The team was established in late 1991 when driver Bobby Rahal and business partner Carl Hogan purchased the distressed Patrick Racing team from U.E. "Pat" Patrick. Originally named Rahal-Hogan Racing, it was changed to Team Rahal in 1996 when Hogan left to form his own team. David Letterman purchased a minority interest in the team in 1996, and the team went by the name of Rahal Letterman Racing from May 2004 until December 2010.[2]
Throughout the team's history in IMSA with factory partner BMW, the sports car division of the team has run under the name BMW Team RLL.
In 2024, the team was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for unspecified reasons. The investigation is still ongoing.[3]
In late 1991, Patrick Racing found itself in financial and legal trouble. Rumors surfaced that the Patrick team had shipped one of the Ilmor Chevrolet V-8 engines over to the Alfa Romeo engine developers in Italy,[6][7] who in turn, tore the engine down to examine it and allegedly stole design ideas. It was returned in pieces and infuriated Ilmor officials.[8][9][10]
By this time, Patrick's contractual obligations with Alfa Romeo had ended, so the team attempted to re-sign with Ilmor, or possibly acquire older Ilmor engines from Newman/Haas.[6][11] The Newman/Haas team was in the process of switching to the new Ford-Cosworth XB for 1992. Due to the possible fraudulent actions by Patrick against Ilmor, the team was refused an Ilmor Chevrolet engine lease, despite inking the popular Rahal.[12][13] According to Rahal, he had a clause in his contract, as did Miller, which required the team field the Ilmor-Chevrolet engine.[14] Facing a decidedly uncompetitive powerplant situation for 1992, and escalating legal problems, in December 1991, Patrick sold the team outright to Bobby Rahal and his new partner Carl Hogan. Together they formed Rahal-Hogan Racing. They retained nearly all of the employees and key personnel (including Jim McGee, Scott Roembke, and others), kept the sponsorship from Miller Genuine Draft, and were able to re-secure the Ilmor Chevrolet engine lease. According to Rahal, the transition was simple and smooth enough that they simply "took [the] Patrick Racing sign off the front of the building and put...Rahal-Hogan".[14]
1992
In 1992, the team won the CART championship on their first try, with owner-driver Bobby Rahal fielding a "tried and true" Lola T92/00-Chevy "A" to four victories and three poles during the season. It was Rahal's third points championship as a driver. Rahal's three oval wins included a dominating wire-to-wire victory at Phoenix, where he led all 200 laps. His other wins came at Detroit, Loudon, and Nazareth. He finished 6th at the Indianapolis 500, but dropped out of the Michigan 500. He notched 12 top-ten finishes, and clinched the championship by a mere 4 points, after finishing third at Laguna Seca.[15][16]
It was the fifth consecutive (and final) championship for the Ilmor Chevy "A" engine. Rahal managed to outperform the newer engines that joined the series in 1992, the Ford/Cosworth XB, as well as the Ilmor Chevy "B" engine, which was used exclusively by Penske. For the third time, Michael Andretti finished runner-up to Rahal in the points. Andretti promptly left Indy car racing the following year to race in Formula One.
1993
In late 1992, Rahal-Hogan Racing absorbed the Truesports racing team,[17][18] where Rahal had started his CART career. The team moved its headquarters from Indianapolis to Hilliard, into the old Truesports facility. Along with the acquisition, they took over the two-year-old Truesports "All-American" chassis program.[19] Rahal started the 1993 season with an updated version of the Truesports chassis, now designated the R/H-001, powered by the newer Ilmor Chevy "C" engine. The intention was to introduce a brand-new R/H chassis by August of that year.[20][21]
A second-place finish at Long Beach offered some promise for the chassis.[22][23] The success was short-lived, however, as the chassis proved uncompetitive on ovals and superspeedways.[20] Rahal failed to qualify at Indianapolis; he was bumped with 15 minutes left in the day.[24][25] Following Indy, the team switched Rahal to a more conventional Lola T93/00.[26] Rahal rebounded, with 11 top-tens in the final 12 races - good enough for 4th place in the final points standings.
