Lagemann and co-driver Mark Williams finished second at The Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally is known for its water crossings. (Isabel Parra Photography) » More Photos

Still, Lagemann was bumping around the periphery of American rallying in 2005 and '06 until he got a break from Lance Smith's brother, who put Ramana into Carl Merrill's once super-fast Ford Escort Cosworth at last year's Maine Forest Rally, an X Games qualifier. Lagemann returned the favor by winning the event after not driving for a year. Ramana had moderate success in Los Angeles where niggling problems left him a frustrated seventh of 12 in the invitational.

Buffum, however, stops short of saying Ramana is part of the third generation of potential American rally champions.

"Ramana is only in rallying to go to the X Games," said John, an 11-time champion long committed to forest events. "I think you'll find he doesn't even enter New England foresty (events). So, no, he's not committed to being the next U.S. rally star. Travis (Pastrana) and Ken (Block) are, though." It helps that Travis and Ken have the resources to support their obvious skills, resources that allow them to learn how to become America's third generation of championship rally talent. Personally, I think that class includes Foust and Lagemann.

Ramana is 26, born and lives in Boston and ran his first rally in the 1999 at the Maine Forest Rally. Shortly thereafter he graduated in 2002 from Boston College where he majored in English with plans to be a journalist before rallying got in the way.

So, at this point in the journey Lagemann has turned from the student, learning from an international champion, to the teacher where he's passing along his experiences to his current privateer team, a group that's proven it can compete for and earn event wins even if it doesn't have the resources to make every event.

"The car (a 2003 Mitsubishi Evo 7) is very fast (but) there were some handling issues that I wasn't happy with," he admits.

Lagemann says said Lovell taught him to speak up and be adamant when the equipment's not right. Of course that means he needs to learn the equipment to know what he's talking about!

Of the team's first two events in Missouri and Oregon, Lagemann says, "we were competitive. We were in second place when we retired each time. So, in a back-handed way, we were competitive in a car that wasn't 100 percent.

"We made some changes before OIympus and we won by the skin of our teeth. That was ultimately very satisfying."

Lagemann's factory team experience has helped to bring his current Dent Sport Garage/Magic Robot/Cascade Autosport Mitsubishi up to speed.

And isn't that the point? Resources don't make winners. Resources don't get behind the wheel. Drivers get behind the wheel and sitting there with them are skills, abilities and commitments they learn from somewhere, usually a mentor.