Tag: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

RLL Signs Indy NXT Champ Foster

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Rahal Lanigan Racing has signed 2024 Indy NXT champions Louis Foster to a multiyear full-time deal. It is nice to see the Indy NXT champion get a season long ride again.

The announcement from RLL:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (October 9, 2024) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Louis Foster, who just completed a dominant run to his second open wheel title in three years, will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut with the team in 2025 as part of a multi-year deal. Details on the sponsorship for the entry will be announced at a later date.

Foster, 21, won a series-high eight of the 14 races this season in the INDY NXT Championship for Andretti Global. He led the series in wins (8), poles (7), podiums (12), laps led (362/640) and completed every lap of competition to beat Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel to the title by 122 points. His previous title came in the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 Series, where he won seven races en route to being named the champion in the season finale.

Foster tested an Indy car for the first time in September of 2023 with Andretti Global at Road America. RLL is currently working to solidify Foster’s test program in preparation for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and that may include a test later this year.

The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 2 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 21st Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, August 31. All on-track action can be seen live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

LOUIS FOSTER, driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I am really looking forward to working with the team. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have Indy 500 victories, obviously Bobby has won an Indy 500 and there is a great wealth of knowledge with the team. I want to thank Bobby, David and Mike for their faith in my abilities and I want to thank all my sponsors who have helped me achieve my dream of driving in INDYCAR, in particular Copart. I can’t wait to start my INDYCAR career with the team and hopefully we can have a long and successful career together. I’m hoping that coming off the experience gained from winning the INDY NXT championship, that will leave me in a good stance to get the ball rolling. This is where the hard work starts. We will start the preparations and make sure we get hit the ground running in St. Pete.”

BOBBY RAHAL, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are very pleased that we have been able to come to an agreement with Louis to have him drive for the team for the next several years. He obviously dominated INDY NXT in 2024 and we feel he has a big future ahead of him and are happy to support the ladder system INDYCAR has created. We look at this as a long-term relationship that will go beyond the existing terms and are very excited to get started on preparations for the 2025 season and his series debut.”

MIKE LANIGAN, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are very excited to have Louis Foster drive for us over the next few years. I look forward to watching him grow into a future INDYCAR star. He reminds me of another driver — the late, great Justin Wilson.”

About Louis Foster
Louis Foster, 21, will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in 2025. Foster was born on July 27, 2003 in Odiham, England and inherited his passion for motorsport from his father Nick, who was a former British Touring Car Championship driver. Foster began karting at the age of nine at local karting circuits Camberley Kart Club and Forest Edge Kart Club and won championships at each, in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

He made his car racing debut in the final three meetings of the 2017 Ginette Junior Championship, driving for Elite Motorsport and went on to compete in that year’s Ginetta Junior Winter Series, where he won the rookie championship.

He returned to the championship in 2018 and was a persistent title contender throughout the season. Foster claimed 19 podiums, including 9 victories, plus four pole positions and two fastest laps on his way to second place in the championship and was the top rookie. He scored the most points of any driver but lost out on the title by just eight points to teammate Adam Smalley after dropped scores were accounted for. During the campaign, Foster accrued several records: the first rookie to win three races in one weekend, the first driver to win five races in succession and the youngest driver to score an outright victory.

Following his successful stint in Ginetta Juniors, Foster moved to single-seaters when he joined Double R Racing for the 2019 F4 British Championship. He was immediately on the pace, taking victory in only the second race of the season and followed that with a strong weekend in Donington, winning two races and scoring a third-place finish in the other to give him a 17-point lead in the championship. Across the rest of the season, Foster accrued another three wins and nine podium finishes – dominating at Silverstone – to finish the year third in the championship, remaining in the title hunt until the season finale weekend at Brands Hatch.

In 2020, Louis returned to Double R Racing and stepped up to the BRDC British F3 Championship where an impressive season-long performance, including three wins, earned him the rookie championship and third place overall. For 2021, Louis raced in Europe with Motopark in Euroformula Open and finished runner up in the championship during which he won a record three wins over the event at Spa Francorchamps. His performance garnered attention and a nomination for the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

The 2022 season saw Louis move to the United States and race in the Indy Pro 2000 series with Exclusive Autosport. Despite racing on street circuits and ovals for the first time, Louis impressed all season long and won the championship in dominant fashion on the strength of seven wins which earned him back-to-back nominations for the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

He moved up to the INDY NXT by Firestone series in 2023 with Andretti Autosport and earned two wins and four poles in his rookie season. In September of that year, he also drove an Indy car for the first time at Road America. His series-high eight wins, seven poles and 12 podiums en route to the 2024 INDY NXT Championship netted a record-setting average finish of 2.07 during the season and his 10 total wins over his INDY NXT career moved him to a tie for second place to Greg Moore, who had 13. In 2023, he was selected to join the BRDC SuperStars program and remained part of this in 2024.

