National Solo in the Northeast is just days away, and the Pittsburgh Match Tour is on deck at 90% capacity with competitors making their way from as far as the Carolinas to Ottawa, Ontario.
90% capacity means plenty of competition in several classes, but the predicted forecast of 90% rain also means some classes might be in for a big shake up, and the current 2017 crop of street tires will be put to the test of their full wet abilities. One class likely not thrilled about the predicted precipitation is A Street, which is Spec-Vette this weekend featuring eleven competitors in C5 and C6 Corvettes. The 2016 Steel Cities Region Driver of the Year, John Laughlin, is expected to be one of the A Street drivers to keep an eye on. Steel Cities Region is out in full force, and another local expected to make a mark is Alex Artayet in his ’16 Subaru WRX. Alex took the B Street class by storm with a commanding win at this event last year with his Subaru STi, and won’t mind the wet conditions as he hopes to pilot his WRX to a victory this year in D Street, the largest class of the weekend featuring cars of AWD, RWD, and one quick Mini Copper S from the Detroit Region piloted by Matt Luckow, who will be hoping for dry skies.
Other driveline showdowns will be apparent in Street Modified, as Mike Aversa, travelling from Whitby, Ontario, will compete against Tim White of South Carolina for the rights of the fastest 2000 Subaru Impreza, hoping to keep the other AWD cars, RWD Nissan 240SX, and BMWs behind them. The FWD variety of Street Mod cars will duke it out in SMF, featuring 7 Hondas and a hopeful Volkwagen, with cars ranging in 15+ years of age. Expect Don and Brian Kuehl of New Hampshire to lead the way in their ’91 CRX.
Eleven drivers in Street Touring Roadster are expected to put on a great show, and Ido Waksman hopes to repeat his success from last year at this event in his Honda S2000, fighting off drivers of three different generations of Mazda Miatas, and an E36 BMW M3. Keep an eye out for Brian Karwan of the Washing DC region to make a dent in the STR results, at his first trip to Pittsburgh International Raceway in his 2016 ND Miata.
Regardless of if you’re praying for rain or sunshine, the Pittsburgh Match Tour promises to deliver with tight competition from several classes, likely testing skills and car control in the dry and wet from drivers all over the northeast United States and eastern Canada.
Words by Sean Grogan
Image by Perry Bennett
