PORTLAND, OR -- A packed field of over 75 racers took to the start under sunny skies at the Portland International Raceway on Friday for the Oregon Trail Rally--Round 3 of the Rally America championship.

The early racetrack stages are presented largely for the benefit of the fans, and experienced racers adopt a conservative strategy, saving their competitive energy for the real meat of the rally in the forest stages on Day 2 and Day 3.

Even so, trouble at the racetrack claimed a few race favorites early in the day. Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard was the first driver out after he suffered a mechanical problem during a demonstration stage just before the race start. His crew was unable to make repairs in time to race, but the team took the start anyway, pushing the car across the starting line while fans cheered in the grandstands.

"I didn't drive all the way across the country to not even start," said Comrie-Picard early Friday afternoon. "Never say die."

The race's next victim was Subaru Team USA's Travis Pastrana, who pulled into the service area after the second stage with what appeared to be a blown engine. Lauchlin O'Sullivan retired next, also with apparent engine trouble.

Still, a competitive field remains to battle it out at the three-day contest, including a rare entry by former champion Pat Richard, who is based in nearby British Columbia, Canada.

Former PGT champion Tanner Foust and co-driver Christine Beavis had the early lead after the first day, finishing three seconds ahead of Subaru Rally Team USA's Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino. It was no surprise to see Foust at the top of the heap Friday; the driver is also a top competitive drifter and he is very comfortable at the racetrack.

Australian driver Andrew Pinker, who has recently partnered with Foust's Syms crew for the season, was in third place after the opening six stages. He earned his first overall North American win at this race last season.

Teams are battling for a chance to compete at this summer's X Games in Los Angeles. It is expected that the top six drivers after the first five rounds will secure an invitation to the wildly popular ESPN contest.

The Oregon race is also the first event in the new MaxAttack! Triple Crown Rally series. Three events across the country this season will feature an $8,000 prize fund to be distributed among the top two-wheel-drive teams.

But with 100 miles of competition remaining, the contest was wide open by the start of Day 2. On Saturday, teams headed into the woods of western Oregon to take on two days of technical competition an undulating, tree-lined course through the Coast Mountain Range.

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.

The 2007 Rally America National Championship series consists of nine events nationwide. Throughout the year, teams take on everything from the forest logging roads in Minnesota, to the high-altitude Yampa River Valley in Northwest Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest forest and coast paths. After Oregon Trail, the series remains in the west for one more round. The Olympus Rally takes place next month in Washington State.

Complete television coverage of the Rally America Championship airs on ESPN2 starting in early June.