Battle on the Bricks: Rahal Win a Satisfying End to Difficult Week and Season

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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing leftt it all behind them Sunday afternoon. The FBI investigation and wo years of zero podiums all vanished in a brilliant final 46 minutes with a 1-2 finish at IMS in the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. The team had a victory awarded them in 2023 after the winning car, ironically the number 6 Penske Porsche, was disqualified.

Philipp Eng, and Jesse Krohn, drove the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 to a 1.647-second victory over teammate No. 25 car shared by Connor DePhillippi and Nick Yelloly. Eng drove the final stint. He managed traffic beautifully to stay ahead of the 25, who backed off at the end to preserve the team sweep.

Completing the podium was No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 driven by Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet, the winner of last year’s event. A penalty set the te car back and it could not catch the BMWs.

Lined up for the start

LMP2

Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and NTT Indycar Serie and INDY NXT by Firestone veteran Hunter McElrea won the LMP2 class by 26.049 seconds in the No. 11 TDS Racing prototype over the pole-sitting No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports machine driven by Nick Boulle, Jakub Smiechowski and Tom Dillmann.

GTD Pro

“Rexy,” the number. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R came back from its pole disqualification with a win by drivers Laurin Heinrich and Michael Christensen, 12.527 seconds ahead of number.64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang of Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell. Heinrich drove to the pole position, but a post qualifying penalty moved the Porsche to the back of the class on the grid.

GTD

Jan Heylen drove the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to a win in the GTD class, with co-drivers Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer. Heylen finished 2.465 seconds ahead of the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 shared by Robby Foley, Patrick Gallagher and Jake Walker.

The Race

The rain began about an hour into the race and took up most of the second hour and part of the third. By the halfway mark, the rain had stopped and the track dried. The GTP class did not disappoint, as usual.

There was a great battle between the 01 Cadillac of Sebastien Bourdais and the number 6 Porsche driven by Mathieu Jaminet. The pair exchanged the lead on track twice. Eight of the 11 GTP cars led at some point., with numerous on track passes for the lead.

Romain Grosjean had a great drive early in the Lamborghini entry, charging in to the lead. Its chance for the win ended because of a pit penalty for too many men over the wall. Later in the race the car retired after on track contact broke an axle.

The pole winning 01 Cadillac was clawing its way back into contention when a punctured tire put the car three laps down.

Notes

I thought Sunday’s race was better overall than the 2023 sprint race. There was more strategy and intrigue, and one car did not dominate the entire race.

I found the race compelling. It is rare for me to sit and watch an entire race of this length, but I was focused for the entire event.

I am not sure if attendance was up from last year, but I think this event has a lot of growth potential. I would like to see the start moved back a bit later with a twilight or just after dark finish.

It was nice seeing former Indycar/IndyNXT drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Gabby Chaves, Hunter McElrea, Matt Brabham, and ben Hanley, amnong others, race again.

Personal Bests– I set a new record of 42 hours at sports car races in 2024. I stayed awake for 38 of them.

Sunday concluded the longest racing season I have ever had. Thank you all for following along. I’m going to take a couple days off unless there is some breaking news, which I think is coming soon. I’ll be back with more this drivel before the end of the month.

Vips Added to RLL Portland Lineup; Rossi Cleared to Drive-

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Juri Vips will return to Indycar at Portland as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing adds a fourth car, the 75 which Takuma Sato drove in the Indianapolis 500.

The team announcement:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (August 7, 2024) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Estonian driver Juri Vips will return to NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition for his third start with the team at the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland on August 25. He competed for the team in Portland and Laguna Seca in 2023 and will pilot the No. 75 AMADA Honda in the team’s fourth entry in Portland, along with those for Graham Rahal, Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard.

This will mark his second race at Portland International Raceway, where he made his series debut in 2023. He started and finished 18th and used that experience to run up front the following weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where he was sixth fastest in Practice 1 and a mere -0.05 from advancing to the Firestone Fast Six on Saturday, qualifying seventh. After a six-grid penalty in the race for an unapproved engine change, he started 13th and was collected in a multi-car crash on the opening lap but soldiered on to finish 24th.