Mike Groff joined the team as a test driver and raced a second car on a partial schedule. After the team's failure at Indy, Groff made four additional starts in the R/H-001. By season's end, the team abandoned the in-house chassis project.[21]
1994–1995
Rahal at Mid-Ohio in 1996.Rahal "Last Ride" car from 1998 season.
Rahal-Hogan Racing introduced the Honda HRX Indy V-8t engine to IndyCar racing in 1994, after performing development testing for the powerplant throughout 1993.[27][28] The team operated as a two-car outfit, promoting Mike Groff to a full-time schedule for 1994. The team fielded the Lola T94/00 chassis
The first generation iron block Honda powerplants, however, were still underdeveloped.[29][30] At the 1994 Indianapolis 500, both Rahal and Groff were at the bottom of the speed charts, and the team was at risk of failing to qualifying at Indy for the second year in a row.[31][32] On the second weekend of time trials, both Rahal and Groff withdrew their Honda-powered machines,[33][34] and re-qualified using two PC-22-Ilmors loaned from Penske.[35][36] Rahal finished a strong 3rd in the race with the borrow chassis.[37]
Rahal and Groff finished out the rest of the 1994 season with the Honda, however, the results were largely disappointing. Rahal notched only one top five driving the Honda, and placed tenth in the season points standings. Unsatisfied with the lack of progress and growing pains with the Honda engine, Rahal-Hogan Racing announced they were cutting ties with Honda at the end of the season.[38][39]
For 1995, Rahal-Hogan replaced Mike Groff with veteran Raul Boesel,[40][41][42] and switched to Ilmor-Mercedes Benz "D" engines.[43] Rahal finished third at the 1995 Indianapolis 500, which would ultimately be his final Indy start. Rahal notched eight top-fives and 12 top-tens to finish third in points. Boesel had seven top tens. Despite switching to a more conventional chassis/engine combination, the team remained winless for the third consecutive season.
1996–1998
In 1996, Carl Hogan left the team and started his own racing operation, Hogan Racing.[44] As a result, the team changed its name to Team Rahal. Rahal signed a five-year sponsorship extension with Miller, and switched to the Reynard 96I chassis.[45]Raul Boesel left to join Team Green,[46][47] and Bryan Herta replaced Boesel in the team's second car, picking up sponsorship from Shell.[48] In February of that year, comedian and talk show hostDavid Letterman purchased a minority interest in the team.[49][50]
Due to the open wheel "Split", Team Rahal did not compete at the Indianapolis 500. Instead Rahal and Herta raced at the U.S. 500 at Michigan.[51] Herta qualified for the front row at Michigan, but was involved in the big crash at the start.[52] Herta drove a backup car to 15th place. Bobby Rahal was running as high as 6th until he brushed the wall and dropped out with suspension damage. In the season finale at Laguna Seca, Bryan Herta nearly won his first career Indy car race. Leading on the final lap, Alex Zanardi made a daring, diving pass at the famous "Corkscrew" turns, to steal the victory in shocking fashion.[53][54][55] The legendary incident became known in racing circles simply as "The Pass".[56] Rahal and Herta combined for five podiums on the season, and finished 7th and 8th in points, respectively.
In 1997, Team Rahal switched to the Ford-Cosworth XD engine, and Rahal's sponsorship switched to the Miller Lite brand. The team struggled throughout the year, with Rahal posting only one podium finish.[57][58] At the Rio 400, Rahal was leading the race, looking for his first win since 1992. However, he ran out of fuel with one lap to go.[59][60] Herta also posted only one podium. Herta and Rahal finished 11th and 12th in points, respectively.[61] The team's lack of winning was attributed to several factors, including Goodyear tires,[62][63] and engine choice.[29][30] After their divorce from Honda at the end of 1994, the powerplant was proving to be successful long-term, winning six consecutive CART championships (1996–2001).
Rahal announced he was going to retire from driving at the conclusion of the 1998 CART season. He embarked on a year-long "Last Ride" campaign,[62] Rahal's best finish of the season was a third place at Mid-Ohio.[64][65] He finished the season with ten top-10 finishes, and placed 10th in points. At Laguna Seca, Bryan Herta avenged his defeat from two years earlier. Herta started on the pole and led 81 of the 83 laps, posting his first Indy/Champ car victory.[66] It was Team Rahal's first race win since 1992. Herta posted nine other top-tens, and finished 8th in points.
