Atlanta, Michigan -- Canadian Antoine L’Estage took the first win of the 2008 Rally America championship this weekend in northern Michigan, after race leader Travis Pastrana struck a deer and retired late in the rally.

"I’m very happy for our win, but I’m speechless," said L’Estage at the finish. "Travis was the designated winner, he beat everybody -- until the end."

L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard, the 2007 Canadian rally champions, are from Quebec and veterans on snow and ice. The team had been favored for a strong finish in their Hyundai Tiburon even though it was their first time together at this event.

"It’s a very good start to the year for us," said L’Estage, who will contest the Canadian rally season opener in just two weeks’ time. He says he plans to compete in select Rally America events in 2008.

Fellow winter driving veteran Andrew Comrie-Picard earned second place in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. He and co-driver Marc Goldfarb kept a steady pace throughout the challenging contest to return to the podium. Comrie-Picard won this event in 2006.

"We drove extremely conservatively, and didn’t make any major mistakes," said Comrie-Picard. "It shows that the two leaders here had the benefit of Yokohama tires."

Both L’Estage and Comrie-Picard are sponsored by Yokohama Canada.

Third place went to Open class newcomer Kyle Sarasin who, along with co-driver Mikael Johansson, has moved up into a powerful Subaru Impreza rally car for 2008.

"It’s my first overall podium and I’m super excited," said a jubilant Sarasin. "It’s a perfect way to start off the season."

The teenaged Sarasin was named the 2007 Rally America 'Rookie of the Year' after a successful season in a Group 5 Ford Focus.

Earlier in the day, it had looked like it would be an easy win for Subaru Rally Team USA driver Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom. They led the contest from the start and were close to two minutes ahead of the rest of the field by the final stages of the event. The duo had barely begun the final section of the day when they hit a deer on the course that disabled their competition car and forced them out of contention.

In the Production GT class, driver Pat Moro and co-driver Mike Rossey took the win in their Subaru, while the fastest two-wheel drive team was Christopher Duplessis and co-driver Martin Headland in their Group 5 Volkswagen GTi.

The Production class win went to Jan and Jody Zedril, a pair of Canadian brothers who took the North American class championship in 2007 in their Mitsubishi Lancer.

As is typical, the conditions at 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.

While it appeared to be a smooth and steady event for the top three, several podium contenders ran into trouble early on that knocked them out of contention.

Rockstar Energy driver 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 in their Subaru WRX STi rally car. Their teammates Tanner Foust and Chrissie Beavis were charging hard on Day 2 when they wound up in a snow bank and lost seven minutes trying to get out.

Pastrana and Edstrom’s Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino also ran into trouble on Day 2, losing some 10 minutes to an off-road excursion. Both drivers for the Subaru factory team have returned to the series in the Subaru WRX STi rally cars that earned them first and third-place in the 2007 championship.

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

The season opener also sees some exciting changes in the field. Matthew Johnson, who has long been a leader in the Production GT class, began the season in a more powerful Open class car, 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 made his national US rally debut at this round to finish 18th overall. He is contesting the season in a Monster Energy-backed Subaru Impreza. Notably absent is series regular Matthew Iorio, who recently announced his official retirement from the sport.

All scores are considered unofficial pending the results of post-race administration processes.

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.