HILLMAN, MI -- It was a hard-fought victory at Sno*Drift for Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard, who drove cleanly into first place overall after several top teams fell victim to slick conditions on the 130-mile winter rally through north-central Michigan.

“It’s pretty exciting – it’s been a long time coming and it’s a real thrill for us, being a privateer team, to take the win,” said Comrie-Picard. It was the first-ever top finish for the Canadian and his Mitsubishi Evo IV in the U.S.

Second-place overall went to Subaru Team U.S.A. driver Travis Pastrana. It was a stunning third-place overall finish for Production-GT competitor Tanner Foust, who edged out Pastrana teammate Ken Block for the podium.

Comrie-Picard and co-driver Rod Hendricksen, who started the day’s leg more than a minute-and-a-half out of first, credited strategic driving for the win. They had said they planned to drive conservatively early in the race to focus their effort on a pair of make-or-break stages on Day 2 – a treacherous 24-mile section of road that competitors tackle twice during the rally.

Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino had been early favourites for the overall win, blazing to the front of the pack to finish Day 1 seven seconds ahead of Subaru teammates Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom.

But both Subaru crews were caught out during the first pass of the crucial long stage, vaulting Australian Andrew Pinker – a snow and ice novice – into first place in his Group N Subaru STi. Pastrana suffered two flat tires on his Open class Subaru STi, while Block slid his identical car wide on a corner and found himself stuck for several minutes in a snowbank.

Pinker’s lead was short-lived, however. He slid off the road during his second run at the stage and dropped well out of podium contention. “I think that bit of road is laughing at everybody,” he said.

Block said late on Day 2 that his fourth-place result was a disappointment. “I’m feeling like I gave away the win,” he said. “I felt good. I have the speed I need, but I made a mistake.”

It is no small feat to bring a Production-GT car onto the podium, but third-place finishers Foust and co-driver Scott Crouch are snow-and-ice experts. Foust, last year’s Rally America PGT champion who works as a professional stunt driver and also competes as a drifter, has taught winter driving courses in his home state of Colorado. He observed that slick conditions level the field and reward careful driving. “This is a rally where the horsepower doesn’t matter all that much."

Despite his Saturday afternoon disappointment, Pinker put in a surprisingly strong performance at his U.S. debut - particularly given his limited experience on ice and snow. He has focused his efforts on the Spanish series in the past two years, but plans to contest the Rally America series in 2006. If his early performance at Sno*Drift is any indication, he will be a threat for the win at any race.

Matthew Iorio, who took second place at the 2005 Sno*Drift en route to the Rally America Open Class championship title was out of the race on Day 1 after rolling his Open Class Subaru WRX on a tricky turn.

Canadian drivers have stood atop the podium at Sno*Drift four of the past five years. Pat Richard won Sno*Drift in 2004 and 2005. Frank Sprongl won it in 2002.

Nearly 50 powerful rally cars took on this frozen challenge, which covered nearly 130 stage miles of ice and snow in the series’ only winter-weather event.

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 12 months later with the Reno Rally in Reno, Nevada. The series heads to southern Missouri in a month for the 100 Acre Wood rally near Salem.

For more information, contact J.B. Niday, Rally America Managing Director: (763) 553-2742. Jbniday(at)rally-america.com