WELLSBORO, PA -- Australian Andrew Pinker started Rally America's Round 5 in the number one position and, by mid-day Saturday, he was pledging to keep it that way until the finish.

"When you're the first car on the road, nobody can mess you up," said Pinker, who drew the number one road position before the race and then took an early lead in the contest.

After four stages of the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally, Canadian Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard were in second place and working hard to claw into the lead.

"Everybody's going fast and you can't afford any mistakes," said L'Estage during the long afternoon parc expose at the Wellsboro Green. "There is still a long way to go."

Meanwhile, the battle for third was heating up; after four stages, three teams were within 10 seconds of each other. Ramana Lagemann and co-driver Mark Williams led the charge; closely followed by Subaru Rally Team USA's Travis Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom; and Andrew Comrie-Picard and Marc Goldfarb.

Matt Iorio and co-driver Ole Holter were in sixth overall, but were attempting to reverse a road penalty that was awarded earlier in the contest. A successful effort on that front could vault them several positions ahead.

The excitement started even before the contest began for Pastrana's Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Ken Block. He went off the road during a test session on Friday and took heavy damage to his car. Co-driver Alex Gelsomino suffered a mild concussion and accepted medical advice to skip the race.

The crew were able to get Block started Saturday, with rally mentor John Buffum in the co-driver's seat, but mechanical trouble ended their race on the second stage.

"This will make it three events in a row where there has been trouble," said Block, who is likely to surrender his championship lead after this round.

Also battling adversity before the race even began was Iorio, who suffered engine damage at the last round of the series in Washington just two weeks ago. Iorio's crew was unable to source a new engine until Friday night and they worked until the last minute Saturday morning to get the team into the race. The team took the start, but with minimal time for setup and testing.

"Yesterday, our motor was in all separate pieces," said Iorio. "I wish I'd had a little more time to shake it down, so we might still find a bug or too."

The demanding STPR course, which begins at The Green in Wellsboro, Pa., covers a total of 310 miles -- including 125 competitive miles in 10 stages. Rally teams race along dangerous woodland roads and through treacherous water crossings at speeds up to 100 mph.

Now in its 31st year, the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally has been the proving ground for countless national and international rally stars. Rally racing legends such as Rod Millen and Buffum have earned multiple victories at the venerable race, which is the longest consecutively held motorsports event in the state of Pennsylvania.

Entering STPR, the top three drivers in the 2007 Rally America standings are separated by just five points. After four of nine events, Block and co-driver Gelsomino lead the standings, followed by Tanner Foust and co-driver Christine Beavis. Pinker and Durant are third, while 2006 Rally America national champions Pastrana and Edstrom are fourth.

The Foust/Beavis team did not enter this race, due to a conflict with the Formula D series -- which Foust is currently leading.

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.

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.

The Rally America Championship airs on ESPN2.