Joe Turney remains in the top spot of the EKN TaG Driver Rankings (Photo: EKN)

Nine full months of the 2023 calendar year have been put into the record books as we are closing in on the final days of October. What is ahead for the eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings presented by Skip Barber Racing School are the ‘Big Ones’ to close out the 2023 season with the ROK Vegas and SKUSA SuperNationals 26. One final edition of the standings is now available before heading into Las Vegas.

British driver Joe Turney (CDR / Kart Republic) has fared well in his USA invasion for the 2023 season, moving up to the top spot of the EKN Driver Rankings in August. The 2023 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour champion saw his point total remain unchanged with the USPKS Ohio Grand Prix his last outing in the states before he returned to Europe. Now three-time United States Pro Kart Series champion Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) was unable to improve his score over the last two months, sitting back by 67 points. Third remains unchanged as well with Alessandro de Tullio (IM / Kart Republic) still holding the third spot.

The rest of the top-five remains unchanged with two Brazilian drivers holding strong. 2022 FIA Karting World Champion Matheus Morgatto (PSL / Birel ART) remains fourth, unable to qualify for the main event at this year’s event in Italy. Diego Ramos (PSL / Birel ART) added a runner-up finish at the USPKS Ohio Grand Prix to improve his point total but remains fifth. Ramos entered the USPKS finale as the championship leader, however, suffered a tough weekend at the Trackhouse Motorplex to end up second in the final title chase.

The second half of the top-10 has shuffled around. British driver Harley Keeble (Sodi Kart USA) broke into the 7000 mark for points, adding a win at the USPKS Ohio Grand Prix to move him up to sixth. Also advancing three spots to seventh is Austin Garrison (SCR / Redspeed). The Florida pilot logged two podium results in the final two USPKS races to advance him up the EKN Driver Rankings.

Dropping two spots is Brandon Carr (RPM / Tony Kart). The British driver who sits as the top Senior rookie for the 2023 season was only able to gain two points over the last two months, fighting for a seventh at the USPKS finale in North Carolina. Second on the list for Senior rookies and one spot back is Ayden Ingratta (SCR / Redspeed). The Canadian was not at the kart track for EKN Driver Rankings events, shifting focus to his advancement into the USF Pro Championships program. Capping off the top-10, up two positions is Blake Nash (Nash Motorsportz / EOS). The driver from California did not improve his point total, however, others losing points helped him to advance. Nash is coming off a fifth-place podium finish at the ROK Cup Superfinal in Italy, showing he has the talent to enter into the top-10 here in the USA.

Dropping out of the top-10 is Hayden Jones (RPG / Kosmic) despite winning at the USPKS Carolina Grand Prix. He lost wins from last year’s program, thus unable to match those totals with other events from 2023 thus far. The ‘On the Move’ for this edition is Senior rookie Helio Meza (IRM / Tony Kart). The Texan secured the KA100 Senior championship at USPKS and reached his seventh event of the season in X30 competition. His best result at USPKS in X30 Pro was at the Texas Grand Prix, placing fifth to end up 10th in the championship standings.

Upcoming Events

TaG #1 – Joe Turney
Milton Keynes, England

(Photo: EKN)

The season is completed for British driver Joe Turney, securing both the SKUSA Winter Series and SKUSA Pro Tour titles in 2023. The Kart Republic driver left USA to compete at the FIA Karting World Championship in Italy during the first weekend of October. While racing for the lead near the halfway point of the race, contact was made, and he was off the course. He exited the direct drive OK powered kart and tried to restart until he was struck by another kart. The race was red flagged, and he was transported to the hospital for surgery on his ankle. We wish Joe a speedy recovery from the incident and hope to see him in the USA racing again soon.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #2 – Ryan Norberg
Orlando, Florida

(Photo: EKN – Nate Dean)

The ‘Chip’ is his. Rolison Performance Group driver Ryan Norberg secured his third straight United States Pro Kart Series championship. The ‘Dip’ however is missing as Norberg was unable to secure a victory over the five rounds in 2023. The last time the five-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion enjoyed the top step of the podium was at last year’s ROK Vegas event. Norberg will attempt to be the first driver in the five-year history of the ROK Vegas event. His mode now moves from points racing, to showing the dominance he’s displayed over the last few seasons in an attempt to add a second win at the SuperNationals.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #3 – Alessandro de Tullio
Miami, Florida

(Photo: Trevor Blue – KC)

Much like the championships we saw throughout the 2023 season, consistency is a big part in your success. Alessandro de Tullio continues his streak of strong results on the year. His record is placing in the top-10 in 17 of the 19 races counted toward the EKN Driver Rankings. His latest results of seventh and ninth at the final two USPKS races to finish sixth in the series championship. The Florida driver is coming off success at the ROK Cup Superfinal. He made his first start in the Super ROK category, having never raced the engine package before. Alessandro drove to a fourth-place podium result at the South Garda Karting facility in Italy.

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 October 16, 2023

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