Vips first tested an Indy car for RLL on October 12, 2022, at Sebring International Raceway and again at Barber Motorsports Park on March 13, 2023, and has performed static simulator testing for RLL since 2023. AMADA was also the primary sponsor of the No. 75 Honda-powered entry for Takuma Sato at the 2024 Indianapolis 500.

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season resumes with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on August 17 which will be broadcast live on USA beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. All on-track action can be seen on NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

BOBBY RAHAL, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We’re pleased to be able to run Juri in Portland for a number of reasons. For one, he showed at both Portland and Laguna Seca last year that he certainly has the pace to feature in any event he runs with us. He has done a lot of work for us in the simulator this year, which has helped us understand the hybrid system, so it’s nice to reward him for his effort. I’m hopeful that this will lead to more races for him with RLL.”

JURI VIPS, driver of the No. 75 AMADA Honda at Portland: “I’m very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity. I have been working closely with the team on the simulator program and it has been a year since I have been in the car, but I’m confident that the experience gained last year at Portland and Laguna Seca will help me to get up to speed quickly. It will still be a very big challenge and one I am very much looking forward to.”

Alexander Rossi

Rossi Gets Thumbs Up from Indycar Medical

Arrow Mclaren announced today that Alexander Rossi has been cleared by Indycar medial to drive again, and he will be in the number 7 car at World Wide Technology Raceway the weekend of August 15- 16.

Rossi broke his left thumb in a practice crash in Toronto before the last race before the Olympic break. He had surgery the following Monday.

Sato Returns to RLL for the 500

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From Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (February 15, 2024) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that two-time Indianapolis 500 champion, Takuma Sato, will return to the team for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500. AMADA AMERICA, Inc. a leading global machine tool manufacturer and supplier in the sheet metal industry, will be the primary sponsor for 2017 and 2020 Indy 500 winner Sato’s No. 75 Honda-powered entry in the May 26 event.

Sato competed for RLL in 2012 and from 2018-2021. He has earned six NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins, four of which have come with RLL, including the team’s second Indy 500 win in 2020. Most recently, Sato competed in oval races with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023. The 2024 Indy 500 will mark his 15th time to participate in the Indianapolis 500 and sixth with RLL.

AMADA was the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 30 entry at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on April 30, 2023 and this will be their first time to participate in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” They will also be a major associate sponsor of the No. 30 entry driven by Pietro Fittipaldi for the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, near their Buena Park, Calif. headquarters.

Sato, a native of Tokyo, Japan, has made 220 starts in the INDYCAR SERIES since his rookie season in 2010, which is sixth among active drivers and 22nd all-time. His Indy car highlights include wins in the 2017 and 2020 Indianapolis 500, 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, 2018 Portland Grand Prix, 2019 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and Bommarito 500 at WWT Raceway, with four of the six coming with RLL. Of his 14 podium finishes to date, 10 have come with RLL as have three of his 10 Indy car poles. Prior to joining the INDYCAR SERIES, he competed in 90 Formula One races between 2002-2008 with his highest finish of third at the 2004 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 20th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service or USA Network. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

About AMADA AMERICA, Inc.
AMADA AMERICA, INC. is headquartered in Buena Park, California. AMADA is the leading global machine tool manufacturer and supplier in the sheet metal industry. The AMADA brand represents Quality, Service, and Sustainability. AMADA machine tools consistently set global standards for performance and reliability. Each year, AMADA continues to develop and perfect innovative sheet metal manufacturing solutions with the objective of maximizing our customers’ productivity.

About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Zionsville, Ind., is co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2024, the team will compete in its 33rd year of competition and will attempt to add to its 30 Indy car wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice and the 2020 Indy 500 with Takuma Sato — their 37 poles, 111 podium finishes and 1992 series championship. The team also competed in the American Le Mans Series from 2009-2013 as BMW Team RLL where they won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category in 2010 and swept all three GT titles in 2011 – Manufacturer, Team and Driver. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. From 2014 to 2021, BMW Team RLL competed in the GTLM class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two-car program. In 2022, BMW M Team RLL competed in the GTD PRO class in IMSA while simultaneously ramping up for a two-car program in the much-anticipated GTP class in IMSA for 2023. In total, the team has earned 23 wins – including the 2019 and 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona endurance races, 30 poles and 101 podium finishes prior to the start of the 2024 season. BMW M Team RLL highlights also include second-place finishes in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017 and being named the 2020 Michelin North American Endurance Champions.

