Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an
auto racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
team that has participated in the
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...
and the
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
. Headquartered in
Brownsburg, Indiana
Brownsburg is a town in Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was recorded to be 21,285 residents at the 2010 Census, an increase from the 14,520 residents in 2000. the estimated population was recorded to be 27,001 residents. ...
and
Hilliard, Ohio
Hilliard is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 37,114 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Columbus and part of Norwich Township. Hilliard is home to the Early Television Museum (the only one of its kind in Uni ...
, it is co-owned by
1986 Indianapolis 500
The 70th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Saturday, May 31, 1986. After being rained out on May 25–26, the race was rescheduled for the following weekend. Bobby Rahal was the winner, becoming ...
winner
Bobby Rahal, former television
talk show host David Letterman, and businessman
Mike Lanigan. The Team Won the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
twice in
2004 and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
with
Buddy Rice and
Takuma Sato,
The team was established in 1991 as Rahal/Hogan Racing, became Team Rahal in 1996, and was known as Rahal Letterman Racing from May 2004 until December 2010. Throughout the team's history in
IMSA
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive direc ...
with factory partner
BMW, the team has run under the name BMW Team RLL.
CART IndyCar World Series (1991–2003)
Following the 1991 CART season,
Bobby Rahal left the
Galles-Kraco Racing team. Despite consistent top finishes, Rahal won only two races from 1989 to 1991. Likewise,
Danny Sullivan
Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...
left the
Patrick Racing
Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick in the 1970s. The team is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 on three occasions (1973, 1982, 1989), and the I ...
team, following a dismal season with the
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
engine. The two drivers essentially swapped rides. Sullivan joined
Galles, and Rahal signed with
Patrick in September 1991.
By the winter of 1991, however, Patrick Racing started to collapse due to financial and legal issues regarding the
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
engine. Ilmor had refused to supply the Chevy/A engine to Patrick due to rumors that one of the Chevrolet Indy car engines had been provided to Alfa-Romeo.
To ensure that Rahal would not be racing an uncompetitive engine in 1992, Patrick sold his assets to Rahal and his new partner
Carl Hogan
Carl D. Hogan (October 15, 1917 – July 8, 1977) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues guitarist and bassist. He is known for playing the lead guitar riff on Louis Jordan's "Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)" which ...
, who was able to secure a supply of Chevy engines.
A new team was formed, known as Rahal/Hogan Racing, with key personnel from Patrick Racing, such as team manager Jim McGee, moving over to the new organization.
In 1992, the team won the
IndyCar World Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
title on their first try, with owner-driver Bobby Rahal driving a Lola T92/00 to 4 victories during the season.
In late 1992, Rahal/Hogan absorbed the
Truesports
Truesports
Truesports taurtoisemotorsports.com was an automobile racing team founded by racing team, which Rahal had started his CART career with. The team moved its headquarters from Indianapolis to
Hilliard, into the old Truesports facility. Along with the acquisition, they took over the Truesports "All-American" chassis program. Rahal began the 1993 season with an updated version of the
Truesports chassis, with the intention of introducing a brand-new Rahal/Hogan chassis later in the year.
A second-place finish at
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
offered some promise. The success was short-lived, however, as the chassis proved uncompetitive on ovals. After Rahal failed to qualify at
Indianapolis, the team switched to a more conventional
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola ...
, while team driver
Mike Groff
Michael Dennis Groff (born November 16, 1961 in Van Nuys, California) is a former race car driver who competed in CART and the IRL IndyCar Series and was the 1989 Indy Lights champion. His younger brother Robbie was also a CART and IRL driver ...
entered several more races in the R/H-001. Eventually, the team abandoned the chassis project.
left, Rahal CART car
In 1994, Rahal/Hogan introduced the
Honda HRX Indy V-8 engine to the IndyCar World Series, having performed development testing for the engine throughout the 1993 season, but split with the manufacturer after Rahal finished a disappointing tenth place in the standings.
At
Indianapolis, the engine proved uncompetitive, and Rahal risked missing the race for the second year in a row. He borrowed two
Penske-Ilmor machines and finished third in the race. In 1996, Carl Hogan left the team and started his racing operation. As a result, the team changed its name to Team Rahal and Hogan started
Hogan Racing.
In early 1996, Rahal's longtime friend, and avid race fan, comedian
David Letterman, purchased a small share of the team.
Over the next few years, the team would employ
Bryan Herta,
Max Papis,
Kenny Bräck
Kenny Bräck (born 21 March 1966) is a Swedish former race car driver. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship and the 1999 Indianapolis ...