The driver lineup changed for 2002, as Papis and Bräck were replaced by veteran Jimmy Vasser and pay driverMichel Jourdain Jr.[75][76] The results were above average, with Vasser winning one race, and finishing 7th in points. Jourdain had 14 top-tens, including a 4th place in his debut at Monterrey, en route to a 10th place ranking in points.
In 2003, the team dropped down to a one-car effort in the CART/Champ Car series. Michel Jourdain Jr. won two races, notched 15 top-tens, one pole, and finished third in points. The 2003 season would be Team Rahal's final year in CART/Champ Car. For 2004, the team would switch permanently to the IRL/IndyCar Series.[77]
In 2002, while maintaining their full-time CART schedule, Team Rahal entered one car at the Indianapolis 500. It was their first appearance at Indy since 1995, and first participation in the IRL.[78] They followed the trend of other major CART-based teams entering at Indy, and/or switching over to the rival IRL.[79][80][81][82] As a tune-up in March, Jimmy Vasser drove to a 9th place finish at Fontana, but dropped out and finished 30th at Indy.
For 2003, Team Rahal expanded to full-time in the IRL. They ran a full-time entry in CART (Michel Jourdain Jr.), a full-time entry in IRL (Kenny Bräck), and a second car at Indy only (Jimmy Vasser). Bräck returned to the team after a one-year stint with Ganassi.[83] The 2003 season was significant for the team, as Rahal was reunited with engine manufacturer Honda after their rift in 1994.[84] Bräck finished 9th in IRL points, with a best finish of 2nd at Motegi. However, at the season finale at Texas, Bräck suffered a serious crash. His car launched into the catch fence, and he suffered critical, but non life-threatening injuries.[85] He would require a lengthy recovery, and it essentially ended his driving career.
2004
In 2004, the team formally changed its name to Rahal Letterman Racing,[86] and dropped its Champ Car program permanently.[77]Buddy Rice was hired to drive in substitute of the injured Kenny Bräck.[87]Vítor Meira was added as a second car, and Roger Yasukawa drove a third car at Motegi and Indianapolis.[87][88] Rice's role was originally temporary,[89] but when it became clear that Bräck was still unable to drive, Rice's spot turned full-time.[90]
At Indianapolis, Rice won the pole position, the pit stop contest, led the most laps, and won the race, his first victory in championship-level competition. It also marked the long-anticipated first Indy 500 victory for Honda. Rice won again at Kansas and Michigan, and finished 3rd in points. Meira scored two second places, and one pole, and despite missing the first two races of the season, finished 8th in points.
2005
The driver lineup for 2005 included Buddy Rice, Vítor Meira, and rookie Danica Patrick.[89] Patrick had driven for Team Rahal in Toyota Atlantics in 2003–2004, moving up to Indy cars for 2005. At the 2005 Indianapolis 500, Rice suffered a partially torn spinal ligament in a practice crash, and was replaced by Kenny Bräck.[91][92] Patrick qualified 4th, led 19 laps, and finished 4th, the highest finish ever for a female driver at the Indianapolis 500 to-date. Meira finished 2nd, and Patrick won rookie of the year. Bräck, whose career had been on hiatus due to his 2003 crash, driving in substitution for Rice,[91][92] was the fastest qualifier. But he dropped out on race day with mechanical problems. It would be Bräck's final career Indy car race.
Rice was able to return to the cockpit at the next race. His season was mostly disappointing, however, notching only four top-tens and no wins. Meira finished 7th in points, but it was Patrick who garnered the most attention on the season - at times overshadowing her teammates.[93] She won three poles and posted seven top-tens. She won IndyCar rookie of the year, and finished 12th in points.[94]
2006–2008
Rahal Letterman Racing had high hopes for 2006. Vítor Meira left the team to join Panther Racing. He was replaced by Paul Dana who brought sponsorship from the Ethanol Promotion Council.[95] At the season opener at Homestead, the team qualified all three cars in the top nine (Patrick 3rd, Rice 6th, and Dana 9th). During the final practice on 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,[citation needed] 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.
