The course was incredibly slick and he was racing his Subaru Rally Team car with a broken collarbone, but Travis Pastrana built an early lead and held on to win last weekend's 2010 season-opening Rally America Sno*Drift race in the woods of Atlanta, Michigan.   

Defending Rally America champion Pastrana broke his collarbone the Sunday before the race during a motocross ride and had to undergo surgery this week to plate it back together before he could drive.  He said that the injury actually helped his performance. 

"As slick as the roads were out here, I drove as smooth as I could- for the shoulder- and it made me focus a little bit more," he said at the finish.  "It was probably the best thing that could have happened for us."

Pastrana's co-driver is Christian Edstrom.

Sno*Drift is one of the few true snow rallies in the world.  Located in the region of the 45th parallel- the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole- the weather here at this time of the year is bitterly cold.  For this year's event the course roads were covered in glare ice.  Teams cover 130 miles of competitive stages over two days and studded tires are not allowed.

The next Rally America race is the 100 Acre Wood Rally, February 26-27, in southern Missouri.  More info: www.rally-america.com.