Tim O'Neil
| Tim O'Neil | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nationality | American |
| Rally America career | |
| Debut season | 1986 |
| Current team | Team O'Neil Motorsports |
| Car no. | 29 |
| Former teams | Mitsubishi, Volkswagen |
| Previous series | |
| SCCA ProRally | |
| Championship titles | |
| 1989, 1992 | SCCA ProRally Novice Champion, New England Champion, Production Champion, Group A Champion, Production GT Champion |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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