Chris Cyr, CEO of Team O’Neil Rally School located in Dalton, NH successfully completed his pursuit of the 2025 ARA Rally championship title. Over the weekend Chris and his Co-Driver Glen Ray raced in the Overmountain Rally on the twisty roads throughout the Cherokee National Forest of Eastern Tennessee. A win at this rally brought the team the championship they have been chasing all summer and for Chris, a moment he has been dreaming of for over two decades.In rally racing, teams of drivers and co-drivers compete on dirt roads against the clock in purpose built road-legal cars in order to get the fastest times.
They started the 2025 season strong, winning the first four consecutive rallies of the season. Going into the 5th rally in June, it was mathematically possible for them to win the championship. However, the sport of rally, with its unlimited variables and constantly changing terrain is always full of surprises. They ended up going off the road, hitting a tree, and finishing in 5th place. Due to scheduling conflicts, the pair wasn’t able to go to the next round. Their primary competitor, Henry Tabor, won that rally adding to the importance of a strong showing in Tennessee.
The Overmountain Rally started on Friday night, and everything went according to plan. On Saturday, the team couldn’t find the pace to get ahead of Henry. Going into Sunday, the team worked their way up to second place. On the day’s first stage, they ended up rolling over a rock with the tire, and it shot it into the floor of the car. The impact knocked the wind out of Co-Driver Glen, and he had to continue to read the notes while recovering his breath. Going into the last service they were still in 2nd place.
The team’s Michelin tires were up to the challenging conditions, they noticed competitors tires were really worn by the rough conditions and their tires were still in great shape. With this advantage they tried to be strategic and not to push too hard. They ended up all but closing the gap on the leader with only a one second difference on the third to last stage. The entire team was giving their all, and they could see the championship in their grasp.
In rally the unexpected is always around the next corner. While in transit to the next to last stage, their Ford Fiesta stopped running completely. They were stranded two miles away from the start of the next stage. Chris and Glen removed the hood to try and cool the car down. They waited and then tried again– this time the engine miraculously fired up and made it to the start of the stage with only two minutes to spare. However, that victory was short lived–a quarter mile into the stage, the car shut off again. While still in motion, they restarted the car and completed the 7 1/2 mile stage. On top of that, they gained more time on their competitor, who was facing issues himself.
During the very last stage–called the power stage for the potential to earn extra points– they beat Henry by two-tenths of a second. This caused them to win the rally overall by 24 seconds total. This was the first Limited Two Wheel Drive National Championship win for both of
them. They were thrilled to celebrate with the entire team, and their partners Michelin and Ohlin suspension. After decades of dreaming, years of practice, and a summer of constant hard work, the win was an exciting relief.
This moment meant a lot to Chris who said that, “21 years ago, I saw a rally car in Colorado as a 16 year-old kid. I have spent my entire adult life pursuing this, and I finally got to bring home the win.” The Team O’Neil Rally School is now owned and managed by two national rally champions including the founder Tim O’Neil. If you want to start your rally career or just learn to be a better driver, check out teamoneil.com.
American Rally Association Release:
https://www.americanrallyassociation.org/post/martell-takes-first-national-victory-as-pastrana-cyr-clinch-titles-and-women-dominate-l4wd-podium
Images for editorial use:
Friday Images:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_6Q8a2498uuxZKGodYV6OdAbCJv02Q28?usp=drive_link
Saturday Images:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZNzNTbl248e6z1MIM5Y2MOCjPYpnekr2?usp=sharing
Podium Photo:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16_YjhZSfR7EOtVYZ7qqkIbeVUG54JiRu/view?usp=sharing
TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!