Private Training
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“Most enjoyable experience of my life (and I’ve had a terrific life).”
-Bill W. (Rally School Student)
“If I could give more than 5 stars…
Unbelievable experience! No words to describe the feeling. The best instructors, working together, but each one in his own way. Great planning, wonderful atmosphere …people say, In order to have better life you should lower your expectations… NOT here , built yours to the sky, they will surprise you!”
-Gilad A. (Rally School Student)“As a parent- I want to personally thank all of the instructors for the standards of safety you upheld, and for the confidence you instilled. Even as the other novice students drove my precious child in the backseat, I felt comfortable knowing she was in capable hands with you. It is your phenomenal skill that allowed me to let go of worrying, and in turn I got to focus on my own driving.”
-Sonia (Rally School Student)
Why Choose Team O’Neil?
Train with America’s first and most advanced car control school.
THE ORIGINAL
Established in 1997, Team O’Neil was founded on teaching drivers the skills and mental focus necessary to win Rally Championships. This next-level car control training soon became the staple for winning drivers of all disciplines, as well as stunt drivers, thrill seekers, automotive enthusiasts, and security professionals operating in high-risk environments around the world. This training is accomplished by providing drivers with the best possible course, cars, and curriculum.
THE COURSE
Situated in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the mountainous 583-acre facility features 600 ft of elevation change over 6 miles of roads. Training starts in open skidpad and slalom areas, where you’ll expand your limits in a safe environment through a variety of cone courses. As your skills develop, sections of real roads are added throughout the 5-day course. All of the road loops are specifically designed and engineered to flow with the curriculum and provide a full complement of corners and road features.
THE CARS
All drivers that come through Team O’Neil start in FWD Ford Fiestas, perfecting left foot braking and learning to use their speed and weight transfer to rotate the vehicle. This progression cements the fundamentals of skid control and ensures drivers receive maximum training benefit and seat time. As drivers flow through the 5 day course, AWD Subarus and RWD BMW’s are introduced at the appropriate times, as well as a variety of powerful turbocharged cars at the Lead Instructor’s discretion.
THE CURRICULUM
Often imitated but never duplicated, the Team O’Neil curriculum has constantly evolved over the last 23 years to give students the safest, most effective, and most relevant skid control training possible. Instructors are full-time professionals, trained to deliver in-car instruction in real-time as drivers test their limits and build their skills. All of the standard courses use a 2-to-1 student instructor ratio, delivering the perfect amount of seat time and personal instruction. Please contact Team O’Neil any time to discuss your goals as a driver and where skid control fits into that equation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our 5-Day Rally School is the most in-depth car control car class in North America. The course will get you comfortable with rally driving techniques in a variety of conditions and drivetrains. These skills are the foundation for what is the most important challenge “getting from point A to point B successfully”. You will learn critical rally techniques such as weight transfer, left foot braking, types of skids, pendulum turns, lines and apexes, different braking techniques, and much more. Through the week you will experience all types of vehicle drivetrains on a variety of roads and conditions at our 600 acre facility.
In the evenings, we can/will also incorporate training from our dedicated co-driver course. This will help you learn about time cards, stage notes, route books, time controls, using a Monit rally computer, setting up a street car for recce, and experience actual challenges you will face during a stage rally.
Once you have completed the 5 day school we will know more about your specific strengths and your largest areas for growth. We will build a customized training program to best prepare you for your first rally. This will include seat time in a fully prepared rally car and one-on-one instruction. You will work on increasing speeds, while maintaining a consistent level of vehicle control.
Rally Sprints (locally referred to as Gravel Trials) are the best place to learn how stage rallies are run. You will be competing against other drivers and teams. We supply the vehicle, co-driver, service crew and Team Manager to help coach you through the event. The event mirrors a stage rally with timed stages, transits on public roads, and service periods.
After successfully completing your Rally Sprint you are now ready to enter a multi-day, full stage rally. If you’re ready to make this move we would sit down and find an event that meets your desires and budget. Team O’Neil can supply everything you need to go compete in a national level rally. This includes rally car rental, team/crew, co-driver, event logistics and more.
Our private training allows us to customize your training to work on your biggest needs. We will work with you to focus on skills and techniques that you wish to improve upon.
Co-Driver School
Our Co-Driver school will help you learn about being a co-driver which will help maximize your working relationship with your co-driver. You will learn about time cards, route books, time controls, how to use a Monit rally computer, setting up a street car for recce, introduction to writing your own stage notes. Ultimately you will run actual simulated rally stages with a Team O’Neil instructor driving and you reading the notes. If you already have a co-driver you work with, it’s best to attend the course together.
Tarmac Rally School
Many rallies feature tarmac stages. Our Tarmac Rally School spends two days at our road course facility working on pavement specific techniques such as heel/toe downshifting and trail braking that will help you safely (and quickly) tackle tarmac stages. The course culminates with simulated rally stages to work on setting faster times.
A typical day here starts at 9am with a brief classroom session (a bit longer on Day 1), followed by driving exercises until lunch. Lunch is provided for you on-site, then driving exercises continue until around 3:30-3:45pm. There are a few short (10-15 min) classroom sessions throughout the day as new exercises or skills are introduced. We have a two-to-one student instructor ratio, and you are welcome to either ride along or watch from the outside any time you are not actually behind the wheel. You are welcome to bring a friend or family member to watch or take photos. There is usually an optional mechanical introduction class at the end of Day 1 that you are welcome to attend.
