Steamboat Springs, Colorado -- It was a nail-biter of a finish for defending North American champion Pat Richard, who took a much-needed win this weekend over rival Stig Blomqvist at the Colorado Cog rally.

After a fierce, two-day contest over 100 miles of variable mountain roads, the slimmest of margins separated first from second place. Richard and his sister co-driver Nathalie Richard finished Sunday less than half a second ahead of former World Rally champion Blomqvist and co-driver Ana Goni.

A first-place finish was crucial for Richard to remain in contention for the 2005 title. The season will now be decided next month in Michigan at the Lake Superior Pro Rally -- the eighth and final round of the Rally America Championship.

The two champion drivers have proven a close match all year in Group N Subarus and this race was no different. Several stages ended in a dead heat as both drivers pushed the limits to gain the lead.

Richard's slim victory follows a heartbreaking retirement just seconds from a near-certain win last month at the Ojibwe Forests rally in Minnesota. Despite his success at Colorado Cog, the Canadian Richard remains long shot for the title. He is 18 points behind Blomqvist in the overall standings, with only one race remaining.

The variable stage roads in the engine-sapping high-altitude Rocky Mountains near Steamboat Springs proved intensely challenging. Novice driver Travis Pastrana crashed hard in the 10th stage, rolling multiple times. Pastrana and co-driver Christian Edstrom were uninjured, but it is unclear if their competition vehicle will run again.

Before the crash, the motocross pro-turned-rally-driver had been holding firm in third place, ending the first leg less than two seconds out of first place. The crash proved hard to take for teammate Ken Block. "It may be part of rally, but it is still hard to see," said Block, who competes with Pastrana out of Vermont Sportscar.

It was also a close battle for the Production GT class, with hometown favorite Tanner Foust earning the class win by five seconds over North Carolina�s Matthew Johnson.

That class will also be decided at the final round. Johnson is philosophical about his chances after trying to take on Foust on his home turf: "The next event will be on the roads we know," he said.

The championship series is sanctioned by Rally America and will be broadcast this fall on the Outdoor Life Network starting Saturday, October 1 at 5 p.m. Eastern.

Minneapolis-based Rally America, Inc. holds the sanctioning and marketing rights to the Rally America Championship. The next round, the Lake Superior Rally, takes place October 21-22 in Houghton, MI.

For further information:
J.B. Niday, Managing Director, Rally America, Inc. Tel: +1.763.553.2742, [email protected] www.rally-america.com