Tim O'Neil
Tim O'Neil is an American rally racing driver, and the winner of five production-based North American rally championships. He has driven both as a privateer, and as a factory driver for Volkswagen and Mitsubishi.
Racing career
1980s
O'Neil's first rallying experience was in 1986, racing a Saab 99 he had prepared, winning Canada's Novice of the Year. Prior to this he had raced stock cars, receiving rookie of the year honors in 1982. In 1987, he won the New England Division Championship. He was recruited by Volkswagen in 1988 to drive the Group A Golf GTI. During that year's Press On Regardless Rally, he led for over two days before getting stuck in a ditch on the last stage. He achieved his first overall victory at the Tall Pines Rally, clinching the Canadian Group A title.He formed Team O'Neil Motorsport in 1989 as Volkswagen moved from Group A to the Production Class. He won six of the first eight SCCA National ProRally Championship Events, locking up both individual and manufacturer's championships by midseason. As North American Production Champion, he also became the first Production class driver to win overall at an SCCA national event and also won the Tall Pines Rally Overall in a Production class car.
1990s
In 1990, O'Neil drove the AWD, supercharged Rallye Golf prototype to three overall wins and then became the first American in years to compete in Finland's 1000 Lakes Rally, a World Rally Championship event. In the same year, he used the car to set a record time of 7m, 45s in the Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race. In 1992, O'Neil was signed by Mitsubishi, and drove a Galant VR4 to win the National GT Championship as well as winning overall at a national SCCA rally with a Production GT car.2000s
O'Neil drove a United States Air Force Reserve sponsored Group N Subaru WRX to many National class wins in 2002. He then drove a 2002 Ford SVT Focus in the 2003 SCCA ProRally Championship season and had many podium finishes. This car was featured in the game Sega Rally 2006. At the end of the 2003 season, he announced a short retirement from competition to focus on developing his Rally School, the Team O'Neil Rally School in northern New Hampshire.Tim spent much of the 2000s training rally drivers who later went on to win many national championships, including Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Dave Mirra, and many more.
He began competing again in 2006, driving a Subaru WRX STI, in several events in the Rally America National Championship in 2006 and 2007.
Tim also became involved with organizing the New England Forest Rally in the late 2000s as well as organizing several other rally races in the northeast.
2010s
Tim O'Neil continued developing the Team O'Neil Rally School as well as Team O'Neil Motorsports, a racing team that specializes in modifying production-based vehicles and has won many SCCA and Rally America National Championships.During 2014, O'Neil drove EVSR, the fully electric racecar, during Subaru's Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb at Mt Washington, NH. It was the first electric vehicle to compete in this event since its creation. Tim bested his old hill record with a time of 7:28. He now holds the fastest electric record at Mt. Washington.
Rally School
O'Neil started the Tim O'Neil Rally School in 1997, after having spent several years coaching other rally drivers on techniques, most notably, the skill of left-foot braking.Complete Rally Results
SCCA ProRally Results
| Year | Class | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
| 1988 | Group A | VW GTI | Chattahoochee Forest Rally 3 | Happy Trails PRO Rallye DNP | Sunriser 400 Forest Rallyy 3 | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNF | Wild West PRO Rally DNP | Ojibwe Forests Rally 4 | Press On Regardless DNF | Coachmen Stages Rally 1 | * | * | ||
| 1989 | Production | VW GTI | Chattahoochee Forest Rally * | Sunriser 400 Forest Rallyy 1 | Pacific Forest Rally 1 | Rim of the World Rally 1 | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally 1 | Ojibwe Forests Rally 1 | Press On Regardless Rally DNF | Coachman Stages Rally DNF | 1 | * | ||
| 1990 | Group A | VW GTI | Sunriser 400 Forest Rallyy DNF | Rim of the World Rally 1 | Tiadaghton Trail PRO Rally DNF | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNF | Ojibwe Forests Rally DNP | Goldrush PRO Rally DNP | Press On Regardless Rally DNF | Coachman Stages Rally 1 | * | * | ||
| 1991 | Group A | VW GTI | Rim of the World Rally DNF | Tiadaghton Trail PRO Rally 2 | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNF | Ojibwe Forests Rally DNF | Goldrush PRO Rally DNP | Press On Regardless Rally DNP | Coachman Stages Rally DNP | Maine Forest Rally DNP | * | * | ||
| 1992 | PGT | Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 | Big Bend Bash Divisional PRO Rally DNP | Prescott Forest Rally DNP | Rim of the World DNP | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNF | Ojibwe Forests Rally 1 | Goldrush PRO Rally 1 | Press On Regardless Rally DNF | Capital Forests Stages 1 | Maine Forest Rally 1 | 1 | 80 | |
| 2001 | Production | Subaru Impreza WRX | Sno*Drift ProRally DNP | Cherokee Trails ProRally DNP | Rim of the World DNP | Oregon Trail Rally DNP | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally 3 | Maine Forest Rally 1 | Ojibwe Forests ProRally DNP | Wild West ProRally DNP | Prescott Forest ProRally DNP | Lake Superior ProRally DNP | 12 | 14 |
| 2003 | Open | Ford Focus | Sno*Drift ProRally DNF | Rim of the World Rally 5 | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally 2 | Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 3 | Oregon Trail Rally 2 | Maine Forest Rally DNF | Ojibwe Forests ProRally 5 | Wild West ProRally DNF | Lake Superior ProRally 8 | 4 | 76 | |
| 2004 | Open | Subaru Impreza WRX STi | Sno*Drift ProRally DNP | Oregon Trail Rally DNP | Rim of the World Rally DNP | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNP | Pikes Peak International Hill Climb DNP | Maine Forest Rally DNP | Ojibwe Forests ProRally DNP | Colorado Cog DNP | Lake Superior ProRally 2 | 17 | 17 |
- Limited Data was available for this year.
Rally America Results
| Year | Class | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
| 2006 | Open | Subaru Impreza WRX STi | Sno*Drift DNP | Rally in the 100 Acre Wood DNP | Oregon Trail DNP | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNP | Maine Forest Rally DNP | Ojibwe Forests Rally DNP | Colorado Cog DNP | Lake Superior Rally 2 | Wild West Rally DNP | 18 | 17 |
| 2007 | Open | Subaru Impreza WRX STi | Sno*Drift DNP | Rally in the 100 Acre Wood DNP | Oregon Trail DNP | Olympus Rally DNP | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNP | New England Forest Rally 6 | Ojibwe Forests Rally DNP | Rally Colorado DNP | Lake Superior Rally DNP | 22 | 8 |
| 2008 | 2 Wheel Drive | Mazdaspeed3 | Sno*Drift DNP | Rally in the 100 Acre Wood DNP | Oregon Trail DNP | Olympus Rally DNP | Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally DNP | New England Forest Rally DNF | Ojibwe Forests Rally DNP | Rally Colorado DNP | Lake Superior Rally DNP | 18 | 1 |