Atlanta, Michigan -- Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana was the driver to beat after the opening stages of the Sno*Drift rally in north-central Michigan.

At the end of Day 1, he and co-driver Christian Edstrom had opened up a 46 second lead over the top field of X Games veterans and talented newcomers assembled for Round 1 of the 2008 Rally America Championship.

Even so, he and other rally veterans said they took a conservative approach to Day 1 of this event. More than half the competition distance is scheduled for Day 2, and many drivers are saving their big push for Saturday’s stages.

"Crashing at this rally is really, really easy to do," observed Pastrana.

Conditions at this, the only winter-weather event in Rally America’s nine-event championship, are notoriously difficult, featuring a mixture of ice and snow conditions that award a smooth style of driving and strategic tire selection.

Trailing Pastrana was Subaru Rally Team USA’s Ken Block, who picked up the pace after nightfall to pull ahead of 2007 Canadian champion Antoine L’Estage in the later sections of the day.

L’Estage, a winter driving veteran who is contesting the event for the first time in his Hyundai Tiburon, said he expected to have to fight for a top finish.

"I know that all of the first six cars on the road can be fast on snow and ice," said L’Estage. The Canadian championship regular plans to contest select events in the Rally America series this year.

Off the pace at the end of the night were Rockstar Energy driver Tanner Foust and Andrew Comrie-Picard. Both drivers had been expected to challenge for the win at this contest, but were fourth and fifth respectively at the end of Day 1 - and minutes behind Pastrana.

Even so, both drivers were optimistic they could make some gains Saturday.

"It’s a long day tomorrow," said Comrie-Picard late on Friday.

Meanwhile, Rally America championship runner-up Andrew Pinker and co-driver Robbie Durant found themselves out of the contest before it really began. The duo retired on the first stage with a blown engine.

Pinker has returned to the championship alongside fellow Rockstar Energy driver Foust. Both are in 2006 Subaru WRX STi rally cars.

More than 40 powerful rally cars took the start in Lewiston, Michigan, on Friday, for the two-day event covering100 stage miles of ice and snow. The event finishes late Saturday in Hillman.

Pastrana returns to the series this year as one of the two drivers of the Subaru Rally Team USA. Both he and driver Ken Block, who took third place overall in the 2007 championship, have returned in the Subaru WRX STi rally cars that earned them first and third-place in the 2007 championship.

The season opener also sees some exciting changes in the field. Matthew Johnson, who has long been a leader in the Production GT class, has moved up into the more powerful Open class of cars and is expected to quickly become a threat at the front of the pack. Former Production GT rival Kenny Bartram is also competing in the open class this season. Both are in Subaru rally cars.

Also, BMX superstar Dave Mirra is also making his US rally debut at this round. He is driving a Monster Energy-backed Subaru Impreza. Notably absent is series regular Matthew Iorio, who recently announced his official retirement from the sport.

The Sno and Drift Regional Rallies will run concurrently as part of the 2008 Rally America Central Regional Rally Championship.

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 in October with the Lake Superior Performance Rally.

In addition to the championship title, teams are vying for a chance to complete at the high-profile X Games 14 Rally Car Race this summer in Los Angeles. It is expected that the top performers at the early season championship rounds will receive an invitation to compete at the California contest.