NEWRY, ME -- Canadian Antoine L’Estage gained a strong early lead at the Maine Forest Rally, winning three of the four Friday stages outright to finish the day 24 seconds ahead of his closest challenger.

“The car’s running well, I’m pleased with that,” said L’Estage, who is running an older Hyundai Tiburon model that has had mechanical problems in the past. “If the car stays in once piece, it should be good.”

Eight-time U.S. champion Paul Choiniere -- in a newer Hyundai -- was in second-place overall after Friday’s stages, barely a second ahead of third-place Andrew Comrie-Picard in an aging Mitsubishi Evo IV.

Both L’Estage and Comrie-Picard were among the top drivers expected to challenge here for a qualifying spot in the first-ever X Games Rally. Two top finishers who have not already been selected will earn an invitation to the early August contest.

“Obviously we’re thrilled to be in the hunt to go -- it’s a great thing for rally and we’d love to be there,” said Comrie-Picard. “But, hey, we’re here to compete at this rally, too.”

Choiniere, who lives nearby and is always considered a favorite to win at this rally, predicted it would be a bitter battle to the end. “Tomorrow we’re going to see a lot of rougher stages and I have a feeling the rally’s going to be decided on the last one.”

Attrition is typically high, and Saturday’s stages feature plenty of the rough and treacherous conditions that have given this rally a reputation as a car-breaker.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block was an early victim. He arrived at the overnight break with the front bumper of his 2006 Subaru STi dragging on the ground and only a scrap of wheel on the driver’s side.

After gaining a comfortable second-place position early in the day, he clipped a tree on the inside of a corner during the fourth stage, likely breaking a control arm. That left the front corner swinging free and he and co-driver Alex Gelsomino barely finished the leg under their own power. “It sucked. Alex had to sit in the back and lean out of the rear door to balance the car,” Block said.

The team is expected to continue on Saturday, but it they lost an insurmountable 10 minutes to the incident and are well out of podium contention.

Italian Alfredo “Dedo” DeDominicis, in a Mitsubishi Evo, and Subaru Rally Team USA’s Travis Pastrana finished the day in fourth and fifth, respectively.

With series leader Andrew Pinker unexpectedly absent from the entry list, Pastrana stands to gain championship points at this valuable mid-season race.

A strong finish here could push Pastrana into the series lead and he said he started the race with strict team orders. “They told me: ‘If you crash, you’re going to get a foot up your butt,’” said Pastrana.

The typically rough Maine Forest Rally saw nearly 60 drivers take the start Friday. A sudden downpour of rain dampened the stage roads and eliminated the dust that was expected to be a factor.

Now in its 12th year, the rally offers plenty of technical demands for competitors as they howl through the picturesque forest. It covers a range of medium-fast two-lane gravel logging roads to narrow and twisty one and a half lane trails.

Teams made a single pass of the course ahead of the race to refine their route notes, an element DeDominicis said is a bonus for his team. Although reconnaissance is a rarity in North America, it is the accepted practice in Europe where the Italian has honed his skills.

Next up on the U.S. rally calendar is the X Games Rally in Los Angeles. Among those selected to compete are WRC veteran Colin McRae, motocross superstar turned Subaru Rally Team USA driver Pastrana, Block, Choiniere and 2005 Rally America champion Pat Richard.

Although Rally America had originally expected that only one driver would qualify into the games at this rally, the selection committee opted to open another spot.

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 annual X Games is the premier action sports event in the world, featuring athletes from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally. X Games 12 will be telecast live on ESPN and ABC.

Rally America, a Minneapolis, MN, based corporation, holds the sanctioning and marketing rights to the Rally America Championship. The company was founded in 2002 by rally driver and CPD Rally Team owner Doug Havir.