(Photo: EKN)

We are now at the halfway point of the season for the EKN TaG Driver Rankings Powered by Bell Racing USA. Just under 60 events are in the books of those listed on the 2017 calendar with another 60 on the horizon, determining who the best TaG drivers are in the United States. The brand new Bell Racing helmet for the driver who finishes the 2017 season on top is still up for grabs, with a new driver in the number one slot this month.

2016 SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg (PSL / Birel ART), with a victory at the SpringNationals, jumped to the top spot this month. That has pushed 2016 SKUSA SuperNationals winner Jake Craig (RPM / Tony Kart) down to the second spot, only improving his total by three points an up-and-down SpringNationals. Still holding the third spot, something not unfamiliar to him, is KartSport North America / Praga driver Brandon Jarsocrak. The three are at the top of the SKUSA Pro Tour standings, with Norberg leading over Jarsocrak and Craig.

Fourth and fifth remain unchanged with WinterNationals winner Zach Holden (Comet / Tony Kart) and Challenge of the Americas two-time champ Christian Brooks (Nash / FA Kart). Holden lost points after losing his results from Phoenix last year, unable to reach the podium in Sonoma. Brooks was at Simraceway, just not in a drivers suit as he is putting his focus this summer on his second season of the Red Bull Global RallyCross Lites program. My guess is he will be at the SuperNationals this November, with the odds high on him becoming a first-time winner.

For a second straight year, Braden Eves (MDD / Vemme) was a victor at the SpringNationals. Last year on Sunday in Phoenix, this year on Sunday in Sonoma. Eves did lose a few points but jumped up to the sixth spot. He pushed down Brandon Lemke, as the now Top Kart driver is focus on only the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series program this season, along with some stock car racing. Holding firm in eighth is Austin Garrison as the J3 / CompKart driver just missed the USPKS event in Pittsburgh to take part in his high school graduation ceremony. Congrats to Austin.

Jumping up to ninth is fellow J3 / CompKart driver David Ilavia. The Texan, who loves Whataburger, led during the wild SpringNationals Round Four main event, recording one of his best SKUSA Pro Tour finishes with a sixth-place result. Down to ninth is Nicky Hays, making it three straight CompKart drivers in the top-10. Hays has yet to land on the podium at the SKUSA Pro Tour, but remains the championship leader as the defending champion at the California ProKart Challenge. No driver this month fell out of the top-10.

Upcoming EKN TaG Driver Rankings Schedule

NEW TaG #1 – Ryan Norberg
Orlando, Florida

(Photo: EKN)

Despite winning three SKUSA Pro Tour races in 2016, Norberg never reached the #1 spot in the EKN Driver Rankings. Adding his fourth victory in nine SKUSA main events over the last two years, the Florida driver can now call the #1 spot his. Norberg was able to leave Sonoma with a victory, taking over the championship lead thanks to his solid results at the WinterNationals and staying toward the front all weekend in Sonoma. The PSL Karting / Birel ART driver won both main events last year at the SummerNationals, and there is no question he will be on everyone’s stop watch as the #1 ‘target’ throughout the weekend in New Castle this August.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #2 – Jake Craig
Mission Viejo, California

(Photo: EKN)

There is no doubting that Jake Craig is among the top karting drivers in North America today. The SoCal driver ran off with a string of wins including the Rotax Grand Nationals, SKUSA SuperNationals and then the inaugural WinterNationals victor to put himself in the record books. The SpringNationals was up-and-down, getting taken out Saturday in the main event in the opening corners, only to miss out on the victory Sunday after a hard-fought battle with Norberg. New Castle has not been kind to Craig in the past, and the RPM / Tony Kart pilot can put himself back into the #1 spot in the Driver Rankings with a solid SummerNationals to close out the SKUSA Pro Tour.

Point Breakdown

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TaG #3 – Brandon Jarsocrak
Reading, Pennsylvania

(Photo: EKN)

There is no other driver in the paddock with more nicknames than Brandon Jarsocrak. ‘Money’ as he was once known for his numerous wins at the USPKS, slipped into the ‘Shillington Slingshot’, taking it from Pennsylvania short track racer Kenny Brightbill. ‘Three’ should be his new one, finishing that position in three of the four SKUSA Pro Tour races this season. Thankfully, after recording zero wins between Daytona 2015 and Daytona 2016, the KartSport North America / Praga driver has two wins on the USPKS program after two events. Now, Jarsocrak needs to get the monkey off his back, and win one on the SKUSA Pro Tour.

Point Breakdown

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TaG ‘On the Move’ – #35
Alex Bertagnoli
Wauconda, Illinois

(Photo: EKN)

It has been an up-and-down start to rookie season for Alex Bertagnoli. The 2016 SKUSA Pro Tour and double USPKS champion is focused on the both programs in 2017. The EKN April Driver of the Month recorded his first victory at the USPKS opener, following an solid debut at the WinterNationals. Finishing fifth, Bertagnoli recorded zero laps of racing on Sunday at NOLA with two opening corner incidents. Another hiccup at the USPKS event in Pittsburgh that resulted in a DQ has netted him just seven races thus far in 2017. Bertagnoli has plenty of room to improve his EKN Driver Rankings score in the remaining months of the year to try and finish as the top rookie for 2017.

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 TaG and six in Stock Moto 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 included the results for the major one-off events such as the SKUSA SuperNationals, the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals, the Rock Island Grand Prix, and the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix.

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 2016, the SKUSA Pro Tour and US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals receive a score of 10 in their initial weighting in the TaG category while the SuperNationals is the lone event in the Stock Moto division. A base ranking of nine (9) goes to the United States Pro Kart Series, Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge, Challenge of the Americas, 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.

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

EKN Driver Rankings Powered by Bell Racing USA – TaG – as of June 16, 2017

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