Chris Cyr, CEO of Team O’Neil Rally School located in Dalton, NH continued to pursue his Rally championship this past weekend. The Southern Ohio Forest Rally marks the halfway point in the 2025 ARA rally season, and is where the competition begins to heat up. It takes place on 113 miles of timed stages across the tricky, technical dirt roads of rural Appalachia. In this motorsport, teams of drivers and co-drivers compete against the clock in purpose built cars fighting for the fastest times.
Chris Cyr and his Co-Driver, Glen Ray, race a 2014 Ford Fiesta in the Limited Two Wheel Drive class. Most rallies usually take place in one or two days, but this one began on Thursday. Making it through a normal 2 day rally is already difficult, and the extra endurance presented an additional challenge. Cyr and Ray came into this rally with a perfect season behind them, finishing first in their class every time. With a solid finish in Ohio, the entire season championship would be theirs.
However, in rally racing, the only guarantee is the unexpected. On Friday afternoon, the team made a simple driving mistake that forced them completely off the road. They would have rolled the car, but instead hit a tree, and were stuck thirty feet down a ravine. (how did they get out? Was there damage?)
As hopeless as it may seem, their rally was far from over. The car was usable, and their team made it possible to re enter the rally the very next morning and they continued to fight for the championship. They completed every stage and even won the very last “power stage” which brought them three extra championship points. They ended up placing fifth in their class at the end of the weekend. This minor setback didn’t usurp their commanding lead in the championship, but they still need 13 points. They hope to finally secure the win in September, at the Overmountain rally in Tennessee.
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 is attempting to win his first rally championship and will be traveling all over the United States in 2025. Follow his journey on social media @chriscyr965 and @teamoneil
By Sarah O’Neil
