(Photo: EKN)

As predicted, the second edition of the 2026 eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings presented by Stilo USA standings have seen a shakeup. A total of seven main events over the last six weekends have been added to shifting 12-month program, including major races from Race Rotax, SKUSA, USPKS and Stars along with the latest race for Champions of the Future America Series. Looking at the top 10, it represents nine different teams over the top 10 with 11 teams within the top 15. It took just under one year since making his USA debut for Rolison Performance Group driver Gus Lawrence to take over lead in the EKN Driver Rankings standings.

A total of 14 races toward the EKN Driver Rankings have been recorded since May 2025 for Lawrence as the RPG / Kosmic driver has taken over the lead in the EKN Driver Rankings. Lawrence assumes the lead with now the same score as former #1 Austin Garrison held last month. The British driver’s two third-place results at SpringNationals helped him to improve his score to that total, now leading over Pauly Massimino by 122 points. The Brandon Jarsocrak Racing / LN Kart driver jumped up from fifth to second, improving by 44 points riding on four podium results in six races, including victory at USPKS Carolina Grand Prix. Up one to third is Brazilian Diego Ramos (PSL Karting / Birelart). His point total remains unchanged from last month, unable to improve his score.

The entire top 10 has changed order, featuring Oliver Hodgson and Blake Nash into the top five. Hodgson has experienced an up and down start with Factory Karts. The positive is the slight score improvement including two top-four results in back-to-back weekends in Tucson. The negative was two podium results removed for technical DQ, one at RMC America’s Trophy (fairing) and the other at SKUSA Pro Tour WinterNationals (weight after losing radiator water from incident). Nash (Nash Motorsportz) has had a busy start to 2026 as well, only to see his score improve by 19 points. Since the last standings release, Nash added four results with a best finish of third at the Stars season opener in Charlotte.

Falling down to sixth from third is Caden McQueen (Velocity Racing / Sodikart). The British driver lost his two top-five results from the WinterNationals last year, and could only pull off a best result of 16th in the two rounds of racing in Tucson. The ROK Vegas 2025 winner was eighth at the USPKS opener at Trackhouse Motorplex for his best result over the last six weeks. The absence of Austin Garrison (Speed Concepts Racing / CS55) on the grid in 2026 has resulted in his fall from the #1 spot, dropping down to seventh. His first and second place results from WinterNationals 2025 fell off his point total, losing 206 points from his March score.

The top rookie thus far in 2026 has been Alexander Vanchev (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic). The former multi-time Junior champion made his Senior debut at the ROK Vegas 2025 and SuperNationals 28 at the end of 2025, recording eight races in total over six months. The win from the SKUSA Winter Series was joined by a best finish of fifth at his SKUSA Pro Tour debut in Pro X30. Ayden Ingratta (Racing Edge Motorsports / Kosmic) is the lone Canadian in the top 10. Ingratta is the only driver in the top 10 to remain in the same position from last month, despite the two wins at the RMC America’s Trophy. Rounding out the top 10 is multi-time EKN Driver of the Year Ryan Norberg. The six-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion also lost points from the 2025 SKUSA WinterNationals like Garrison, where they both went 1-2 on the weekend. The owner of Norberg Karting Academy lost 100 points, making his first start since SuperNationals 28. He recorded a best finish of 12th in Tucson.

The EKN ‘On the Move’ for April is Rolison Performance Group driver Sean Butcher. The British driver now has seven races in the USA on his record, including three podium finishes in that span from SKUSA Winter Series, RMC America’s Trophy, SKUSA WinterNationals and USPKS Carolina Grand Prix. The only driver to drop out of the top 10 was Frankie Mossman (Speed Concepts Racing / CS55) who has turned his focus in 2026 to driver coaching and his USF Pro 2000 Championship program.

Upcoming Events

TaG #1 – Gus Lawrence
West Tilbury, England

(Photo: EKN)

The British invasion continues with Gus Lawrence becoming the next on the list to eclipse the USA scene. The SKUSA SuperNationals 28 winner has embarked on his first full year of racing in the United States, reaching the top of the EKN Driver Rankings for the first time. His results from the 2026 SKUSA WinterNationals were better scores than what he had at the 2025 SpringNationals and 2025 SummerNationals. His seven-race score now includes four results from the 2026 calendar. The Rolison Performance Group driver has the opportunity to improve his score for the rest of the season to set the mark for the 2026 EKN Driver of the Year honor.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #2 – Pauly Massimino
Indian Trail, North Carolina

(Photo: EKN)

The first third of the 2026 season has been a hot one for Massimino. In 10 starts, the Brandon Jarsocrak Racing driver has stood on the podium five times including two victories. Both of which have helped to improve his score over the first four months of the season. His runner-up at the RMC Trophy Final took him to the Rotax Grand Finals for the first time, which is one of the goals for the 2026 season. It feels that Massimino has elevated himself as the top American in single speed Pro competition.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #3 – Diego Ramos
Sao Paulo, Brazil

(Photo: EKN)

The 2025 season ended with momentum for the Brazilian. Those results have carried over to help promote the PSL Karting / Birelart driver into the top three after the first third of the 2026 season. Ramos has been quick, unfortunately only two results have counted toward his EKN Driver Rankings total. His points did not change from last month, however, he was promoted to third with the shuffling of the standings. His largest score since last month was sixth at the WinterNationals however his best result in the last six weeks was runner-up at the Stars opener.

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 2026, 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 awarded to special events of ROK Vegas, RMC Trophy Final, and IAME Grand National Championship. The SKUSA Pro Tour carries a 9.5 for Shifterkart while a 9 base ranking for TaG. Other programs such as SKUSA Winter Series, United States Pro Kart Series, Florida Winter Tour, and RMC America’s Trophy, RMC Winter Trophy, Stars Karting Championship begin with a base ranking of 9. Other programs are 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 Stilo USA – as of April 22, 2026

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