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RALLY SCHOOL TESTIMONIALS
Nick Collins
"It all started for me when I got the
video game "Sega
Rally Championship" for Christmas. The game was hard,
but there was a flow to playing it that I really got to like.
My friends and I spent hours playing this game. I always
loved driving on dirt roads going back to being a kid and
driving go-karts sideways around the dirt roads in my neighborhood,
until that video game, I didn't know sideways on dirt roads
was a sport. When I learned that it was, rally began to consume
me, I thought about it all the time and was spending dangerous
amounts of time in my RWD Oldsmobile on dirt access roads
to sandpits. When I went away to college, I had access to
the Internet for the first time and realized that rally was
alive in America; soon after I discovered Team O'Neil Rally
School. I spoke with Tim on the phone one day and decided
I had to go. So I saved up my money from working over summer
vacation and attended the next winter.
Up until that point, I thought FWD was impossible to rally,
if you couldn't spin the rear wheels, how who you get the
car to slide? Halfway through my first day, I found the answer
to that question, left foot braking. It blew my mind; it
worked like an absolute dream. I spent the next day and a
half in driving heaven, practicing this new technique on
the snow and ice. When I left, I was more hooked on rally
than ever. All I wanted to do was rally, but I was a poor
college student with no car and no money. Tim had told me
at the school and on the phone to stay focused on school
and get a good job, than I'd be able to rally all I wanted.
I was in the Mechanical Engineering program and it was difficult,
but I would constantly use rally as a reminder as to why
I needed to study hard and wake up for class. It was a means
to an end for me. And I would find ways to relate the class
work to rally in one way or another
The summer before my senior year I managed to save up enough
money to return to the school. This time I was driving on
gravel and it was a blast. I hadn't spent much time in FWD
since the last class, but it came back pretty quick and I
felt I was improving as the days went on. I was having a
great time. That winter, I caught word that there would be
a rallycross at Team O'Neil.
I was desperate to compete in the rallycross, but I didn't
have a suitable car, so I called the school and asked of
I could rent a vehicle for the race. Tara and Tim were very
helpful and rented me the VW I had been driving in class.
I did fairly well at the event and was hooked on the competition.
I needed to do more rallycross!
After the first event, I began a dialogue with Team O'Neil.
I volunteered my services and told them I'd help out in any
way I could, just to get more exposure to rally from a group
of people who knew the sport. I helped prepare the car for
the events and also worked at service. In return, Tim allowed
me to use one of the VW's in other rallycross events. In
the meantime, I graduated college with a degree in mechanical
engineering and got a great job. At the end of the season,
I found myself on top of the standings for the NER modified
FWD rallycross championship.
One afternoon while talking with Tara, the idea of me running
the Team O'Neil VW GTi at the Maine Winter Rally came up.
Needless to say I was thrilled at the prospect. After some
thinking and number crunching, and some luck, it was determined
that I'd be running the car.
The rally was a true snow event; the roads were icy and
covered with snow. My goal all along was to finish the rally
at all costs without damaging the car, and my co- driver,
a fellow Team O'Neil graduate, did a great job keeping me
under control. I finished the rally with no damage to the
car and actually did fairly well taking 6th in class.
Then, in late December, after Maine Winter, the opportunity
arose for me to buy my perfect starter car. What else, a
Group 2 VW GTi. It was a well sorted and proven vehicle with
a great spares package. So I crunched some more numbers,
did a little soul searching, and took the plunge. I returned
to the spot of my very first rallycross one year ago, for
the 2003 Team O'Neil winter rallycross. This time I was in
my own car, and this time, I won.
It's amazing to look back at my senior year of high school
and how I dreamt of rally and wondered when it would happen
for me. Now, after five years of dreaming and working towards
that goal, I've got a rallycross championship, my own rally
car and a new season about to start off. There were so many
times in the years passed where I thought I would explode
if I didn't rally right now! Even though I had to put off
a real go at it for several years, I could never have done
it if I hadn't stuck with school and landed a good job. I
also could never have done it without the help of Team O'Neil.
Not only did they teach me to drive, but the whole staff
introduced me to what it takes and what it means to rally.
Preparing the cars, servicing at events and learning lessons
from others all prepared me for my own attempt. I proved
to myself, that my dreams and goals were attainable. Something
that seemed so far off and so impossible to do has become
reality for me. The whole experience has been extremely rewarding
and I can't wait to get started on the season ahead. Special
thanks to Tara, Tim, Mike and Chuck for helping me along
the way!"
Andrew Comrie-Picard
"Tim transformed my driving and
gave me the skills and the confidence to drive for
the win”
Not
only did he teach me the core techniques that I now
use on every event, but he also helped me develop strategic
skills and tapped into my own psychology to find my motivation.
There were thousands of corners in the 2002 Championship,
and on all of them I could hear Tim's voice in the back of
my head. There are dozens of places in the woods where we
didn't go off thanks to the things he taught me. It's the
best value for money in rallying.
I thought I knew a bit about driving - after a little time
with Tim I found I had a lot to learn, but then I learned
a lot!
There are things that you need to know to go faster, safer,
and some of them are counter-intuitive. Trust me, after a
little time at Team O'Neil these things become second nature.
Don't know to blip the throttle to swap ends in a pendulum?
Don't know how to use your left foot to modulate weight distribution
during a drift?
Never downshifted during the drift to tighten
the line? You will!"
