birel) contested his first full S1 season after jumping to the category just before the SuperNationals last year. The 3G Kart Racing driver had similar results, highlighted by a runner-up at the Rock Island Grand Prix to secure his third straight podium finish at the famous street race.
Inching his way back toward the top is Utah driver Tyler Bennett (Tony Kart), who ended the 2009 season as the number one driver in the EKN Driver Rankings in its first year. Bennett’s season included a number of victories at the regional level, in addition to his podium finish at the SummerNationals held at his home track. The MSquared Karting driver finished the year with a ninth place run at the SuperNationals. Jumping four spots to the seventh position was Daniel Langon (CRG), another of the S1 rookies. The NorCal driver had his up and downs on the season, finishing off strong with a runner-up at the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix and eighth in the SuperNationals main event. Jimmy McNeil (CRG) moved up two positions despite crashing out at the SuperNationals completing his return to the S1 category. The CRG-USA driver showed age is not an issue, earning the California ProKart Challenge title and showed speed at the Pro Tour events.
The story in S2 this year was the consistency of newly crowned champion Sabré Cook (CRG). Her runner-up performance was her first podium finish at the SuperNationals, and clinched the Pro Tour title to become the first series female champion. The results propelled the CRG-USA driver to ninth in the EKN Driver Rankings as the top S2 driver on the season. Josh Lane (DR Kart) ends the year in tenth to put six S1 rookies inside the top-10 for the 2012 season. The DRT Racing driver had glimpses of speed at events throughout the year but was unable to record a podium finish all season, something he will be striving for in 2013.
The one driver to make the biggest jump after the SuperNationals was Leading Edge Motorsports’ Mariana Ramirez Savage. The Mexican driver recorded her best finish at the SuperNationals in three years, placing 17th in the S2 main event. The result moved her 11 spots up the order into the 24th position, her highest placing ever in the EKN Driver Rankings.
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | Oct. 29 | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Fritz Leesmann | 8 | 6562 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Joey Wimsett | 7 | 6503 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Nicky Freytag | 10 | 6161 | | 4. | 6 | 2 | Kyle Hathcox | 8 | 6067 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Jake French | 6 | 6012 | | 6. | 9 | 3 | Tyler Bennett | 13 | 6011 | | 7. | 11 | 4 | Daniel Langon | 6 | 5982 | | 8. | 10 | 2 | Jimmy McNeil | 10 | 5960 | | 9. | 17 | 8 | Sabre Cook | 11 | 5941 | | 10. | 7 | -3 | Josh Lane | 9 | 5916 | |
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) |
The 2012 SKUSA Pro Tour S1 Pro Stock Moto champion is this year’s top driver for the EKN Driver Rankings. Leesmann is among the top drivers in the country overall, as he’s shown his talents in all forms of karting while earning his second Pro Tour title in three years certainly helps. The PSL Karting/Diede Racing/CRG pilot is among the most extraordinary characters within the paddock, but when its business time, he comes hammers down. Leesmann is set to defend his crown in 2013, but will have a number of returning drivers and some young guns looking to knock him off the top of the hill.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 2 | 1094 | | 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 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2012 - S1 | 10 | 2 | 1158 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 1.5
Average Points: 1093.7
Total Points: 6562
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Stock Moto #2 - Joey Wimsett
Portland, Oregon
 | Joey Wimsett
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Wimsett was among the top drivers in the single-speed categories over the course of the past few years. In 2012, he took his talents to six-speed racing and quickly became one of the best Stock Moto pilots in a matter of a few races. His win at the opening race of the SpringNationals stamped his presence, beating out Leesmann and defending champ Daniel Bray. Running to podium finishes in his remaining events, including a come from behind result at the SummerNationals showed the talent of the CRG-USA driver. Wimsett is set to return with the Colorado operation for 2013 and finish one step higher in the championship chase and EKN Driver Rankings standings.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 1 | 1105 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 2 | 1094 | | SKUSA Rocky Mountain PKC ’12 #4 | 8.5 | 2 | 955 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 1 | 1118 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 3 | 1096 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2012 - S1 | 10 | 4 | 1135 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.17
Average Points: 1083.8
Total Points: 6503
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Stock Moto #3 - Nicky Freytag
Phoenix, Arizona
 | Nicky Freytag
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
While he just missed out on the S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto championship a year ago, Freytag ended 2011 as the top driver in the EKN Driver Rankings. The Phil Giebler Racing/FA Kart driver could not match the one victory, two podium finishes he did last year, but made strides as the season progressed with two fourth-place runs on the Pro Tour. He gained his first S1 victory in California ProKart Challenge competition, adding three more third place finishes to that to end up third in the series championship. Freytag is a talented driver, and is sure to battle for his first Pro Tour victory next season.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 10 | 1006 | | SKUSA SpringNationals ’12 #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 4 | 1072 | | SKUSA California ProKart Challenge ’12 #3 | 8.5 | 1 | 971 | | SKUSA California ProKart Challenge ’12 #4 | 8.5 | 3 | 965 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 6 | 1062 | | SKUSA SummerNationals ’12 #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 4 | 1085 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 4.67
Average Points: 1026.8
Total Points: 6161
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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