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| February 28, 2007 News |
| EKN Excellence Awards Winners Announced |
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For the last seven years, the staff of Super Kart Illustrated Magazine has honored the sport’s top performers at the annual SKI Excellence Awards. Following the announcement in December of the end of the publication's eight-year run by Howden Communications Inc., the awards program was moved to karting’s leading website, eKartingNews.com, also a Howden Media Group outlet.
The ‘EKN Happy Hour with Howden Presented by Bridgestone’ was a perfect fit to announce the winners of the new EKN Excellence Awards. EKN Publisher Rob Howden and News Manager David Cole taped the latest show this past Sunday at the Sodi Kart Expo International in Schaumburg, IL (podcast can be heard HERE) where the following six winners were announced, along with the presentation of the Driver of the Year award painting, provided as always by Jim Smith of Smith Speed Creations.
Driver of the Year - Gary Carlton
 | 2006 Driver of the Year - Gary Carlton - with Jim Smith of Smith Speed Creations
(Photo: EKN) |
What does it take to become the EKN Driver of the Year? A sparkling record, unmatched consistency, big wins at the biggest of races…yep, that was ICC superstar Gary Carlton in 2006. Beginning the year with the Trackmagic factory team running a chassis that he designed himself, Carlton started with the wet Stars of Karting Race of the Americas in Oklahoma, struggling through a difficult weekend to finish 30th. The momentum was turned decidedly in the next Stars round in Tucson, as was the young man’s entire life. After a second place finish to rival Jordy Vorrath in the Saturday main, Carlton was focused on bouncing back Sunday when he learned that the Trackmagic team lost its leader, friend and mentor Fausto Vitello. Carlton then went on to score a very emotional victory on Sunday afternoon, showing a level of maturity and character not yet unveiled.
Still riding the waves of emotion, Carlton won big just a week later at the KartSport Grand Prix at Infineon. Moving on to Buffalo Bills, the new era at Trackmagic began under new owner Andrew Alfonso with Carlton still leading the charge. Carlton had to battle all weekend long to score two podium finishes in his final weekend with the yellow and black, as he and Alfonso would go there separate ways.
Following the Primm event, Carlton announced that he would be joining the PCH Motorsports squad aboard the CRG chassis, teamed with two-time SKI Mechanic of the Year Mike Speed. The duo made their debut together on the national scene at the Eastern Division Shawano event, scoring yet another win in the Sunday Final. From there, they traveled to their home facility, Infineon Raceway, where they swept the weekend to earn the Stars ICC Western Division title. North of the border, at Woodbine for the Stars National Finals, Carlton would claim the national ICC crown, despite a ‘disappointing’ six place finish in the race.
Looking to solidify his Stars title, the SKUSA SuperNationals X was Carlton’s final target for 2006. Teamed with long-time friend and ’05 Driver of the Year Alex Speed, the combination was cast as the favorites to take the $10,000 pay check in the SuperPro class. Carlton would go on to dominate the weekend, running first in all his sessions and cruising to victory ahead of Speed on SuperSunday. With four Stars of Karting ICC wins, the KSGP, the ICC national championship and the elusive SuperNationals on his resume from ’06, it should come as no surprise that Gary Carlton is our 2006 EKN Driver of the Year.
Team of the Year - Champion Racing/Leading Edge Motorsports
 | Team of the Year - Champion Racing-Leading Edge Motorsports
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
As the old saying goes, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘T-E-A-M’.”
Many live by it and many find success with it. In racing, it is a vital approach as any little bit of help or advantage could mean the difference between a huge win and a runner-up finish. And when working as unit, the combination of Champion Racing and Leading Edge Motorsports found the right formula in 2006 to earn the honor of Team of the Year.
Champion Racing has cemented a presence in North American karting and 2006 was no different. Rodney Berryhill managed the team throughout the year while his brother Brett Berryhill produced the staggeringly quick Champion Racing power. Leading Edge’s Greg Bell brought his skill set to the party, lending his immense set-up knowledge alongside Rodney and Brett while Intrepid dealer G-Phactory helped with track support on both coasts to really pound home the fact that this was a collective effort.