QUOTEBOARD

TAKUMA SATO, Driver of the No. 75 AMADA Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I’m absolutely thrilled to make my return to the 108th Indy 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. A heartfelt thank you to Bobby, Mike, and David and the entire organization for this incredible opportunity. Gratitude overflows as I am driving the No. 75 entry with primary sponsorship from AMADA. My journey with RLL spans over a decade marked by shared successes and rejoining the team fills me with immense excitement. Here’s to reconnecting with familiar faces and forging new alliances. I just can’t wait to get to work.”

STEPHEN KEATING, EVP of Sales & Key Accounts, AMADA: “We are incredibly excited to partner with the renowned Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team at the 108th running of the Indy 500! Our partnership signifies a joint commitment to engineering excellence and innovation. We eagerly anticipate that this iconic race will demonstrate the strong collaboration between our two technology-driven organizations.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We’re very pleased to welcome back Takuma to the team. We obviously had a great deal of success together and as I’ve said many times, Takuma’s spirit is something that motivates not only me and the entire team, but also his fans. We’re looking forward to his contributions and having a successful Indy 500.
“We were actively looking for a machine tool company a few years ago that could give us a competitive advantage, and we got to know AMADA and learn more about the tremendous machines and the technology services they provide. And, of course, our facility is a showcase for some of their technology in our production area. After having them with us as a primary sponsor in 2023, we’re thrilled that the relationship continues to grow. I can’t imagine a better match than AMADA, Takuma and our team.”

MIKE LANIGAN, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “It’s exciting to have Takuma return to the team for the Indianapolis 500. As he has shown, he knows how to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his experience will add value to our overall program. It’s also particularly exciting to have a globally-recognized company like AMADA join us in this program after first working together in 2023.”

RLL Extends Graham Rahal Contract

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From Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (November 13, 2023) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that the team has entered into a new multi-year agreement that will see Graham Rahal continue to compete for the team in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Rahal earned two of the final four poles in 2023, made three front row starts and returned to the podium at the Gallagher Grand Prix at Indianapolis with a second-place finish in what was the closest finish recorded on the road course with a margin of -0.4779 to the winner, Dixon, after he led a race-high 36 laps.

Rahal’s rookie season of INDYCAR competition was in 2007 and he joined RLL full time in 2013. Since that time, he has earned three of his five career poles and five of his six career wins with RLL and contended for the championship in the final race of the 2015 season from a second-place rank. Rahal joins teammates Christian Lundgaard and Pietro Fittipaldi for RLL’s 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES lineup.

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 10 and the 17-race schedule includes the return of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Weekend doubleheader on Saturday, July 13 and 14 – both at Iowa Speedway. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

GRAHAM RAHAL, Driver of the No. 15 Honda: “I’m extremely excited to get a new multi-year agreement in place and hopefully continue to build and improve the team. At the end of the season, we saw some glimpses of what we can and should be. Obviously, there is a lot of work still to be done to ensure that we continue to grow and get ourselves in a place for continuous success but I’m excited about the signs that I saw. I’m also excited to continue working with the tremendous partners that we have. It was important to me to continue to represent them and hopefully do a great job for them as we go forward. I’m glad that we were able to come together with Mike, my dad, David (Letterman) and everyone at the organization to continue together.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are pleased to have been able to come to an agreement with Graham to drive for the team for the coming years. Clearly, when we’ve given him a car that he likes he shows what he can do by running up front. Two pole positions, really within a fraction of a second for a third this year and led many laps. All of that should reaffirm to everyone what he is capable of. He’s as driven as ever to win races and it’s exciting to watch. Clearly the efforts of the team over the off season are to ensure we have competitive cars at every race next year, including the Indy 500.”

MIKE LANIGAN, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I have worked with Graham for the last 18 years, first as a 17-year-old in the Atlantic Series and many years as an INDYCAR driver.  Watching him grow and excel not only in racing, but also off the track, has been very impressive. Signing him with RLL will certainly continue to enhance the team’s ability to succeed in the competitive world we race in. His experience and knowledge in all aspects of racing is one the team will take full advantage of.”

RLL Names Pietro Fittipaldi Driver of Car 30

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I sure did not see this coming. This announcement narrows the possibilities for Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen.

The news release from RLL:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (October 23, 2023) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that current Haas F1 Team reserve and test driver, Pietro Fittipaldi, who is also a multiple open-wheel champion and race-winning world endurance championship driver, will drive the No. 30 entry for his first full season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2024. Fittipaldi, the Brazilian-American grandson of 1989 INDYCAR champion and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, returns to the series after having made 9 starts in 2018 and 2021 for Dale Coyne Racing. Details on the sponsorship for the entry will be announced at a later date.

