NEWRY, ME -- Italian Alfredo “Dedo” DeDominicis moved into first place in the Maine Forest Rally early Saturday afternoon after trouble dropped many leading contenders out of position.

A mis-step on Stage 7 cost Antoine L’Estage and co-driver Mark Williams more than 20 seconds and their strong early lead, dropping them into second-place overall. L’Estage said he made a wrong turn at a junction.

In a surprising turn of events, Paul Choiniere and co-driver Jeff Becker – always a favorite team to win this rally – we’re forced to retire. It was not immediately clear whether the veteran team crashed or suffered mechanical failure on the course.

In third after seven stages were Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Michael Fennell.

Andrew Comrie-Picard and Marc Goldfarb, who began the day in third, slid into sixth place after their hood opened during a stage and smashed their windshield. “I drove at least five miles looking below the windscreen,” said Comrie-Picard. “But we can still come back.”

A host of top drivers – including L’Estage, Lagemann, De Dominicis and Comrie-Picard – are racing 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 race, held the first week in August.

But attrition is typically high at this event. The remaining stages feature plenty of the rough and treacherous conditions that have given this rally a reputation as a car-breaker.

Matt Iorio and Travis Pastrana were in fourth and fifth with two stages remaining. Both teams said the competition was tough.

“Everyone’s going fast. Real fast,” said Ole Holter. Iorio’s co-driver. “We’ve got to battle if we want to do anything here.”

Meanwhile, 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, but he said he’s not sure he’ll be able to pick up the pace.

“We feel like we’re driving pretty well, but we’re not – obviously,” said Pastrana. “I’ve never been in a field where the top six cars are within 30 seconds of each other.”

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.

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.