In the ICC category, Jordy Vorrath and Phil Giebler led the way for the squad throughout the year. At the opening event in Norman, Giebler stepped in to help with the absence of Vorrath, who was out with a non-karting injury, producing a second place finish in a rain-filled event. The 2005 Stars ICA National Champion continued to run ICC throughout the season, scoring a victory at Lowe’s and earning the ICC Eastern Championship in the process. Other racing commitments kept Giebler from challenging for the national championship, but his contribution to the team and this award was tangible for certain. After Vorrath debuted in Tucson, he led all drivers at the end of the year with an amazing six victories and third in the ICC standings. The two combined for 50% of the ICC victories on the year.
In ICA, the Champion/LEM pairing continued to shine as Jess Peterson and Tyler Dueck represented the team very well. Peterson earned the Western Division title while Dueck produced six-top ten finishes, including victory during Saturday’s Final in Tucson.
Mechanic of the Year - Greg Bell
 | Mechanic of the Year - Greg Bell
(Photo: EKN) |
In looking at all the great drivers in North America, it is easy to make the statement that many of them would simply not have the full success that they have earned without someone special turning the wrenches of their race cars. Whether it’s just making sure the nuts and bolts are tight and ready to go, or sitting down with their driver going over data to find that elusive tenth of a second, the mechanics are the unsung superstars of our sport. The EKN Mechanic of the Year award honors those individuals who work so hard to put their driver on top of the podium. This year, no one was better than Leading Edge Motorsports’ Greg Bell.
Teamed with Intrepid and Champion Racing in 2006, Bell worked with former ICA National Champion Jordy Vorrath, who made his return to karting after competing in the Skip Barber National Championship in ’05. The duo would start the season late after Vorrath was sidelined with a non-karting injury, but their debut was huge. Making their entrance onto the Stars of Karting stage at the Tucson round, they made an impression on the first day, earning the ICC victory in the Saturday Final, following that with a runner-up finish on Sunday. Very quickly, the Bell-Vorrath pairing looked potent.
During the following two rounds at New Castle and Buffalo Bills, Vorrath and Bell put their Intrepid machine on the top step on each occasion with a pair of demoralizing sweeps. Topping the best in both the East and West certainly laid a stamp on the season. After a brief bit of trouble at the Charlotte event in July, they bounced back to end the season with five additional top-10 finishes, including another victory in Shawano to bring their season total to six Stars wins. In the standings, Vorrath finished third overall, his absence at the Race of the Americas event making the biggest difference.
In searching for that synchronous pairing, which connects the driver and his tuner, Greg Bell’s ability to meld with his pilot to produce a set-up capable of beating the absolute best in the business was certainly worth this year’s Mechanic of the Year honors.
Rising Star - Michael Vincec
 | Rising Star - Michael Vincec
(Photo: EKN) |
Watching drivers progress throughout their careers is exciting for the media. Most competitors at the top level started out at the local level at a young age and slowly worked their way to the forefront. Thankfully, the EKN has the unique opportunity to follow these young karters along the way, watching with much interest their on-track and personal development. Highlighting those emerging stars who seem to have the right package is what the EKN Rising Star award is all about and this year’s honor went to Cameron Motorsports’ Michael Vincec.
Coming off a solid Junior year in 2005, Vincec made the transition quickly with the help of the Florida Winter Tour last season. Running consistently in the top five in the unofficial ‘spring training’ program, Vincec was well prepared for the upcoming Stars of Karting Eastern schedule in March. Beginning at the Race of the Americas, Vincec had an impressive run to eighth and recorded the best finish for an ICC rookie. The Canadian scored his first Stars ICC victory at the Lowe’s round in exciting fashion with a last lap move that garnered him the win. With Mechanic of the Year nominee Brian Bettencourt turning the wrenches all year on his CRG, Vincec recorded four-top ten finishes and ended up 13th in the Stars ICC standings and the Stars Rookie of the Year award.
