Weather and slick conditions highlighted the 2018 Tire Rack Pittsburgh Match Tour as rain fell overnight, soaking the course for Saturday morning. Early in the second session the course was oiled down, and while the cleanup was meticulous, any accumulated grip was gone. Chilly temperatures added to the struggle for grip throughout the weekend.
The new Solo Spec Coupe class has been making waves across the country on every stop of the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo Tour. David Potocki came out of the gate with a scant 0.104-second lead over Steven Berrodin after morning runs. Whether it was the limited runs or changing site conditions, Berrodin couldn’t improve in the afternoon while Potocki did, stretching his lead to 0.948 second. Mark Andy claimed the final trophy in third.
Since the reorganization of Street Touring and creation of Street Touring Hatch this season, this is the first time we’ve seen a large entry with strong competition. Derek Colton led after the morning session by just 0.387 over Alex Piehl, but Colton didn’t look back in the afternoon as he laid down two clean runs and claim victory by 0.514 second. Craig English claimed the third and final trophy.
D Street faced some of the worst early conditions on a wet course during first heat. Adam Olah took the early lead in his Subaru WRX with Johnny Rose just 0.287 back in the Honda Civic Type R. Joe Montuoro (WRX) and Sean Grogan (Scion FR-S) held onto the remaining trophy positions heading into the afternoon. With dry conditions, the playing field was back to level. Grogan claimed the fastest time, enough to bring his FR-S up to 2nd. Rose had the next fastest time, putting his Civic Type R in the lead by 0.070. Olah and Montuoro rounded out the trophies in third and fourth respectively.
Alex Artayet came into this event registered in ASP, having won the past two years in two different classes, B and D Street. His only contest came from codriver, Chris Kavka. The team took a one-two finish as Artayet won at PittRace for the third consecutive year.
In Street Touring Xtreme, the FR-S was the car de jour. Kyle Herbst led after morning runs, finding speed on his third and final run, but it was Eric Simmons who would prevail by finding the most time in the afternoon with less grip. Nathan Young claimed the third and final trophy. The biggest story of the class was Alex Meramo, who finished fourth, who went on to qualify in 5th for the Top Dog Bracket and become the Top Dog Challenge Winner.
Complete Results from the 2018 Tire Rack Pittsburgh Match Tour can be found here.
Challenge winners:
Top Dog: Alex Meramo (STX)
Under Dog: George Modlin (GS)
Lucky Dog: Peter Luu (DS)
