Conor Daly Tops Driver Rankings
Indianapolis native Daly, having enjoyed a stellar season in the Star Mazda Championship ranks – winning two titles, tying the series record for wins in a season, and setting new season marks for podiums and pole positions – ends 2010 as the No. 1 racer in the EFCN Driver Rankings via 10363 points. Racing the #22 Juncos Racing / INDECK / The College Network / Merchant Services Ltd. Mazda, Daly completed his double championship-winning campaign much like he started it back in March, challenging for top honors at Road Atlanta, before eventually taking the checkered flag in third place (1020 pts). The podium finish not only gave Daly yet another 1000+ score – a perfect 13 for 13 in 2010 – but secured his place at the top of the EFCN Driver Rankings come season’s end.
Daly just completed testing with three top GP3 teams in Europe and is set to join fellow Star Mazda racers Tristan Vautier and Nick Andries at a comprehensive Firestone Indy Lights test at Sebring Oct. 27-28.
The EFCN Driver Rankings are calculated using a driver’s best finishes in the pro junior formula car series raced in North America (Indy Lights, Star Mazda Championship, F2000 Championship Series, Pacific F2000 Championship, USF2000 National Championship, Formula Enterprises Pro Series and Skip Barber National). Assembled using events from the last 12 months, we use a driver’s best 10 finishes in order to determine their overall current point total. With each new month, results from the previous year are discarded to deliver the current ranking list.
Each series was initially weighted based on its prestige and history, the events and tracks at which it races, and of course the depth of talent, with a score of 10 being the highest attainable base ranking. For 2010, Indy Lights were given a base ranking of 9.4, Star Mazda was placed with a 9.2 score, F2000 Championship, USF2000 National Champion have a base ranking of 9, while Pacific F2000 Championship, FE Pro Series and Skip Barber National have a ranking of 8.9.
Added to the initial base ranking is the variable of field size, which helps confirm the importance, strength and competitiveness of the series. A percentage of one weighting point is added for the size of the field, with a full field of 30 cars or more providing one full point. Another full point or fraction of a point will be added based on the field strength of each event. The percentage of the top-50 ranked drivers in the race will also be factored into the final event ranking. 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 10 races, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking.
To see the full story on the EFCN web site, click here. To see the full list of drivers ranked by EFCN, click here