Morgatto continues to lead Shifterkart standings heading into the final month of 2026 (Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)

The penultimate standings for the 2026 eKartingNews.com Shifterkart Driver Rankings presented by Stilo USA have been tabulated before the big two events closes out the season. The ROK Vegas 2026 and Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 29 remains on the schedule and will be a major impact in the final standings coming this December for the Shifterkart table. Velocity Racing’s Matheus Morgatto holds the top spot heading into the event he nearly won just two years ago.

Morgatto – the 2022 FIA Karting World Champion – went on to win a second SKUSA Pro Tour championship in only his third year at the Pro Shifter level. His success in 2026 puts him at the top of the EKN Driver Rankings by 106 points over former teammate Jay Urwin (PSL Karting / Birelart). The 2026 SKUSA Winter Series champion finished fourth on the SKUSA Pro Tour, with the Kiwi set to make his fourth SuperNationals start. Gavin Bayliff (Trinity Karting Group / Birelart) completes the current rankings podium with the top five unchanged. Last year’s EKN Driver of the Year Adrien Renaudin (Carblos Racing Engines / Sodikart) is fourth, having lost points after dropping last year’s Stars finale, bringing last year’s SKUSA Pro Tour champion Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts) closer from fifth.

One of the changes within the top 10 came in sixth as Massimo Valiante (Italian Motors / Italkart) takes over the sixth position from Justin White (Carblos Racing Engines / Maranello). White lost points from the Stars finale in 2025, dropping to seventh as Massimo’s totals remains unchanged, including the most races of the top 10 drivers at 16. Jacob Gulick (GFC Karting) holds onto eighth despite losing points from last year’s ProKart Challenge events.

The bottom of the top 10 welcome two new names, including Ashton Henckel (PSL Karting / Birelart) and Cooper Becklin (Birelart). Henckel moves up three spots to ninth for his first trip into the top 10 with Becklin up one, making a return into the top 10. Dropping out includes Hutner Pickett (GFC Karting) and AJ Myers – who is now only at six races. The ‘Magik Man’ made the announcement of his move to Trinity Karting Group / Birelart – beginning at the SKUSA SuperNationals 29.

Upcoming Events

Shifterkart #1 – Matheus Morgatto
São Paulo, Brazil

(Photo: EKN)

The 2026 season, looking at the numbers, is better for Morgatto than in 2024. His record-tying three wins over three rounds at the SKUSA Pro Tour marked the first sweep of the series since Jordan Lennox did in 2014 with five rounds – including the SKUSA SuperNationals. Morgatto missed out on the victory in 2024 at the SuperNats after securing the series championship that summer in his first season racing Pro Shifter. The Brazilian will have a chance to battle for a first SuperNationals title this November, coming off a top 10 finish at the FIA Karting KZ2 World Cup. On the side of the rankings, his average finish is lower, however his point total dropped. This leaves room for Urwin and Bayliff, or others to close in over the last two major races.

Point Breakdown

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Shifterkart #2 – Jay Urwin
Matamata, New Zealand

(Photo: EKN)

The 2026 season was looked at one of redemption for the Kiwi. The PSL Karting / Birelart driver score the SKUSA Winter Series title, however, came up short in the SKUSA Pro Tour chase after losing it on Sunday at the 2025 SummerNationals. The next step on the tour is the SKUSA SuperNationals. Urwin was among the contenders until shoved off into the barriers to end his SuperSunday. This Vegas trip will be his fourth SuperNationals start, seeking a career first top 10 finish. A result like that, and better than Morgatto could slot him into the Driver of the Year position.

Point Breakdown

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Shifterkart #3 – Gavin Bayliff
Batavia, Ohio

(Photo: EKN)

The 2026 season has been the best thus far for the Trinity Karting Group driver. His lone victory of the season for the rankings came at Speedsportz this winter with another at his home track during the USPKS weekend, however, the SKUSA Pro Tour was his most consistent collection of results over the span of the three race program. Recording no DNFs has been the key aspect for Bayliff’s season, and now the Birelart driver looks toward Las Vegas. In three SuperNationals starts, his 12th place result from last year was his best finish with hopes of matching or improving to remain on the podium for the EKN Driver Rankings to close out 2026.

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.

eKartingNews.com Shifterkart Driver Rankings presented by Stilo USA – as of October 19, 2026

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