,
Jimmy Vasser
James Vasser Jr. (born November 20, 1965) is an American former racing driver. Vasser won the 1996 CART IndyCar championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, and scored ten victories in the series. Vasser was the last American to win the CART champio ...
and
Michel Jourdain Jr.
Michel Jourdain Lascurain, better known as Michel Jourdain Jr. (born September 2, 1976), is a Mexican racecar driver, best known for winning two Champ Car races in 2003. He is the 2020 Super Copa GTM Champion.
Formula racing
Jourdain started rac ...
, getting closest to another title in 2001, when Bräck finished 2nd in points. Rahal himself retired from driving at the end of 1998.
IndyCar Series
Full-time (2004–2008)
The team changed its name again to Rahal Letterman Racing in May 2004. For the 2005 season, RLR's three drivers were
Buddy Rice, who won the
2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for the team,
Vítor Meira
Vítor Meira (born March 27, 1977) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He formerly competed in the IndyCar Series and has twice finished second in the Indianapolis 500.
IndyCar Series
2002
After participating in an open test for Panther Racing ...
, who finished second in the
2005 &
2008 Indianapolis 500
The 92nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 25, 2008. Scott Dixon of New Zealand won the race from the pole position.
It was the thirteenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing Leagu ...
s, and
Danica Patrick, who finished fourth in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and had the highest finish of any female driver (3 previous) in the history of the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
. Also in the 2005 Indianapolis 500, former team member
Kenny Bräck
Kenny Bräck (born 21 March 1966) is a Swedish former race car driver. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship and the 1999 Indianapolis ...
, who was replaced by Rice when he suffered a serious injury in 2003, replaced Rice when he was injured in pre-race practice. Rice was able to recover in time to race in the next IndyCar race.
The Rahal Letterman team had high hopes for 2006. Meira had left the team after the 2005 season to join
Panther Racing
Panther Racing was an American open wheel auto racing team. It was one of the oldest continually operating teams in the IndyCar Series.
Four years in a row (2008–2011), the team finished second at the Indianapolis 500.
Formation
The team was ...
. He was replaced by
Paul Dana who brought an Ethanol sponsorship. The team placed three cars in the top eight for the Toyota Indy 300 during March 25, 2006, qualifying (Patrick third, Rice sixth, Dana ninth), and expected good things to come the next day for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
During the final practice Sunday morning, Vision Racing's
Ed Carpenter crashed in turn two and the car slid down the 20-degree banking. Dana, who seemed to not receive the signal from the spotter, ran into the gearbox section of Carpenter's car, sending Dana's car flying on the backstretch. Dana died in the hospital later that afternoon, and the entire team, including Patrick and Rice, withdrew immediately.
Patrick and Rice raced together at
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
with the third car vacant out of respect, but effective the Bridgestone Indy Japan 300 at Motegi, Japan,
Jeff Simmons was added as the team's third driver. In mid-2006 the team switched from
Panoz
Panoz is an American manufacturer of sports automobiles founded in 1989 as Panoz Auto Development by Dan Panoz, son of Don Panoz. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, the Panoz Esperante, and the Panoz Avezzano.
Pa ...
to
Dallara
Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari (Parma), Italy he created ...
chassis. Rice finished 15th in points, Patrick finished 9th, and Simmons finished 16th.
Before the
2006 Monterey Sports Car Championships, Rahal Letterman Racing announced that the team would be fielding a
Porsche 997 GT3
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance homologation model of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is a line of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS.
The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national ...
-RSR in the
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' hea ...
in 2007.
For the 2007 IndyCar Series, RLR fielded two cars, one for Simmons and one for IndyCar veteran
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing League.
...
. They were unable to find sponsorship to field a third car for
2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice, who moved to
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an automotive racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and Nitro Rallycross. The team is owned by Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mini, and Subaru dealer Dennis Reinbold.
Off the track, Dreyer ...
. However, after 11 races, released Simmons and picked up former
Champ Car
Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ...
driver
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay (born December 17, 1980) is a professional American racing driver best known as a winner of both the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship in 2012. In each accomplishment, Hunter-Reay became th ...
, who earned a 7th-place finish at the
Honda 200
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is an IndyCar Series race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Professional open wheel races at the facility date back to 1970. The U.S. Formula 5000 series ran from 1970 to 1976, and the reviv ...
. Consistent finishes gave Ryan and the team the Rookie of the Year award despite making only six starts.
