The Rally America series moves from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and into the equally nice New England area. The STPR is one of the toughest rallies on the calendar for the championship and this weekend has entered a wildcard there will definately play. Patrik Sandell from the P-WRC class has entered the event in hopes of making the X games later this season. Sandell has joined the NCRALLY Team and looks to win the event and earn his first X Games apperance. I am predicting a win for Sandell as long as the equipment holds up. He is a crackshot rally driver and has already taken two P-WRC victories this year. There are however our series regulars and they are impressive in their own rights.
Travis Pastrana has taken the last two rounds of the Rally America series and jumped into first on the drivers table. Pastrana is clearly a threat for victory this weekend, but I am only willing to put him into a comfortable second place and he will maintain his championship lead. Pastrana’s teammate Ken Block is also a very real threat to win, however he has crashed or had a failure the last 3 out of 4 races. Block is going to be looking for a solid finish in an attempt to rebuild the confidence this year.
Tanner Foust has taken advantage of the other front runners misfortune and positioned himself nicely in the championship. I am guessing that Foust will finish out the weekend with a top 3 and second place in the drivers standings. The Evolution X has not really had race winning pace but has been more reliable than previous versions of the car.
Andrew Comrie-Picard is going to be looking to finish on the podium and he probably would if Sandell was not a factor. ACP had the points lead early on this season and was just recently dethrowned by Subaru of North America Travis Pastrana. ACP will be just outside the top three this weekend and end in fourth.
The rally promises to be brilliant as usual and another great event for the fans. This weekend will be a rare treat for rally fans with a rare oppurtunity to meet and greet with a WRC quick rising star. If you are in PA and have a chance to attend this event, it is free of charge and a blast. I only wish that I could make it out there for what promises to be a great weekend of rally driving.