Fittipaldi, 27, made six starts in the INDYCAR SERIES in 2018 — three on oval tracks and three on road courses — with his best start being 10th in Phoenix and best finish of 9th coming at Portland. He had planned to compete in more races, but his program was curtailed midseason after breaking both legs in an accident in the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May of that year. In 2021, he split the season in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware entry with Romain Grosjean, running three of the four oval races. His best qualifying effort came in his Indianapolis 500 debut of 13th place, which earned him the “Fastest Rookie Award” and his best finish was 15th in Race 2 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 20th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service or USA Network. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, driver of the No. 30 Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It’s an honor to join a team of the caliber of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. With the experience I’ve gained over the last few years in F1 and other racing series, I am looking forward to the challenge of racing in INDYCAR, one of the most competitive and versatile racing series in the world. I want to thank Mr. Rahal, Mr. Lanigan, and Mr. Letterman for the opportunity and their trust and confidence in me. I can’t wait to get started.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to have Pietro join RLL as the driver of the No. 30 car. He has had previous experience in INDYCAR in doing partial seasons with Dale Coyne Racing and impressively qualifying 13th at Indianapolis in 2021. I got to meet him then and since that time he has worked hard to become the reserve driver for Haas F1’s team. And from our discussions, I have been impressed with the maturity and experience that he will now bring to our program. I look forward to seeing what he can do over a full season of INDYCAR competition in 2024.”

MIKE LANIGAN, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are proud and excited to welcome Pietro to our team. The Fittipaldi family name has always been associated with winning and competitiveness in our sport. The legacy lives on with Pietro and we welcome the challenges in keeping the tradition alive.”

About Pietro Fittipaldi
Pietro Fittipaldi, 27, is in his fifth consecutive season as an official test and reserve driver for Haas F1 Team. Fittipaldi was born in Miami, Florida and is a grandson of two-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion (1972, 1974) and double Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi (1989, 1993). He rose through America’s karting ranks from 2006-10 before making his debut in stock cars in 2011, where he was crowned champion and “Rookie of the Year” in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series for Limited Late Models. A move to the Late Models category in 2012 earned another “Rookie of the Year” title for the Brazilian, followed by victory in the Pepsi 200 Fall Brawl, the biggest Late Model race of the year. Switching to open-wheel racing for 2013, and relocating to Europe, Fittipaldi competed in the British-based BRDC Formula 4 Championship and the BARC Formula Renault Championship. A dominating 2014 season in the Protyre Formula Renault Championship delivered a title with 10 wins from 15 starts. Fittipaldi graduated to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2016, scoring three podiums, and raced in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship, winning the series title courtesy of four victories from nine podium finishes. Another open-wheel title followed when Fittipaldi won the Formula V8 3.5 Championship in 2017 with six wins, 10 podiums, and a series-record 10 pole positions (previous record held by Kevin Magnussen/Daniel Ricciardo). 2018 saw Fittipaldi return to the United States to compete in the INDYCAR SERIES with Dale Coyne Racing, his deal commencing with April’s event in Phoenix. His race program was curtailed however after breaking both legs in an accident in May’s World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps while planning to participate in the full season. Fittipaldi returned to his INDYCAR commitments at the end of July that season, making five more starts with a best finish of ninth place at the Grand Prix of Portland in September still racing with a fractured leg. In 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Fittipaldi was signed as Haas F1 Team’s official 2019 reserve and test driver. He capped his year with a Formula 1 debut steering the team’s VF-18 at the post-season Pirelli tire test. 2019 saw Fittipaldi combine a season competing for Audi Sport Team WRT and Team Rosberg in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), with testing and development duties behind the wheel of the Haas VF-19 – testing in Spain, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, as well as extensive simulator development throughout the season. Continuing in 2020 as reserve and test driver, Fittipaldi subsequently made his debut in F1 with two grand prix starts for the Haas F1 Team standing in for the injured Romain Grosjean at the Sakhir Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. In 2021 and 2022, he continued as the Haas F1 Team reserve and test driver and took part in F1 free practice sessions as part of mandated “rookie” sessions and carried out pre and post-season test duties for the team. Also in 2021, he competed in the European Le Mans Series with Team InterEuropol, securing the team’s best finish in their history with second place at Spa-Francorchamps and their best qualifying position of third in Monza. While simultaneously continuing as Haas F1 Team’s reserve and test driver in 2023, he competed in the World Endurance Championship with Team JOTA. A season highlight was a victory in the Six Hours of Monza World Endurance Championship race in the LMP2 class.

