The battle for top points in the Rally America championship is heating up the Pacific Northwest as the series moves to Oregon for the fourth round, the Oregon Trail Rally - This Week Starting May 15th through the 17th.
A tight race at the top of the standings sees NOS Energy driver Andrew Comrie-Picard with a three-point lead over Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana and Rockstar Energy's Tanner Foust who are tied for second-place. Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom could have the edge. The driver has scored two wins in three starts this season and scored the event win in 2008. Meanwhile, Comrie-Picard and co-driver Robbie Durant, and Foust and co-driver Chrissie Beavis, have shown they can set a top pace this season. Pastrana's Subaru teammates Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino, are always a threat for the win. Block and the Polish team of Andi Mancin and co-driver Maciej Wislawski are hungry for points to boost their standings after a slow start to their respective seasons. Block has one win and two DNFs to his record this year, while Mancin has been expected to gain ground as the season progresses and he becomes accustomed to the U.S. style of rally competition.
The new, hotly contested Super Production Class will also see a strong field at this event, with drivers including Piotr Wiktorczyk, Matt Johnson and Subaru Rally Team USA's Dave Mirra expected to fight hard for class honors and maintain their top-10 standings. Promising young Dillon Van Way is another driver to watch as continues his national campaign the for two-wheel drive title, while a number of popular competitors from the Pacific Northwest including Dave Hintz, Paul Eklund, and Mark Tabor are sure to put on a great show for their hometown crowds.
The event features over 100 miles of competition over a course that promises a mix of twisty, hard-packed forest conditions and wide-open farming roads. The Mount Hood area's hilly terrain means plenty of elevation changes throughout the contest. For more information go to www.rally-america.com