Patrick and Rice raced together at St. Petersburg with the third car vacant out of respect for Dana. Effective at Motegi, Jeff Simmons was added as the team's third driver. In mid-2006 the team switched from the Panoz to the Dallara chassis. Rice finished 15th in points, Patrick finished 9th, and Simmons finished 16th.
In 2007, Rahal Letterman Racing fielded two cars, one for Simmons and one for IndyCar veteran Scott Sharp. Patrick went to Andretti Green Racing, and Rice moved over to Dreyer & Reinbold. However, after eleven races, the team released Simmons and picked up former Champ Car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay,[96] who earned a 7th-place finish at Mid-Ohio. Consistent finishes gave Ryan and the team the Rookie of the Year award despite making only six starts.
In the 2008, Rahal Letterman Racing dropped down to just one car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay. The team scored a win at Watkins Glen and Hunter-Reay finished 8th in points. At the end of the season, the team's ethanol promotion council sponsorship left and they unable to find full-time sponsorship going into 2009.[97]
2009–2011: Part time
RLR did not participate full-time in the 2009 season due to a lack of sponsorship.[98] With the sponsorship of DAFCA they participated in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, 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.[99]
In 2010, the team again failed to secure sponsorship for the full season. At the 2010 Indianapolis 500, the team arranged a one-race sponsorship entry for Graham Rahal.[100] Rahal ran in the top ten until a blocking penalty shuffled him back in the standings, and he finished 12th.[citation needed]
The team signed Jay Howard 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.[102]
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. returned to the team in a second car for the Indianapolis 500, 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 and three members of the pit crew wore Google Glass to show an IndyCar Series pit stop from the unique perspective of each person on the racing team.[103]
After rotating through a series of drivers, including Jourdain, Jay Howard, and Mike Conway, Graham Rahal 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 champion Spencer Pigot to the lineup for three races. Rahal would take a win at Texas Motor Speedway by only .008 of a second.
During 2017 the team would watch another two wins, with Graham Rahal taking back-to-back victories at Detroit.
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.[104] 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 behind the wheel but after Ferucci's top ten finish in the 500 Hy-Vee 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 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 would drive the car at Portland, Laguna Seca, and Long Beach backed by Hy-Vee.[105][106] 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. 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.[107] In 2024 Pietro Fittipaldi replaced Harvey as a full-time entry and Takuma Sato returned to the team as a fourth driver in the Indy 500.[108][109] In July 2024 Lundgaard announced that it would be his final year with the team and that he would be moving to Arrow McLaren in 2025.[110]
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 team finished 4th in the GT2 team championship with Tommy Milner and Ralf Kelleners 6th in the driver's championship.
2009–13 (BMW)
After one-year hiatus, the team returned to the series in 2009 with factory support from BMW and thus held dual nationality team licenses (Germany and United States).[111] The team fielded two M3 GT2's, the #90 driven by Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen 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.[112][113]
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.[114][115]
2011 was an even more successful year for the team. After a one-two finish at the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring 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.[116][117][118] 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.[119][120]
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.
For 2015, the team would make several changes to its lineup, this time with ALMS champion Lucas Luhr replacing Müller in the No. 24, and Auberlen being teamed with Dirk Werner 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, 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 November 2017, Auberlen was named a BMW Brand Ambassador, and thus stepped down as a full-time driver for 2018.[121] He was replaced by Connor De Phillippi as Sims' full-time partner in the 25 team. Edwards also had a partner change at the 24 team, with Jesse Krohn 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, the 24 driver team will remain intact, but Tom 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.[122] He was replaced at Daytona by Augusto Farfus, who, along with co-drivers De Phillippi, Colton Herta and Philipp Eng, 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 podiums 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.
On 28 November 2017, it was announced that the team was to be the first to confirm entry to the I-PACE eTROPHY.[123] The team confirmed that they will run two cars in the series.[124]Katherine Legge and Bryan Sellers are part of the current line-up.
↑ The men & machines of Indy car racing: Indy car 1992-93. Rahal, Bobby., Hughes, Jonathan., PPG Indy Car World Series. New York, NY: Autosport International. 1993. ISBN0929323092. OCLC29490370.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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Augusto Farfus 
Philipp Eng 
Jesse Krohn 
Dries Vanthoor 
Connor De Phillippi 
Nick Yelloly 
Rene Rast 
