SALEM, MO — Subaru Rally Team USA's Ken Block is the driver to beat this weekend at Round 2 of the Rally America championship, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. The fast and flowing course suits Block’s flat-out style and he’s proven tough to beat at this early spring event. The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was the scene of the driver’s first national win in 2006, and he’s taken the top spot every year since then. “I don’t feel like there’s any pressure on me,” said Block Friday afternoon as he lined up to start. “I’m the one that’s won three years in a row – they’ve got to beat me.”

It won’t be easy. Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana, who took the win at Round 1 last month in Michigan, is determined to keep his teammate from making it four in a row. “I’m going to drive like a bat out of hell until I either hit something, or we catch Ken,” said Pastrana on Friday.

Currently second in the points, Rockstar Energy driver Tanner Foust took the start in a powerful new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X rally car for this event and said he expects he will spend the early stages getting a feel for the car. “The smart side of me says we’re going to shake the car down,” says Foust. “The competitive side says we’re going to be right on Ken’s tracks.”

And NOS Energy’s Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard is also looking for another solid finish after he claimed the third spot on the podium at Round 1.

Polish driver Andi Mancin says he has upgraded his rally car in order to be more competitive for his third American event and he could also threaten for the win.

The new Super Production class will also feature some fierce competition this weekend. Subaru Rally Team USA’s newest member, Dave Mirra, is debuting a car built for the new class, while former two-time Production-GT champion Matt Johnson is looking to make a comeback after a tough first round. “I love this event. It’s awesome,” said Johnson. “You just put the hammer down and hang on tight.” Johnson has had mixed results at this event. He scored his first national podium at this event last year, winding up in third place overall. The year before, however, he crashed hard enough to write off his competition car.

A number of veteran two-wheel drive competitors are also expected to attend, making for exciting battles throughout the field.

The event also serves as a Regional championship event for 2008. Regional champions from coast to coast are invited to race head-to-head in the foothills of the Ozarks to see who will claim the cup.

The rally takes place through the scenic Ozark foothills of southern Missouri. The course is fast, tight, and twisty, on roads known as some of the best in the nation for rallying.

It is early spring in the area at this time of year, but all bets are off when it comes to the weather. The temperature has cooled considerably in the past few days and there’s the threat of snow on Saturday. Last year saw a freak storm blanket the region with a thick layer of ice in the days before the rally. Teams must come prepared for anything.

Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover more than 100 miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

Top teams in the series are also invited to compete in the Summer X Games, the leading action sports event broadcast live on ABC and ESPN. Eight top teams have already been invited to this August’s contest.

About Rally America
Based in Golden Valley, Minn., Rally America sanctions the premier rally racing series in the United States, the Rally America National Championship Series. In 2009, Rally America will conduct nine National Championship events at venues across the country, from Olympia, Wash., to Bethel, Maine.