Team O’Neil is located in the beautiful White Mountains, just outside the quaint New England town of Littleton NH. Littleton is quickly becoming famous for its Main St. community of restaurants, shops, lodging and more. Our location allowed us to build and operate the rally school in a challenging mountainous environment best suited to the types of driving that we teach and enjoy. Thanks to this location, our facility has 6 miles of authentic rally roads and two dedicated training areas. We operate year-round, and there are plenty of other activities nearby to enjoy including ski areas, mountain biking, hiking, fishing, shooting, golf, shopping, restaurants, breweries, and much more.
The easiest way to book a course is right here on our website, but if there are any issues or questions not answered here, please call us during business hours (603-444-4488) 8:30-5:00pm EST or send us an email any time (info@teamoneil.com).
The online calendar shows available course dates. Courses are a progressive curriculum so you can book anywhere from 1-5 days and if you don’t complete all 5 days, you may return and pickup where you left off. If you’re unable to settle on a date, it’s also possible to purchase a course voucher, and if you’re giving a course as a gift, there are gift certificates available as well. If booking a return visit to complete your 5 day course please call us to book.
After signing up for a course, you’ll receive an email detailing when and where to meet, what airports and hotels are most convenient, what local restaurants are best, what gear to bring, etc. Most of this information can also be found in the “About” tab on our website as well. Lunch will be provided on-site when you come take your course, and no special equipment is needed (helmets, driving suits, footwear, etc). We do recommend not wearing bulky boots. Just remember to bring season-appropriate clothing and an open mind!
Our rally courses start everyone out in front wheel drive Ford Fiestas for the first day to best learn the fundamentals of car control and left foot braking. Students in the 2 Day Course and longer will drive all wheel drive cars (Subaru Impreza), on Day 3 or 4 we add rear wheel drive cars (BMW 3 Series), then more powerful and turbocharged cars on Day 4 and Day 5 depending on student’s progress (Ford Fiesta ST and Subaru WRX). See more about the cars you can drive
A desire to learn and have fun! No racing experience is required, and we’ll train anyone who isn’t proficient with a manual transmission. There are no licenses needed to take a course at Team O’Neil. Students must be ages 14 and above, and be able to comfortably see over the steering wheel and reach the pedals. A parent or guardian must sign the waiver for any minors taking part in a course.
Rally is the sport of driving road-legal, production-based vehicles as quickly as possible on closed sections of public and/or private roads. Competition vehicles then drive between stages on open, public roads to get to the next competition stage. These races are held across the world, on all surfaces, and often total distances over 300 miles.
Preparing for your Visit
When you come to take a course at Team O’Neil, we include most of what you’ll need to enjoy your experience.
- A selection of fully-prepped FWD, AWD and RWD rally cars (not all classes use all types of cars), includes gas, tires and any other requirements.
- All safety equipment including helmets, competition-grade seat belts, and prepped vehicles
- A personalized course handbook
- Full damage coverage on our vehicles if you have any type of incident or accident
- Lunch, drinks and snacks for each day of your visit
- Upon course completion, individualized and certificate of completion
Students are responsible for all transportation to and from the school, lodging, and breakfast/dinner.
There are a few things you will need to plan, and bring to ensure you have an incredible experience at Team O’Neil.
- Clothing: We do not require fireproof clothing for our students. We recommend comfortable clothing such as jeans, and shoes that will work well for driving and feeling the pedals (not large boots). Remember we are on dirt surfaces, wear shoes that you know may get dirty or muddy. Wear multiple layers, temperatures in northern New Hampshire change through the day, you can always leave extra clothes in our cabins and classrooms.
- Lodging: Team O’Neil does not provide lodging for students. We work with several local properties that we recommend. Click here to learn more!
- Food: While we do provide lunch, you are responsible for your own breakfast and dinners. We recommend several local eateries. Click here to learn more!
- Transportation: You are responsible for your own transportation to and from the school. We do offer to meet students on the first day at the Hampton Inn in Littleton, NH to lead them to the facility. If you choose to drive yourself please plan ahead, do not simply trust your GPS! For an area map click here.
For commercial fights we recommend Manchester, NH (MHT), Boston, MA (BOS) and in some cases Montreal, QC Canada. Manchester is closer and simpler, Boston is often more desirable for distant destinations and international flights. Montreal (YUL) can be a good option for some travelers and in winter months their rental cars are equipped with snow tires (we like that!). The Mt. Washington Regional Airport is a non-commercial airport located in close proximity to the rally school, open year-round to small and mid-sized planes.
There are a few other things we recommend that will help you enjoy your visit to the fullest degree.
- While we do provide lunch and snacks, we encourage you to eat a good breakfast before coming out to Team O’Neil. Students are regularly surprised by the amount of energy they exert during their visit to the school.
- Check the forecast, we enjoy four very distinct seasons in Northern New Hampshire and the weather can vary from day to day. We have a secure classroom and cabins on each training area, so you can easily shed layers etc.
- We recommend staying hydrated. Don’t let having too much fun in the evening ruin your experience behind the wheel.
- Team O’Neil does not require any previous driving experience but we do expect you arrive with an open mind and ready to learn. Anyone not open to coaching from our instructors is a safety risk to yourself, our employees, and the other customers. You may be asked to leave if deemed unsafe, and given a refund of any remaining training time.
