Canadians L'Estage and Richard win Sno*Drift rally season opener in Michigan

After clinching the Canadian Rally Championship last October, Antoine L'Estage and the Rockstar Energy team kicked off the 2013 season with their first victory at the Rally America Sno*Drift rally this past weekend in Michigan. Conditions were spot on for an exciting event, with a fresh snow pack making for a faster circuit than last year's ice covered run.

Early speculation was that Ken Block and the Hoonigan Racing team would be the ones to watch, an early electrical failure in the Ford Fiesta bumped the team further back in the pack. After a strong fight through day 2 the team was able to scrape their way to a 6th place finish.

The real battle over the weekend remained between Quebec's Antoine L'Estage and David Higgins of the Subaru Rally USA team, with the two veteran drivers swapping positions numerous times. Never being too far off each others tail, the overall win came to L'Estage and his Mitubishi Evo X by a mere 6.2 seconds.

Click here for our full gallery courtesy of Erik Olsen Photography and Rally America,
and hit the jump for a video of the event.