Kristian M. Gove - 4 Day
Course
"I just wanted to take a few moments to thank
everyone at Team O'Neil for their hospitality and desire
to transform even the most timid drivers into beginning rally
racers. From start to finish, during my four-day course,
everyone involved from instructors, to office administrators,
to mechanics, to the water truck driver, treated me and the
other students with the utmost respect and exercised extreme
professionalism. I have attended two other racing schools
and have to say that Team O'Neil has left the most lasting
impression. In fact, the experience still has me smiling
several weeks later and I have told everyone I know how much
fun I had (now I'm moving on to the strangers). There really
is nothing quite like nailing that first pendulum turn.
Tara handled the details of signing up
with great efficiency. Mike made sure there was always
an available replacement when one of us (usually me) ran
a car into a ditch. Wyatt reminded me of a more fearless
era and that screaming through the forest really is great
fun. Chris expressed extreme patience with me, even though
it took several attempts for me to get things right. And
Tim…Tim showed me how to overcome
my fear and really drive that car, instead of it driving
me. Other than pendulum turns, I have applied most of the
skills I learned at rally school to my everyday driving.
People often say that I must be a riskier driver having attended
rally school, but the truth is, I have become a safer driver.
I can anticipate and react faster when obstacles jump into
my drive line.
Again, thank you all so very much. I had
great fun and feel as though I got a real education - rather
than just an 'experience' - even in just the four days
I spent at Team O'Neil. Thank you."
Billy Telesco
"This is the first chance I’ve had
to write and thank everyone for the great time I had. I always
knew that rally drivers are in a league of their own, the
class gave me firsthand knowledge of what it’s like.
I left with a lot of info that I could use to improve my
racing.
You’re a great bunch of guys. Thank you
Tony and Chuck. And Tim, thanks for all the extra help. I
am a bit of a ham foot and a slow learner, but I did learn.
I’ll most
likely be back some day for a refresher and continuation.
I will tell my friends that this is a great course to take,
you learn a lot and it’s a hoot."
Steven Macintyre
"Dear Tim, Wyatt, Kevin, Tara, Mike, Fitz, And other folks that we met only briefly
or perhaps didn’t
meet at all – in short, the entire Team O'Neil Rally
School – thanks to all of you!
I don’t believe I have ever learned and accomplished
as much in two days as I did this past weekend at Rally School.
And I know without doubt that I never had so much fun. Roger
and Cole say the same – on both counts.
I am enclosing a copy of an excited email note I dispatched
to friends soon after returning home; they reflect something
of my profound satisfaction:
Kevin, you can't imagine how much fun it was! This was rally
school, where the principal technique is sliding the rear
end of the car around so that you can make turns at speeds
much higher than mortals do.
There was a lot of wild and truly exhilarating
stuff, but my favorite maneuver is the "pendulum turn",
wherein you approach a 90- degree turn at high speed, abruptly
slide the rear end so the car is facing away from the direction
of the turn, thereby generating momentum, which is used to
slide the car even more powerfully a second time, popping
it in the direction you want the car to go. Do a good pendulum
turn, and it feels, in the words of the instructors, as though
the hand of God tapped the rear end of the car.
All the techniques they taught us involve steering the car
principally with the brakes and throttle, rather than the
steering wheel which is used to set-up, but never complete
turns. Most of the time, the wheels are pointed in a different
direction than the car is traveling. It was a hoot!
I took lots of pictures, but won't be able to send you any
because I was laid-low by the curse of the cameras. I planned
to print-up lots of 8 x 10 glossies, but I am truly snake-bit
in this department: In rapid succession, camera A died, camera
B died, camera C was never delivered by the mail-order house
where I bought it. So I took along camera D, which I haven't
used in decades. Took plenty of photos at rally school and
then lots more arty ones upon returning to Connecticut in
the lovely light of the solstice this Monday. Alas, the film
was not advancing in camera D and not a single shot was recorded.
Snake bit! But as Debbie says, we will always have the memories.
I can't think when I've ever had more fun in
a weekend."
Evaluations
"I came for the course to learn rally and
techniques, to know what I’d like better, FWD, AWD,
or RWD, and I got all that here. "
"Chris and Wyatt where excellent. Great
drivers and more importantly, they know how to convey it."
"Lots of seat time with good feedback on
technique."
"Excellent, the driving course showed me
how to maintain control of my vehicle when it's not in a
straight line."
"Excellent course, using good fundamental
of instruction, with building block principles."
"I feel I gained a lot of knowledge in
a short time."
"I never thought I could drive that fast!
And still be in control. "
"Very complete and professional, course
maintenance, safety."
"Great tuition, all at the right pace-mostly
patient and helpful instructors. "
"More laid back than expected good learning
atmosphere."
"The course gave me everything I wanted
to get out of it. (some insight into driving in general to
add to my toolbox of skills.
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SECURITY SCHOOL TESTIMONIALS
Evaluation forms
"The course gave me a whole new way to look
at driving and skills with left foot braking."
"Exceeded all expectations."
"Outstanding training. "
"Very good practice info that will come
in handy next time. If find myself in a bad situation. "
"Course overall was outstanding. It was extremely
educational, applicable, to what we do, and very enjoyable.
"
"
Very informative, better than other courses
as far as instructors, instruction and practical applications.
"
"Exactly what I expected, very well suited for
our needs."
"Well run. Chris and Wyatt were courteous, responsive,
in-tune with the students. Not excessive classroom, as is
often the case. The progression was well thought out."
"Instructors were very knowledgeable and
one of the most intense driving schools I’ve ever
been to."
"Superb, level-headed, professional instruction
(unflappable), good cross section of skills and experience.
"
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