COPPER HARBOR, MI -- Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana was in the hut for his third-straight win this weekend at the Lake Superior Performance Rally, but his teammate Ken Block wasn’t planning to let him walk away with the victory.

X Games superstar Pastrana has already scored one win this weekend. He clinched the 2006 drivers’ title when his chief series rival Matt Iorio crashed hard early in the race. That gave Pastrana a strong enough lead in the championship that it is now mathematically impossible for anyone to catch him. There is only one more race remaining in the 2006 Rally America championship.

“I had perma-grin last night,” said Pastrana, who is the only driver in the championship to have won more than one race this season. “I’m pretty excited about things right now.”

But even though the top spot in the championship is decided, the race in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is far from over. Subaru teammate Block was in second-place overall with three stages remaining, and working hard to close the gap.

“It’s exceptional racing this weekend,” said Block. “I’m going to try and do everything I can, but even if I finish the way I am right now, I’m happy.”

Block is still fighting for a top-three position in the championship and is under pressure to finish well at this race. Block, along with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, were leading early but lost time in the night stages on Day 1. Block typically struggles in the dark and has admitted that his confidence suffers when visibility is limited.

Veteran driver Tim O’Neil, meanwhile, was firmly in third place Saturday. O’Neil, a driving instructor who has coached many of the top drivers in the series – including Pastrana and Block -- says he’s pleased to see his students driving well.

“I’m so proud of his students -- all of them, not just the two that are beating me,” said O’Neil. “I wanted to see how fast these guys are: they truly are fast.”

The driver, who preaches a cool-headed style of rally competition, said Saturday that it’s good to see how well his students have learned their lesson.

In a second championship battle decided early in the race, Matthew Johnson took the Production-GT title just by crossing the start-line. Johnson and challenger Tanner Foust have been fighting a close battle all season, but Foust suffered a bad crash last month in Colorado and was absent from this weekend’s contest.

Even so, Johnson says he doesn’t plan to cruise. The scrappy driver has now set his sights on the overall points, musing: “A top five finish in a Production-GT car for the national championship would be pretty cool.”

With just three stages remaining Saturday, he was in fifth place overall.

Some of the top competitors in the series had a poor start at this characteristically challenging rally. Matt Iorio and co-driver Ole Holter took a hard roll on a slick corner early on Day 1. They were unharmed, but their competition vehicle took heavy damage. When the car stopped moving, they were on their roof with a tree resting across the skidplate. Andrew Comrie-Picard and co-driver Marc Goldfarb struck a rock on the first stage and were also forced to retire.

Based at the tip of Michigan’s northern peninsula, the Lake Superior Performance Rally is a challenging event that features a range of weather and road conditions. Course roads range from gravel to mud and truly fickle autumn weather means crews can expect everything from snow to pouring rain.

LSPR is the eighth event in the nine-event Rally America championship series. The final round takes place in November in Washington State.