ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE. Georgia -- The Air Force Reserve Rally Car driven by Tim O�Neil with navigator Alex Gelsomino finished seventh overall this weekend at the Lake Superior ProRally in Houghton, Mich., to close out the 2003 SCCA ProRally season. The result netted O�Neil fourth in the prestigious John Woolf Cup, just three points behind factory Subaru driver Ramana Lagemann.

O�Neil had been hoping for more at the season-ending event, but was hampered by some small mechanical issues which prevented him from showing his true speed.

"It was a difficult rally for us, since we drew the first starting position, and while that can often be an advantage, it just didn�t work out for us," said O�Neil. �It�s an advantage when you have a clear road ahead, but we were not able to maximize on the position �EI didn�t make the most of the grip available. It takes so many factors to go right for you to set an ultimate stage time, and they weren�t all there for us on the first day.�E

At the end of the first day, it was determined that the brake bias settings had overheated the rear brake pads and significantly reduced the stopping power of the AFR Rally Car, hampering O�Neil from setting fast times.

"By the time we got that all sorted out, there just wasn�t enough rally time left to make back the time, but that�s just the way it goes sometimes in rallying. We had a really strong season this year, and I�m very proud of what this team has accomplished, particularly with our results against some of the very strong factory teams. This program continues to improve, and the off-season should be another good opportunity to develop the package to be competitive in 2004."

The Air Force Reserve Rally Car scored five top-five finishes of the season, including three podium results at the Susquehannock Trail, Pikes Peak, and Oregon Trail rallies.

U.S. Air Force Reserve
HQ AIR FORCE RESERVE COMMAND RECRUITING SERVICE
1000 Corporate Pointe, Warner Robins, GA 31088
Telephone: (478) 327-0655 Fax: (478) 327-0138 DSN Prefix: 497
Release No. 27-10-03

www.afreserve.com/racing
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