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| Features |
| SKI Excellence Awards Move to EKN |
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After seven years under the Super Kart Illustrated banner, the annual Excellence Awards program will now move to karting’s leading website, eKartingNews.com. The winners of this year’s EKN Awards will be announced during a taping of the Bridgestone Happy Hour with Howden podcast at the Sodi Kart Expo International at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, located just northwest of downtown Chicago, during the February 24-25 weekend.
With the end of the successful eight-year run for Super Kart Illustrated, re-badging the Excellence Awards was a perfect fit, especially after the nomination process was moved to the website in 2006, taking the place of the former fax and mailing method.
“The partnership between SKI and EKN over the past two years has afforded us the opportunity to bring some of the programs from the magazine online, including the EKN Awards, making then more easily accessible to thousands of viewers,” said Rob Howden, EKN Publisher. “Last year’s nomination process attracted the most response we had received since presenting the awards and we hope that this year will top those numbers.”
The 2006 edition of the EKN Awards will feature six separate categories in driver, team and crew classifications. The top honor will be the Driver of the Year award. The recipient will receive a personalized painting by motorsports artist Jim Smith of Smith Speed Creations, along with the coveted DotY trophy. Other driver awards include Rising Star, Young Driver of the Year, and Road Racer of the Year. For those working under the tents, the prestigious Team of the Year will honor the top squad of the 2006 season, while the Mechanic of the Year – formally known as Tuner of the Year - will honor the sport's top wrench.
The following is a description of the six EKN Awards that will be announced next month:
Driver of the Year: This award will be given to the driver who has displayed the finest overall performance throughout the year. The award is focused on senior-level competitors only. We will take into account the nominee's on-track performance, their ability to work with their mechanic, off-track conduct and professionalism and also their interaction with the team.
Team of the Year: Focused on the major racing series in North America, winning the Team of the Year Award requires a mix of on-track performances, team unity and cooperation under the tent, as well as a very high level of professionalism. Ideally, race results will come from more than a single class and will include a presence in the respective series' headline division(s).
Mechanic of the Year: Being chosen as the EKN Mechanic of the Year will require impressive on-track results for the mechanic's driver. The ability to work closely with their pilot in improving a kart's performance throughout a weekend event will also be taken into consideration. Another key factor is a mechanic’s finishing record.
Rising Star: The Rising Star Award is given to a competitor who spent the year in the Pro or Semi-Pro classes and is destined for greatness at the headline level in the very near future. Success at the Semi-Pro level or impressive and consistent finishes at the Pro level are what is needed to be considered for this award.
Young Driver of the Year: The YoD is the only award in the program available for Junior drivers. The criteria is similar to the Driver of the Year in that it is given to the junior driver who has displayed the finest overall performance throughout the year. We will take into account the nominee's on-track performance, the ability to work with, and provide feedback to, his or her mechanic, off-track conduct and professionalism and also their interaction with the team. Maturity is also a key factor.
Road Racer of the Year: The RRoY is given using the same criteria as the Driver of the Year. However, in keeping with the road racing community, we look very highly upon success in multiple series and in the major events such as Road America, Daytona and the IKF Grand Nationals. Winning against the best drivers in all of the unique road race communities is a big plus.
With the show a month away, the EKN viewers will be charged with the responsibility of determining the nominees. To assemble the nomination list in the six categories, the readers will be asked to nominate two names for each award through two available methods. An official forum thread has now been established for nominations only, while for those who wish anonymity from public view, e-mail nominations will also be accepted. A discussion thread will also be started on the forums to allow a spirited debate on the subject. Each member is allowed one nomination list, which you may edit over the next 14 days when the thread will be removed on February 12 for calculations. The SKI staff will then collect the lists to complete the nomination list for each award.
To be able to submit your nominations, visit the Official EKN Awards Nomination Thread or email your list to the EKN News Desk at news@ekartingnews.com To discuss the EKN Awards Nominations, visit the Official EKN Awards Discussion Thread |
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