PORTLAND, OR -- Australian driver Andrew Pinker was comfortably in the hunt for an overall win at the Oregon Trail rally Saturday afternoon, while attrition on the technical forest roads continued to thin the field.

He said Saturday that his strategy for the remaining six was simple: "Stay in the lead to the finish."

Pinker, who led Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block by a comfortable 38-second margin midway through Day 2, said the technical character of the roads suited his driving style. He took his first-ever North American win at this event last season and said he was confident he could win again this year.

His Syms teammate, Tanner Foust, was in third after suffering a flat tire and losing a minute early in the day.

Meanwhile, former champion Pat Richard was forced out of the race early Saturday when his brakes failed. It was a disappointment for the Canadian driver, who has been running only occasional races over the past two seasons after a period of near domination in North America.

"We had complete brake failure," said Richard. "If you can't stop, you can't go."

But Richard was just one driver of many to retire from the contest. A packed field of over 76 racers took to the start under sunny skies at the Portland International Raceway on Friday and by mid-day Saturday more than 20 teams were out of the race. Notable retirements included top contenders Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard, Lauchlin O'Sullivan, Ramana Lagemann and Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana.

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."

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.

Group 5 driver Cary Kendall was leading the charge in his 2005 Dodge SRT-4.

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.