Point total for Ryan Norberg remains unchanged as he continues leading the standings (Photo: Studio52.us)

The second half of 2024 is on the horizon as the month of May closes out. The third release of the eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings presented by Skip Barber Racing School has been tabulated with some change inside the top-10 thanks to the removal of results from this time in 2023. The best seven results over the last 12 months make up the current point total for each of the 290 drivers that has no change in position for the top-seven.

Three-time defending USPKS champion Ryan Norberg (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) continues to lead the way in the standings, banking strong results in 2024 already with a win at SKUSA Winter Series, SKUSA Pro Tour and the opener for United States Pro Kart Series. Alessandro de Tullio (Inter MS / Kart Republic) remains in the shadow however, results from the winter programs could elevate once more results from 2023 continue to the drop. The worry was how far 2024 SKUSA Pro Tour champion Joe Turney (Trinity Karting Group / Kart Republic) would fall, however, his return to USA competition has stalled that downward trajectory. The USPKS Carolina Grand Prix winner remains in third despite losing points.

A podium result from USPKS Speedsportz in 2023 fell from Harley Keeble’s point score. The Brit racing for Sodi Racing USA lost points however remains in the fourth spot in the standings placing ninth at the last USPKS event. Current USPKS championship leader Austin Garrison (Speed Concepts Racing / Gillard) has not picked up a win but is among the more consistent drivers over the first half of 2024. He rebounded to fifth at Trackhouse following contact early in the main event after starting on the pole position.

No change in position or points for Brazilian Diego Ramos (PSL Karting / Birel ART) as he holds onto sixth. No USPKS for Ramos in 2024, banking on his SKUSA Pro Tour results and other events thus far throughout the season. Losing points but remaining in the seventh spot is last year’s top Senior rookie Brandon Carr (Trinity Karting Group / Kart Republic). Carr was among the all-British podium at last year’s USPKS Speedsportz event. He has his first major win on the year already and picked up two top-seven results in USPKS competition.

The change in the top-10 occurs from eight place down. Matheus Morgatto (PSL Karting / Birel ART) was eighth, but falls down to 11th losing USPKS Speedsportz from 2023 and focusing on Shifterkart in 2024. This allows Dalton Hanes (Sodi Racing USA) to move up to eighth. Hanes was on the verge of contending for his first USPKS triumph however contact with a barrier at Trackhouse cost him the chance. Donovan Bonilla (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) moves up to ninth in the standings without a change in his score. The driver from Mexico did not compete at the second stop of USPKS and thus has no results since the opener in Texas. Moving up 10th and the only driver to improve his score is Pauly Massimino (Brandon Jarsocrak Racing / LN Racing Kart). The fourth-place finish at USPKS Carolina Grand Prix matches his best result of the 2024 season.

Returning as co-drivers for ‘On the Move’ this month is Giovanni Santora (J3 Competition / CompKart) and Spencer Smith (Forward Direction Motorsports / Pantano). Both jumped into the top-50 and are now sitting 23rd and 24th respectively after recording results from the US Trophy West series finale.

Upcoming Events

TaG #1 – Ryan Norberg
Orlando, Florida

(Photo: Studio52.us)

The lack of victories in 2023 did not keep Norberg from claiming the ‘Driver of the Year’ status with his consistency of podium finishes. His Driver Rankings total still holds four podium results from the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2023, however, his wins in 2024 at three different programs will eventually fill those voids as the calendar moves forward. The USPKS Trackhouse weekend was his worst of the year, with hopes of rebounding at the second edition of the SKUSA Pro Show in Ohio in two weeks.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #2 – Alessandro de Tullio
Miami, Florida

(Photo: EKN)

The 2024 season started out strong for the Inter MS / Kart Republic driver, picking up two SKUSA Winter Series championships. A third at the USPKS opener and a sneaky repeat at Trackhouse put him in the title contention heading to the series third stop in Wisconsin. Alessandro was not on the radar until it mattered on in the main event where he fought for the top spot. This has shown an improvement on last year, where he was one of the more consistent drivers across the board. That next big win to help his Driver Rankings position is on the horizon.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #3 – Joe Turney
Milton Keynes, England

(Photo: EKN)

No other driver received the eyes of the USPKS Trackhouse paddock than Joe Turney. Making his first trip to the USA since his incident at the FIA Karting World Championships in October came with a move to Trinity Karting Group, still aboard the Kart Republic brand. The 2023 SKUSA Pro Tour champion and current FIA Karting European Championship OK point leader escaped his trip to ‘Race City USA’ with a victory. It replaced the loss of the USPKS Speedsportz triumph from last year, only 15 points less. As the schedule moves forward, he will lose results from 2023 with no other 2024 races on his tally.

Point Breakdown

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 the TaG and Shifterkart categories 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 also included the results for the major one-off events such as the SKUSA SuperNationals, the Rock Island Grand Prix, and other special races.

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 2023, the SKUSA SuperNationals will receive a score of 10 in its initial weighting in the TaG and Shifterkart categories. A base ranking of 9.5 is set for the SKUSA Pro Tour, while a base ranking of 9 goes to the SKUSA Winter Series, United States Pro Kart Series, Florida Winter Tour, Challenge of the Americas, ROK Vegas, Rotax Grand Nationals, Rock Island Grand Prix, and California ProKart Challenge. Other national and regional program races were given a base ranking of either 8.5 or 8.0.

The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year. A minimum entry total for any event to be 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, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking.

EKN TaG Driver Rankings presented by Skip Barber Racing School – as of May 27, 2024

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