Franconia, New Hampshire -- Tim O'Neil, owner of the Team O'Neil Rally School, has partnered with the U.S. Air Force Reserve to contest up to five events of the 2002 SCCA ProRally Championship in a Group N Subaru WRX.

"Working in the Air Force taught me a great deal about work ethics, discipline and pride in one's work," said O'Neil. "It made me believe that I could achieve anything I set my mind to."

After a successful rally career, O'Neil worked for a number of major automotive manufacturers to teach advanced driving techniques and introduce new products. In 1997, O'Neil opened the Team O'Neil Rally School and Car Control Center to teach rally and winter driving techniques. A winner of five U.S. and North American Rally Championships and former U.S. Air Force member, O'Neil has been lured back to regular competition by the increasing competitiveness of the SCCA ProRally Championship. In addition, O'Neil hopes to bring prominence to his rally school and call attention to the positive effect that a career in the military has had on his personal and professional life.

"It is with a great deal of excitement that the Air Force Reserve welcomes Tim O'Neil to the Air Force Reserve Team," said Chief Master Sgt. R. Eric Snipes, chief of the Air Force Reserve Recruiting Service Advertising Branch at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. "The Air Force Reserve is proud to be a primary sponsor as Team O'Neil enters SCCA Rally Racing for the 2002 season. We feel that with his past ties to the Air Force and the legacy of success he has achieved in rally racing, Tim O'Neil is a perfect fit to represent the Air Force Reserve."

O'Neil will be co-driven by Martin Headland, a former captain in the Royal Air Force, with whom O'Neil had teamed up with in the 1980s and 1990s for more than 80 rallies.

The 2002 schedule of events includes:
Cherokee Trails - Chattanooga, Tenn. (March 15-17)
Susquehannock Trail - Wellsboro, Pa. (June 1-2)
Pike's Peak International Hillclimb - Colorado Springs, Colo. (June 27-29)
Maine Forest Rally - Rumford, Maine (July 26-27).

Additional events include:
Ojibwe Forests - Bemidji, Minn. (August 16-17)
or
Lake Superior - Houghton, Mich. (October 18-19).

In addition to the SCCA ProRally Championship Events, the team will make promotional appearances at several Air Force bases around the country.