The 2016 Washington DC Championship Tour kicked off yesterday under beautifully sunny skies and temperatures that climbed into mid 80s. Sam Strano's course snaked through entire lot at Fed Ex field, making excellent use of every last bit of pavement. With a wide-open layout and lots of sweepers, finding the right line made it a tough yet rewarding course to drive. Competition was tight in a number of classes, with exciting battles in every heat.
Heat 1 action began with the 19-driver STX class. Kyle Herbst in his 128i sat on top after first runs, but Davis Marcus in the FRS bested him on his second run to take the lead by just 0.048 seconds. Feeling the pressure, both drivers coned away their third runs and stood on their existing times. A Street saw three different leaders during the heat, with Lex Kirichek claiming the first-run lead in his Cayman S. After second runs, it was Laurence Casey sitting on top by over 0.8 seconds. On his third run, Casey improved by exactly two tenths, but Josh Luster was able to go faster by nearly 0.3 seconds to lead the class for day 1. Daniel Stainback put on a clinic in SM, trouncing the class with a 2+ second lead going into day 2.
SSR led off in heat 2, with Sam Strano taking an early lead and holding onto it throughout the heat. He goes into day 2 with a 0.280-second lead over class newcomer Evan Schickel. The 14 drivers in B Street put on a great show, with the top five drivers posting times within a second of each other. Michael Moran gapped Andrew Graul by 0.429 seconds, with Andy Thomas just 0.269 behind him. In ASP, Bill Rogerson grabbed the top position after first runs, but Cory Hockenbury took it from him with his second run. Rogerson wanted that spot back, so he found half a second on course to take the lead by 0.138 over Hockenbury. Eric Janveaux found nine tenths on his last run, slotting him into third just 0.122 behind Hockenbury.
The 12-driver STR class started things off in Heat 3, with Shane Chinonn-Rhoden taking the lead after first runs. Cleaning up his dirty first run, Brian Karwan claimed the lead by 0.5 seconds on his second run. Unable to improve on his third run, Karwan was left standing on his 64.612. GJ Dixon found some time his third run, but fell three-tenths short of Karwan. Third heat Street classes were filled with dominant performances. Brian Garfield gapped C Street by 1.7 seconds, Barry Fedon bested D Street by 1 second, and Stephen Holzer bested G Street by 0.650 seconds.
Tune in Sunday to see who takes home the trophies!
