OLYMPIA, WA -- A sprinkle of rain was promising to keep the dust down this weekend as the top drivers in North America lined up to start the Olympus Rally in the Pacific Northwest.

The race -- the fourth round of the Rally America Championship -- covers over 125 miles of dirt and gravel roads in and around Olympia, Wash. Competitors had the opportunity to review the stages on Friday and reported a technical course with a wide range of road conditions.

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana, who sits an unexpected third overall in the standings after three rounds, said early Saturday he was ready to recover a position or two in the overall standings. He and co-driver Christian Edstrom have recently returned from the Rally Argentina round of the Production World Rally Championship.

"We're glad to be back in the States," said Pastrana. "I think we've learned a lot."

Pastrana and Edstrom suffered engine failure at the last round, costing the team precious points in the standings.

And competition is close this season; every point counts. Entering the Olympus Rally, the top four drivers in the 2007 Rally America standings are separated by just 10 points. After three of the series' nine events, Ken Block and co-driver Alessandro Gelsomino lead the standings, followed by Tanner Foust and co-driver Christine Beavis. Defending champions Pastrana and Edstrom are third, while Oregon Trail Rally winner Andrew Pinker is fourth.

In addition to the 2007 Rally America National Championship title, drivers are competing for entry into X Games 13. For the second consecutive year, rally racing will be featured in the Summer X Games, with the first five races of the 2007 Rally America season serving as qualifying events for the popular action-sport competition.

There have already been some surprises at this round, with a pair of high profile no-shows among X Games contenders. Neither Pat Richard nor Lauchlin O'Sullivan started the Olympus Rally.

Although a new addition to the Rally America schedule for 2007, the Olympus Rally was a World Rally Championship race from 1986-1988. Rally racing legends such as Rod Millen, Juha Kankkunen and American John Buffum have claimed victories at the famed event.

Rally America drivers compete in street-legal vehicles that are modified for safety. Six vehicle classes, ranging from stock to highly modified, compete under the Rally America banner. Eleven different automobile manufacturers are represented in Rally America events, led by Subaru, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Ford and Volkswagen.

Media Contact:
Alan Perry
Olympus Rally
[email protected]
206-499-5501