Black Magic- Rahal Takes Portland Pole on Primary Tires

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The month of May is now a distant memory in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan camp. Graham Rahal took his second pole of the season today at Portland International Raceway. After six years without a pole, Rahal now has earned two in three races.. The team’s 2023 season resume now reads 4 poles and one win. Christian Lundgaard won at toronrto and also has two p[ole positions. Except for the Indianapolis 500, the team has had a solid year.

The decision to stay on primary tires stemmed from the team having an extra set of sticker black tires. The team did not feel the red tires were much faster.

The resurgence of this team since May has been amazing to watch. Turning a team around mid-season is a Herculean task Just one goal remains for Rahal- to win tomorrow’s 110 lap race. It’s nice to have five truly competitive teams in the series.

Rahal elected to stay on primary tires for the entire Fast Six round.. His best lap of 58.3185 beat pole favorite Scott McLaughlin by 0.0340 seconds.

The expected Team Penske dominance of qualifying never occurred. Josef Newgarden crashed into the tire barrier in turn 12 less than three minutes into Round 2. Will Power missed the cut to the final round by 0.0531 seconds. Rahal grabbed the final spot in the Fast Six.

Newgarden starts 12th and Power rolls off seventh tomorrow.

Unofficial Lineup

RLL Tabs Vips to Finish Season in Car 30

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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced yesterday that Yuri Vips will drive the number 30 car in the final two races of the 2023 Indycar season. Vips replaces Jack Harvey, who the team dismissed after the Gallagher Grand Prix August 12.

Conor Daly drove the car last weekend in the Bommarito 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Vips is a candidate for this seat full time in 2024. The Estonian driver has competed in F2 this season.

I will have more details about this story later today.

Daly Replaces Harvey at RLL for Gateway

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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing today announced that Conor Daly will replace Jack Harvey as the driver of car 30 for the next IndyCar race at World Wide Technology Raceway. A statement from Harvey indicated that his tenure at RLL was over.

My understanding is that the team wil audition drivers in the final two races of the season at Portland and Laguna Seca.

Jack Harvey is one of the nicest drivers in the paddock. I hope he finds a ride that is a good fit for him.

From earlier:

The Last IMS Doubleheader?

The Last IMS Doubleheader?

It has been a strange year for Daly. He began 2023 as the full driver of car 20 for Ed Carpenter Racing. He was relieved of that ride after Detroit. Daly then subbed for then injured Simon Pagenaud at Mid Ohio and Iowa. He is now driving for his third team this season. Oddly, each car he has or will drive bears a number ending in zero.

Here is the statement from RLL:

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (August 15, 2023) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced a change to their 2023 driver lineup for the No. 30 entry today. Veteran Conor Daly will compete for the team at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) on August 27. The driver for the No. 30 entry for races at Portland International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be announced at a later date.

Daly has made 107 NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts since his debut in 2013 and earned his first series pole at the Iowa Speedway short oval in 2020 for Race 1. He has competed in six of the last seven INDYCAR SERIES races held at WWTR and has earned four top-10 finishes with his best being fifth in 2017.

The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season resumes with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on August 26-27, which will be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on August 27. All on-track action can be seen on NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.

QUOTEBOARD:

BOBBY RAHAL, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “First, I would like to thank Jack Harvey for all of his efforts on behalf of RLL for the last year and a half. He committed fully to the team but for whatever reason, we weren’t able to achieve the results that he or the team deserves and we wish him well in the future. We will use the final three races of the season to gauge other racing talent. I’m very pleased that Conor has agreed to join us in St. Louis. He’s been strong there and I feel that he can bring value to the team while also providing us with a strong effort. I look forward to having him with us.”

CONOR DALY, driver of the No. 30 Honda at WWTR: “It means a lot to have a chance to drive for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team. I’ve known Bobby ever since I was a child, our families are very close. Mike Lanigan is someone that has known my dad for a long time, and I’ve known him well too. And David Letterman is a friend of our family as well so it’s very special to have the chance to drive for this organization. I will obviously do the best job that I can for them to make them proud and make their partners proud and I hope to be able to deliver everything they are looking for. I’m excited for the chance to get back behind the wheel at one of my favorite tracks at World Wide Technology Raceway.”

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