In the
2008 IndyCar Series season, RLR fielded just one car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay. The team scored a win at the IndyCar Series event at
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...
and Hunter-Reay finished 8th in points. However at the end of the season, the team's ethanol promotion council sponsorship left and it was unable to find full-time sponsorship for 2009.
Part-time (2009–2011)
RLR did not participate full-time in the
2009 season due to a lack of sponsorship. With the sponsorship of
DAFCA they participated in the
2009 Indianapolis 500
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 24, 2009. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season.
Hélio Cas ...
, where driver
Oriol Servià, after starting on the ninth row, advanced to tenth place but completed only 98 laps before being forced to quit due to mechanical problems.
In 2010, the team again failed to secure sponsorship for the full season. At the
2010 Indianapolis 500
The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 2010. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. T ...
, the team arranged a one-race sponsorship entry for
Graham Rahal
Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
. Rahal ran in the top ten until a blocking penalty shuffled him back in the standings, and he finished 12th.
In December 2010, Mike Lanigan, former co-owner of
Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing with
Carl Haas
Carl A. Haas (February 26, 1929 – June 29, 2016) was an American auto racing impresario. He co-owned the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing team in the Champ Car and IndyCar Series with Paul Newman and Mike Lanigan. He also owned Carl A. Haas Mo ...
and actor
Paul Newman, became co-owner of what was renamed Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
The team signed
Jay Howard
Jay Howard (born 16 February 1981) is a British professional race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard was the 2005 US Formula Ford Zetec champion (now known as the Coop ...
to drive the #88 car with
Service Central sponsorship for the 2011 Indy 500.
Bertrand Baguette also joined the team at the 500. Howard finished 30th after losing a wheel following a pit stop on lap 61, while Baguette would lead 11 laps late in the race before needing to pit for fuel with 3 laps to go. He would finish 7th.
Full-time return (2012–present)
The team returned to full-time IndyCar competition for 2012, running a single Dallara-Honda for
Takuma Sato, who achieved two podium finishes at São Paulo and Edmonton.
Michel Jourdain Jr.
Michel Jourdain Lascurain, better known as Michel Jourdain Jr. (born September 2, 1976), is a Mexican racecar driver, best known for winning two Champ Car races in 2003. He is the 2020 Super Copa GTM Champion.
Formula racing
Jourdain started rac ...
returned to the team in a second car for the
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
, where Sato came close to victory, crashing out on the final lap while attempting to pass
Dario Franchitti for the lead.
On April 30, 2014, the team made history with Engage Mobile Solutions when four members of the RLL team including driver
Graham Rahal
Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
and three members of the pit crew wore
Google Glass to show an
IndyCar Series
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...
pit stop from the unique perspective of each person on the racing team.
After rotating through a series of drivers, including Jourdain,
Jay Howard
Jay Howard (born 16 February 1981) is a British professional race car driver who competes in the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard was the 2005 US Formula Ford Zetec champion (now known as the Coop ...
, and
Mike Conway
Mike Conway (born 19 August 1983) is a British professional racing driver. He lives in Sevenoaks, Kent and is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Biography
Conway who was born in Bromley, Lo ...
,
Graham Rahal
Graham Robert Rahal (born January 4, 1989) is an American race car driver and small business owner. He currently participates in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team partially owned by his father Bobby Rahal, the winn ...
returned to RLL to contest the full 2013 season. Rahal struggled during the 2013 and 2014 seasons with only four top-5 finishes. However, he would have a breakout year in 2015, snapping a six-year winless streak at
Auto Club Speedway and dueling
Justin Wilson to win at his home track at
Mid-Ohio. Rahal would end the 2015 season fourth in points after consecutive bad races at Pocono and Sonoma.
For 2016, the team remained a single-car team but added
Indy Lights
Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a progra ...
champion
Spencer Pigot
Spencer James Pigot (born September 29, 1993) is an American racing driver who currently drives in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Personal life
Pigot was born in Los Angeles and raised Pasadena, California, and Orlando where he graduated from ...
to the lineup for three races. Rahal would take a win at
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24 ...
by only .008 of a second.
During
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
the team would watch another two wins, with Graham Rahal taking back-to-back victories at
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
.
In 2018, RLL would re-sign
Takuma Sato, who had previously won the
2017 Indianapolis 500 for
Andretti Autosport
Andretti Autosport is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula E. The team also has a 37.5% ownership stake in the Australian Supercars Championship touring car team, Walkinshaw Andretti ...
