Atlanta, Michigan -- Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana was confidently in the lead heading into the final stages of the Sno*Drift rally in north-central Michigan.

With just three stages remaining, he and co-driver Christian Edstrom were more than a minute ahead of a top field of X Games veterans and talented newcomers assembled for Round 1 of the 2008 Rally America Championship.

Pastrana said he had planned to adopt a conservative strategy for the day, in order to maintain his lead position and minimize the risk of mistakes.

"We’ve got a minute and 42 seconds on the competition," said Pastrana at the second service break of the day. "We’re just trying to mess up less than everybody else."

2007 Canadian champion Antoine L’Estage said he went out charging early on Saturday. But, after he and co-driver Nathalie Richard found themselves stuck in a snow bank for some 45 seconds on the tricky Stage 12, he said he was content to hold position for the remainder of the day to earn the second spot on the podium.

"Now we’re just cruising home," he said.

L’Estage, a winter driving veteran who is contesting the event for the first time in his Hyundai Tiburon, said he expected to have to fight for a top finish among a competitive field. The Canadian championship regular plans to contest select events in the Rally America series this year.

By the second service of the day, fellow winter driving veteran Andrew Comrie-Picard was also hoping to hold position in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. He and co-driver Marc Goldfarb had climbed up into third place overall by mid-afternoon.

"Everyone’s just in a holding pattern now," said Comrie-Picard.

Meanwhile, the Rockstar Energy team of Tanner Foust and co-driver Chrissie Beavis rode onto a snow bank on Stage 12. The error cost them about seven minutes and dropped them back into seventh place. Foust had also said he was battling a stiff suspension setup that was costing him time in the snow.

Earlier, Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block also spent 10 minutes off the road early Saturday after overcooking a turn. The error had dropped him back from second to sixth-place overall by midday.

Meanwhile, Foust’s teammates -- Rally America championship runner-up Andrew Pinker and co-driver Robbie Durant -- found themselves out of the contest before it really began. The duo retired early on Day 1 with a blown engine.

Pinker has returned to the championship alongside fellow Rockstar Energy driver Foust. Both are in 2006 Subaru WRX STi rally cars.

Conditions at this, the only winter-weather event in Rally America’s nine-event championship, are notoriously difficult, featuring a mixture of ice and snow conditions that award a smooth style of driving and strategic tire selection.

The day dawned cold and grey, and teams began the stages under a light dusting of snow.

More than 40 powerful rally cars took the start in Lewiston, Michigan, on Friday, for the two-day event covering100 stage miles of ice and snow. The event finishes late Saturday in Hillman.

Pastrana returns to the series this year as one of the two drivers of the Subaru Rally Team USA. Both he and driver Ken Block, who took third place overall in the 2007 championship, have returned in the Subaru WRX STi rally cars that earned them first and third-place in the 2007 championship.

The season opener also sees some exciting changes in the field. Matthew Johnson, who has long been a leader in the Production GT class, has moved up into the more powerful Open class of cars and is expected to quickly become a threat at the front of the pack. Former Production GT rival Kenny Bartram is also competing in the open class this season. Both are in Subaru rally cars.

Also, BMX superstar Dave Mirra is also making his national US rally debut at this round. He is driving a Monster Energy-backed Subaru Impreza. Notably absent is series regular Matthew Iorio, who recently announced his official retirement from the sport.

The Sno and Drift Regional Rallies will run concurrently as part of the 2008 Rally America Central Regional Rally Championship.

The Rally America national championship is a challenging, all-season series comprised of nine events across the country, beginning with Sno*Drift in January and wrapping up in October with the Lake Superior Performance Rally.

In addition to the championship title, teams are vying for a chance to complete at the high-profile X Games 14 Rally Car Race this summer in Los Angeles. It is expected that the top performers at the early season championship rounds will receive an invitation to compete at the California contest.