Time to rally ’round the cars

His world is fishtailing at 97 miles per hour and showering the Portland International Raceway with gravel and dust. Accelerating inches from boulders and stakes, careening past fences and trees, Travis Pastrana speaks calmly during what should be a white-knuckle ride on the edge.

“I’ve never been on this course before, so I better take it easy,” he said, slowing to a cool 92 mph. With almost supernatural control, he turns his wheels before the turns arrive and deftly slides safely through all of them. “Took that one a little wide,” he mutters to himself.

Pastrana is one of the 76 drivers in Portland this weekend for the Oregon Trail Rally, the third stop on the nine-race 2007 Rally America National Championship Series. Today, drivers race at PIR, and on Saturday and Sunday, they zigzag through tree-lined courses from Hillsboro to Vernonia.

 – Excerpt from The Oregonian, April 20, 2007