. Sato would score his first win for the team at the
2018 Grand Prix of Portland, and would win twice more in the 2019
Indycar season, at
Barber Motorsports Park
Barber Motorsports Park is an multi-purpose racing facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. It has been the site of the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alab ...
and
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway respectively. Sato won his second
Indianapolis 500 in 2020, his first with RLL Racing. Rahal finished in 3rd position. The team also ran a third car for the first time in a race
2019 Indianapolis 500
The 2019 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was an IndyCar Series event held on Sunday, May 26, 2019, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Th ...
, with Jordan King finishing in 24th place.
In 2021 RLL again expanded to three cars, with Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato driving two full-time entries while several drivers would drive a third car on a part-time basis. The car would be backed by
Hy-Vee, a supermarket chain in the Midwestern United States. Initially, the third car was only scheduled to run the
2021 Indianapolis 500 with
Santino Ferrucci
Santino Michael Ferrucci (born May 31, 1998) is an American professional racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No 14 Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Racing. He has also previously raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Care ...
behind the wheel but after Ferucci's top ten finish in the 500 Hyvee gave additional sponsorship for the car to run at Detroit, Mid Ohio, and
Nashville with Ferucci driving four races. After the Nashville round the team announced the third car would be run at the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix and the final three races by different drivers in place of Ferrucci; Danish
Formula 2
Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name re ...
and current
Alpine F1 Academy driver
Christian Lundgaard would drive the car at the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on the IMS Road Course with the car backed by MiJack while
Oliver Askew
Oliver Clark Askew (born December 12, 1996) is an American-Swedish race car driver who races under the American flag. He previously competed in the Formula E World Championship for Avalanche Andretti Formula E. He is the 2019 Indy Lights cham ...
would drive the car at Portland, Laguna Seca, and Long Beach backed by Hy-Vee. During the season Ferrucci, Askew, and Lundgaard would all test the third car in shootout style tests to determine who would get the full time drive in the third car in 2022.
For 2022 Takuma Sato would depart the team. The #45 Hy-Vee car would be driven by
Jack Harvey, who was signed from
Meyer Shank Racing
Meyer Shank Racing (formerly Michael Shank Racing) is an American auto racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
History Atlantic Championship
Michael Shank as an owner of Michael Shank Racing, ...
. The team announced on October 20, 2021, that Christian Lundgaard had won the opportunity to drive the #30 car full time and would sign a multi-year deal to compete with RLL full time from 2022 onward.
American Le Mans Series
2007 (Porsche)
In 2007, Rahal Letterman Racing fielded a
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for nine of the twelve races. The team's best results came as a second-place finish at Road America and a third-place finish at
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans (French for ''little Le Mans'') is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which ...
. The team finished 4th in the GT2 team championship with
Tommy Milner and Ralf Kelleners 6th in the driver's championship.
2009–13 (BMW)
The team returned to the series in 2009 with factory support from BMW and thus held dual nationality team licenses (
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
). The team fielded two
M3 GT2's, the #90 driven by
Joey Hand
Joseph F. Hand (born February 10, 1979) is an American professional racing driver who competes in sports car racing as a Ford factory driver. A former champion of the Star Mazda Series, Hand is the co-winner of the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona drivi ...
and
Bill Auberlen
Bill Auberlen (born October 12, 1968) is an American factory race car driver known for his affiliation with BMW, driving cars made and run by the famous German marque for a number of years. Auberlen currently competes for Turner Motorsport i ...
and the #92 driven by Tommy Milner and
Dirk Müller. After a troubled season, the #92 car finished second at the
2009 Petit Le Mans. The team finished 3rd in the team championship with Milner and Müller 4th in the driver's championship.
In 2010, the team continued their relationship with BMW and the American Le Mans Series. Despite only winning one race at Road America, Rahal Letterman Racing won the team championship while Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner 3rd in the driver's championship.
2011 was an even more successful year for the team. After a one-two finish at the
2011 12 Hours of Sebring
The 59th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida was held at Sebring International Raceway on March 19, 2011. It was the opening round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season and the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
Qu ...
the RLL Racing team would win two more races. Despite fierce competition from Corvette, Ferrari, and Porsche, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing claimed the GT Teams and Manufacturers championships, While Joey Hand and Dirk Müller won the drivers championship. This was the second team championship for the team with the M3.
In 2012, the team returned to the American Le Mans Series for their 4th year with the BMW M3. After winning their second
12 Hours of Sebring in a row, the team, lacking the speed to the brand new Porsches and Corvettes, would win only one more race at Road America. Despite their deficit in pace, the team finished the season 2nd in the championship with driver
Dirk Muller finished 4th, the highest of the BMW team drivers.