Back home in Canada, Vincec was THE man to beat, taking the top honor in the country at the Canadian Karting Championship, winning the ICC national title in August at Stratotech Park in Edmonton, Alberta. Competing regionally in Ontario at the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship, Vincec earned the Formula Senior and F1K Senior championships, finishing runner-up in Rotax Senior. In total, he recorded 10 wins in 17 races.
Young Driver of the Year - Brett Smrz
 | Young Driver of the Year - Brett Smrz
(Photo: EKN) |
Looking back at the past nominees and winners of the Young Driver of the Year award, many of the names you’ll find their have gone on to develop strong resumes in karting, performances that have led most to higher forms of motorsports. This year will not be an exception as the 2006 Young Driver of the Year Brett Smrz is poised to follow their lead.
In 2005, Smrz had an impressive season on the national scene, earning the Stars of Karting JICA Western championship. He went looking for more in ’06 and quickly became one of the drivers to beat. This past year, the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho resident stepped up his game after joining ‘05 Team of the Year First Kart North America. Beginning early at the Florida Winter Tour, Smrz grabbed the JICA and Rotax Junior championships to get the season started on the right foot.
From there, he followed the full Stars of Karting schedule, running both the East and West circuits. Including two victories (one on each coast), Smrz recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 13 races to score both the East and West Division Championships. Although he was one of the favorites to win the JICA national championship, Smrz and his family believed that they had accomplished all they needed in the Stars program, opting to take a run at qualifying for the Rotax Grand Finals in the DD2 category, instead attending the U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals that were run on the same weekend as the Stars National Finals in Toronto.
During the year, Smrz also picked up a few other victories. Testing for the Stars Lowe’s Motor Speedway event, he and father Gregg made the long journey for the March WKA Manufacturer’s Cup event, topping the series regulars by taking home a victory in HPV Jr. Lite, along with second and fifth in JICA and HPV Jr. Heavy, respectively. In June, the Smrz family traveled north of the border to Canada for the prestigious Barrie Grand Prix and proceeded the beat the best that Ontario had to offer to steal the Rotax Junior victory from the locals.
As with the past winners, the future is looking bright for Smrz, this year’s Young Driver of the Year.
Road Racer of the Year - Nate Grindell
 | Road Racer of the Year - Nate Grindell
(Photo: EKN) |
After SKI opened its coverage to more then just shifter kart racing back in the summer of 2005, all of the unique classes in road racing became eligible for nomination in the Road Race of the Year category. Last year, enduro legend Randy Fulks became the first non-shifter pilot to win the award after yet another amazing season. The 2006 honoree now makes it two years in a row with this year’s Road Racer of the Year award going to Nate Grindell.
The Carrollton, TX resident had an outstanding season in 2006 after missing the early portion of the season focusing on his professional baseball commitments. Returning to the seat of his kart for the Road America Super Nationals in June, ‘Nasty’ Nate earned an impressive three ‘Cheese Cow’ victories. During the week that followed that successful trip to Elkhart Lake, Grindell and his father Jim stopped at a relative’s house for a few days in Indiana to strip the kart down to the frame in preparation for the WKA Grand Nationals at Mid-Ohio the following weekend. In Ohio, Grindell then went four-for-four in Grand National Eagles. Keeping his streak alive, the next month at the KART Enduro Grand Nationals on the Heartland Park-Topeka facility, he took home three Triads. It was certainly an amazing accomplishment.
Grindell had a streak of 10 victories heading into the WKA’s Putnam Park weekend when last year’s winner Fulks ended the run. The Grindell’s decided at the last minute to run the event and missed out on the Friday practice and the wrong set-up on the kart hindered his pace. However, he began a new streak after winning three other races that weekend.
In total, Grindell had 13 WKA victories, including the four Grand Nationals wins, to score one championship, a runner-up finish and a third and a fourth in the four divisions in which he competed after missing three of the eight rounds. For his efforts, EKN would like to congratulate Nate as this year’s Road Racer of the Year. |
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