Alex Gelsomino and Tim O'Neil have journeyed a long way to become teammates for the United States Air Force Reserve Rally Team. Gelsomino began racing at the age of 17 in his native Italy, and since 1998, he has been an active participant in the SCCA Pro Rally Championship. Meanwhile, O'Neil was spending time in the Air Force and encountered Rally racing almost by accident. Recently, Gelsomino and O'Neil took some time to discuss Rally racing and their hopes for the upcoming SCCA ProRally season.
Xbox.com: Alex, tell us a little bit about your early life in Italy. What prompted you to begin a career in racing?
Gelsomino: I grew up in an environment that was very involved in Rally and Hill Climbs. My schoolmates, friends, and neighbors were all somehow involved in the sport. It’s pretty common in southern Italy. I spent my teenage years riding around my native island of Sicily in my Vespa scooter to follow events like the Targa Florio or the Tour of Sicily. Co-driver’s School was a natural thing once I reached the right age.
Xbox.com: Tim, how did you go from the Air Force to a career in racing?
O'Neil: After the service, I had planned on going into commercial aviation, but after arriving home, I took the summer off to work on cars at a foreign car dealership. My buddies were racing stock cars and asked me to help. It was very exciting to work on race cars because it was just like aircraft maintenance. Then, of course, I drove one … and the rest is history.
Xbox.com: Unlike other popular forms of racing, Rally drivers have a navigator. Explain why this is a necessity. Are there specific skills a co-driver must possess to be effective on a racing team?
Gelsomino: Co-drivers are essential in Rally racing because you're not racing on a closed-road course, as opposed to a touring or NASCAR race that runs in circles. You're on public roads all the time, so things like road navigation and stage notes are needed. The co-driver takes care of those tasks, pretty much like the navigator in a fighter plane.
Xbox.com: Do you see the sport of Rally racing growing in popularity in the U.S.?
O'Neil: Rally racing in the U.S. is growing at a rate never before seen in its history. The growing popularity among young extreme sports enthusiasts has a lot to do with Rally games like RalliSport Challenge 2, as well as the World Rally Cup broadcasts on the Speed channel. Rally’s popularity is huge in the rest of the world. I’m sure before long that it will be just as popular here, but it will take a while for people in the U.S. to understand the sport like they do in the rest of the world.
Xbox.com: This past year, the sport saw tragedy as two well-known racers—Mark Lovell and Roger Freeman—were killed during the race in Hillsboro, Oregon. What sort of message did that send to the racing community? Have you found yourself driving any differently since that happened?
O'Neil: This has been a tough year for the sport. As a driver, I know that Rally is a dangerous sport, and sometimes we can be lulled into a false sense of security or tell ourselves that experienced Rally drivers don’t crash and die. Prior to this year, most rally deaths had been among young drivers, and the rest were simply the result of bad judgment calls. The loss of Roger and Mark was different. These guys have been around Rally racing for over 20 years.
Gelsomino: It was an eye-opener and made us all realize that you are in real danger inside one of those cars. My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate properly after that, but it was the opposite. That tragedy has helped me to work even harder and try to achieve my goals in the sport even more.
Xbox.com: Can you provide some advice to those interested in learning more about Rally racing? How can people get involved and learn more about the sport?
Gelsomino: The SCCA is the governing body for Rally racing in the U.S. On its Web site, you can find a calendar of Rally races all over the country, and the next step is to attend an event as a spectator or even a worker. The next thing I would recommend would be a driving or co-driving school. It’s not hard to begin.
O'Neil: My Web site, http://www.teamoneil.com/, has more than 100 links to all kinds of information pertaining to Rally racing. There are many ways to get involved without actually spending the time and money to prepare a car and race it. A person can start by working Rallies or by participating in RallyX events, road Rallies, or even TSD Rallies. These options are fun and educational and all relatively inexpensive. And, believe it or not, Rally video games are also a way to learn more about the sport. They can make you a better driver, too! Rally games are like flight simulators—you can make mistakes that don't cost anything, and then, hopefully, you’ll learn from them.