Further developing their relationship with
BMW Motorsport, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team campaigned two brand new
Z4 GTE cars, replacing the BMW M3 GT2's. Despite being their first season with the car, the team claimed several GT poles, a 1–2 victory at Long Beach, and a win at Lime Rock Park. The team finished the season 2nd in the Teams' and Manufacturers' Championships behind Corvette Racing.
IMSA SportsCar Championship
For
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, the team continued with its
Z4 GTE cars but under the newly formed
Tudor United SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...
(which became the
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...
starting with the
2016 season). The team would manage four second-place finishes at
Daytona and
Laguna Seca Laguna Seca may refer to:
* Laguna Seca Formation, a geologic formation in California
* Laguna Seca (Mexico), see Convention of London
* Laguna Seca (Santa Clara County), a seasonal lake in California
* Laguna Seca, Texas, United States
* Rancho ...
with the #55 car and
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
and
Road America for the #56 car.
Dirk Müller and teammate
John Edwards
Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...
would finish seventh in the GTLM Drivers' Championship with
Bill Auberlen
Bill Auberlen (born October 12, 1968) is an American factory race car driver known for his affiliation with BMW, driving cars made and run by the famous German marque for a number of years. Auberlen currently competes for Turner Motorsport i ...
and teammate
Andy Priaulx
Andrew Graham Priaulx, MBE ( born 8 August 1974) is a British professional racing driver from Guernsey. In 2019 he raced for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Cyan Racing Lynk & Co in the FIA World Tou ...
eighth.
For
2015, the team would make several changes to its lineup, this time with ALMS champion
Lucas Luhr
Lucas Luhr (born 22 July 1979) is a German BMW factory racing driver, currently competing for BMW and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the GTLM category of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship.
Early career
Born in Mülheim-Kärlich, Luhr ...
replacing Müller in the No. 24, and Auberlen being teamed with
Dirk Werner
Dirk Werner (born 25 May 1981 in Hannover, Lower Saxony) is a German Porsche factory racing driver.
Born in Hannover, Werner was 2007 and 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series champion for Farnbacher-Loles Racing driving a Porsche 911 and fini ...
in the No. 25. Both teams would take wins during the season, with Edwards/Luhr winning at Laguna Seca, and Auberlen/Werner taking two wins at Long Beach and Austin. Auberlen/Werner would finish second in points to Porsche factory driver
Patrick Pilet for the
drivers championship. The 24 team also finished 2nd in the
teams championship to the Porsche 911 team and BMW finished 2nd to Porsche in
manufacturer championship.
For
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, the team switched to the new
BMW M6 GTLM, and the No. 24 team was assigned the Number 100 in celebration of BMW's 100th anniversary. The 25 team finished 7th in the
drivers championship and the 100 team in 9th, with neither team winning.
In
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
, the 100 team reverted to the #24, with
Martin Tomczyk
Martin Tomczyk (born 7 December 1981) is a German professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver.
He was the DTM champion in 2011, third in 2007, fourth in 2006 and fifth in 2004, having won eight races.
Racing career
After a kart ...
replacing Luhr as Edwards' teammate, and
Alexander Sims as Auberlen's new partner in the 25. The teams returned to their winning ways, with the 25 team (Auberlen/Sims) winning the
6 Hours of the Glen
The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the ...
,
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans (French for ''little Le Mans'') is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which ...
and the
Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi-track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a adva ...
event and finishing 2nd in the
drivers championship. The 24 team (Edwards/Tomczyk) won at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and ...
, but finished 7th in the championship. The four victories also elevated BMW to 2nd in the
2017 GTLM Manufacturers championship, losing to Chevrolet by just 6 points.
In November 2017, Auberlen was named a BMW Brand Ambassador, and thus stepped down as a full-time driver for
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
. He was replaced by
Connor De Phillippi
Connor De Phillippi (born December 25, 1992) is an American professional racing driver and gold rated BMW Motorsport works driver.
Racing career
Early career
De Phillippi began karting at the age of 5 years old and by the time he was 14 years ol ...
as Sims' full-time partner in the 25 team. Edwards also had a partner change at the 24 team, with
Jesse Krohn
Jesse Kurki-Suonio (born 3 September 1990), more commonly known as Jesse Krohn, is a Finnish professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver.
