Season 5 of the Alpha Touring Challenge began with a bang at Belle Isle this past week. Last year Slugnificent started strong at this very track, but still only managed 3rd, more than 13 seconds off the two leaders at the end. This time, Slug dominated from lap one. Pole position converted into a win is a great way to start the season for one of the championship favorites.

Being fast sometimes meant leaving paint on the inside of turn 6.

He was tailed by perennial contender Francois Shink, who got caught in traffic early and didn’t have the pace to catch back up to Slug, but still easily kept the rest of the field at arm’s length. James D Carr rounded out the podium, fending off a hard-charging Jon Lauzon at the last minute. Defending champion Logan McKinzie had to do the same with Matthew Rzepka, who had multiple skirmishes with McKinzie on the final lap, but had to settle for 6th.

The top ten finishers shared close lap times throughout the race, but Slug was clearly the fastest during the first stint of racing.

Smith, Bajulaz, Rhodes, and Demir filled the rest of the top ten. Smith and Demir were surely happy afterward after gained a few positions each during the race, whilst Rhodes and Bajulaz were shaking their heads. Rhodes started in 3rd and quickly leapt into 2nd at the start, but slowly slipped back down into 9th. Bajulaz had a run-in with Rzepka and a concrete wall that set him back a couple of positions too.

The Elantra hunt in packs.

Wiley Cox finished 11th, and subsequently became the first Delta Championship race winner, beating out fellow Delta drivers Conner Accettella and Jonathan Strahl.

Newly signed Beaver Buzz driver Francois Shink, showing off the fresh drip.

The team championship looks like it’s going to be tight this year, with the entire top ten of the finishing order finished with drivers currently on a team. Yellow Flag Motorsport won the title last season, but Beaver Buzz now has three stellar drivers after adding Shink over the offseason, and possibly the most pacey lineup on the grid. The newly cooked up Breakfast 4 Dinner has signed Bauer, Rhodes, and Carr, an extremely strong lineup that could easily compete with the other top teams. Torque Steer Racing also expanded its lineup, adding Demir and Smith, gaining much needed depth in the organization that will give them a chance at this year’s championship.

Drivers hurl themselves down into turn 3, trying to gain as much ground as possible on lap 1 at a track where overtaking is difficult at best.

Round 2 of Season 5 kicks off this Monday at Laguna Seca! In past seasons, Slugnificent(1), Joseph Oetzell(1), and Wojciech Swirydowicz(2) have combined to win the four races held there.