Chris Cyr, CEO of Team O’Neil Rally School located in Dalton, NH continued his Rally championship chase on the West Coast. The Olympus Rally takes place each spring on the rural West side of Washington’s Puget Sound, and is known for its narrow and twisted roads. In rally racing, teams of Drivers and Co-Drivers compete on dirt roads against the clock in specially built cars.
Out of all 80 entrants, Cyr and his team traveled the farthest to get to the rally. He races a Ford Fiesta in the Open Two Wheel Drive class with his Co-Driver, Glen Ray. They came off of a successful win from last month’s rally in Missouri, but they made sure not to get too comfortable. The cars and drivers must withstand two full days of racing over 12 stages. The total distance is over 133 miles, the longest rally of the season so far.
One of the hardest things about rally racing is the unpredictable terrain. Racers are not confined to a neat paved course and the countless variables always present a challenge. During one stage they completely drove off the road due to a momentary loss of focus and had to reverse into the side of a mountain to get back on course. These logging roads, as well as unpredictable Pacific northwest weather proved to be a test of skill and perseverance.
Fortunately for Cyr, their strong lead cushioned their small mistake. They placed second on that stage by a slim two-tenths of a second. They still won every other stage in their class by the end of the rally. They stood on top of the podium once again with a 1st place victory, finishing eight minutes ahead of the next team. They placed 12th overall where they were up against other teams with large budgets and major sponsors.
In addition to extensive training, performance car parts give the team even better chances of finishing each rally and a shot at the championship. “We have some amazing partners–Michelin, Öhlins, and Hawk Performance–all of which are known for being the best in their businesses.” Cyr said. Another attribute to their success was a similarity between the Washington logging roads and ones common in rural Maine. “Having spent so much time in New England woods really helped us secure our win.” Cyr said after the race. They will be returning West to Oregon for the next event to hopefully extend their 3 wins, and get one step closer to the 2025 2WD Championship.
Team O’Neil Rally School in Dalton, NH is home to a 585 acre campus and specializes in driver training in all the worst case scenarios. Find out more information about Team O’Neil at teamoneil.com. Cyr will be traveling all over the United States in the rest of 2025. Follow his championship journey on social media @chriscyr965 and @teamoneil
By Sarah O’Neil