He is notable for winning the Finnish, Northern European Zone (NEZ) and Estonian Formula Re ...
replacing Tomczyk. RLL also updated to the new
BMW M8 GTE. The 25 team (Sims/De Phillippi) won at
VIR and Laguna Seca and finished 6th in the
2018 drivers championship, while the 24 team (Edwards/Krohn) finished the season 8th with no race victories.
For
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, the 24 driver team will remain intact, but
Tom Blomqvist
Tom Leonard Blomqvist (born 30 November 1993) is a New Zealand-based, Britain-born Swedish professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver, currently racing in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship with Meyer Shank Racing. Blomqvist ...
was announced to replace Sims as De Phillippi's full-season partner in the 25 team. However, due to delays with his U.S. Visa, Blomqvist had to miss the
2019 24 Hours of Daytona
The 2019 24 Hours of Daytona (formally the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona) was an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned endurance sports car race held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Flo ...
. He was replaced at Daytona by
Augusto Farfus, who, along with co-drivers De Phillippi,
Colton Herta and
Philipp Eng
Philipp Eng (born 28 February 1990 in Salzburg) is an Austrian professional racing driver, and BMW Motorsport works driver.
Career
Karting
Eng started karting in 2003, by competing in Intercontinental A Junior karts, competing in the Andrea Mar ...
, won the race in the GTLM class. However, the cars scored only three additional podiums combined, so they ranked 6th and 7th in the GTLM drivers standings.
In 2020, the #24 car won the 24 Hours of Daytona and got five additional points, ending second in points. Meanwhile, the #25 car won the 6 Hours of Atlanta plus three more podiums, placing fourth in points.
BMW reduced its budget for the 2021 season, so RLL only entered the four endurance races. In a depleted GTLM field, they scored six pofiums combined but no wins.
IMSA dropped the GTLM class before the 2022 season. RLL joined the new GTD Pro class with the new
BMW M4 GT3. The #25 runs full-time, whereas the #24 is an endurance-only entry.
The team was announced to join the IMSA GTP class in 2023 with two
LMDh
An LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) is a type of sports prototype race car that will compete alongside Le Mans Hypercar entries in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023. It also competes in the Hypercar cl ...
-spec BMW.
Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy
On 28 November 2017, it was announced that the team was to be the first to confirm entry to the I-PACE eTROPHY. The team confirmed that they will run two cars in the series.
Katherine Legge and
Bryan Sellers are part of the current line-up.
CART/Champ Car drivers
IndyCar drivers
*IndyCar driver
Paul Dana was fatally injured in final practice for the March 26, 2006
Toyota Indy 300
The Grand Prix of Miami refers to an intermittent series of American Championship car racing, American open wheel races held in Miami metropolitan area, South Florida dating back to 1926. AAA Contest Board, AAA held one board track racing, board t ...
at
Homestead-Miami Speedway, and never officially recorded a start in the IndyCar Series with the team. After sitting out the
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil). The race is held annually ...
,
Jeff Simmons was named to drive the Ethanol #17 entry for the balance of the 2006 season. Midway through the 2007 season, Simmons was released and replaced with
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Ryan Christopher Hunter-Reay (born December 17, 1980) is a professional American racing driver best known as a winner of both the Indianapolis 500 (2014) and the IndyCar Series championship in 2012. In each accomplishment, Hunter-Reay became th ...
.
Racing results
CART FedEx Championship Series results
(
key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
* The
Firestone Firehawk 600 was canceled after qualifying due to excessive
g-forces on the drivers.
Kenny Bräck
Kenny Bräck (born 21 March 1966) is a Swedish former race car driver. Until his retirement from racing, he competed in the CART, Indy Racing League and the IROC series. He won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship and the 1999 Indianapolis ...
was given one bonus point for qualifying on pole.
IndyCar Series results
(
key)
* Season still in progress
#
Paul Dana was killed during the final practice session of the
2006 Toyota Indy 300.
# Non-points-paying, exhibition race.
# The
final race at Las Vegas was canceled due to
Dan Wheldon's death.
# Run in conjunction with
Scuderia Corsa.
IndyCar wins
Complete Global Rallycross Championship results
(
key)
Supercar
Complete Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy results
(
key)
;Notes:
* – Season still in progress.
References
External links
*
{{Champ Car teams
1991 establishments in Ohio
American auto racing teams
American Le Mans Series teams
Champ Car teams
Companies based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area
David Letterman
Indy Lights teams
IndyCar Series teams
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Ohio
Global RallyCross Championship teams
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams
Atlantic Championship teams
BMW in motorsport
Auto racing teams established in 1991