Bobby Rahal

Robert Woodward Rahal (born in Medina, Ohio, on January 10, 1953), better known as Bobby Rahal is a former speed motorsport driver and current owner of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team. His son Graham Rahal also competes in motorsports.

He contested the CART single-seater championship between 1982 and 1998, achieving 24 victories and 88 podiums. Won the 1986 Indianapolis 500, finishing second in 1990 and third in 1994 and 1995; He also won the CART Marlboro Challenge in 1987. He was CART champion in the 1986, 1987 and 1992 seasons, runner-up in 1982 and 1991, third in 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1995, and fourth in 1990 and 1993. On the other hand, it obtained absolute victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona of 1981 and the 12 Hours of Sebring of 1987.

At the end of 1991, Rahal founded the Rahal-Hogan Racing team, which changed its name twice and still owns it. The squad participated in Champ Car from 1992 to 2003, in the IndyCar Series from 2003, and in the American Le Mans Series from 2007. Rahal raced for his team from 1992 until his retirement as a driver at late 1998. After the 1992 title, no other Indy car driver achieved the championship by racing for his own team.

Rahal was president and CEO of the CART during the first half of 2000. Throughout the 2001 Formula One season, he was team manager Jaguar Racing of Formula 1.

Beginnings and sport prototypes
Rahal raced in Formula Atlantic and Formula 2 in the 1970s. He also participated in the two North American dates of the 1978 Formula 1 season with the Wolf team, finishing 12th. at the United States Grand Prix. He raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1980 with a Dick Barbour Porsche 935 and in 1982 with a March-Chevrolet, dropping out both times. In 1981 he finished fourth in the World Endurance Championship with a victory and three podiums, and fourth in the IMSA GT Championship with a victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona and six podiums, in both tournaments with a Porsche 935.

Later, Rahal competed in the 1987 IMSA GT Championship in a Porsche 962 from the Bayside Disposal team. He achieved three victories at Sebring 12 Hours, Mid-Ohio and Columbus, as well as six podium finishes, resulting in fifth in the GTP class drivers' championship.

Truesports (1982-1988)
At 29 years old, Rahal made his CART series debut in 1982 with a March-Cosworth from Team Truesports. He had two victories at Cleveland and Michigan, as well as six podiums in ten races held, finishing runner-up to Rick Mears. At the Indianapolis 500, he dropped out after completing 174 laps, and placed 11th.

In 1983 he achieved a triumph at Riverside, three podiums and five top-fives, thus finishing fifth in the championship. The pilot obtained in the first half of 1984 only two seventh places, one of them in the 500 Miles of Indianapolis, where he crossed the finish line with three lost laps. In the second half he bounced back with two wins at Phoenix and Laguna Seca, and six podiums in eight races. This earned him third place in the championship, after Mario Andretti and Tom Sneva.

Continuing on the Trueman team in 1985, Rahal racked up five retirements at the start of the year. He later posted three wins at Mid-Ohio, Michigan and Laguna Seca, one second and two quarters, as well as six pole positions. This allowed him to go back to the third final position, behind the duo Al Unser and Al Unser Jr.

In 1986, the driver passed Kevin Cogan two laps from the end of the Indianapolis 500. He won the event for the only time in his life, crossing the finish line with a 1.4-second lead and completing 200 laps in less than three hours for the first time in history. Jim Trueman, owner of the Truesports team, died two weeks later from cancer. Despite dropping out six times, Rahal had other wins at Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Sanair and Laguna Seca, earning his first CART title against Michael Andretti.

Steve Horne continued to lead the Truesports team in the 1987 season, adopting the Lola chassis. Despite dropping out at the Indianapolis 500, he had three wins at Portland, Meadowlands and Laguna Seca, as well as 10 podiums in 15 races. That allowed him to win the championship again against Michael Andretti.

In 1988, the driver triumphed at the Pocono and collected four second places and nine top-fives in 15 races, including a fifth place in the Indianapolis 500. This meant he finished third in the overall standings behind Danny Sullivan and Al Unser Jr.

Galles-Kraco (1989-1991)
Rahal left the Truesports team in 1989 with the intention of sourcing Chevrolet engines, which were the most competitive. However, his new Kraco team used Lola Cosworth cars. He achieved a victory at Meadowlands, three podiums and only eight top-10s in 15 races, being relegated to ninth in the championship.

Maurice Kranes and Rick Galles merged their teams in 1990 to form Galles-Kraco Racing. Rahal did not achieve a victory in his Lola Chevrolet, although he accumulated seven podiums in 16 races, including a second place in the Indianapolis 500. The driver was fourth in the championship, behind Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti and Mears.

The driver won at Meadowlands in 1991, but finished six second, four third and two fourth in 17 races. However, Michael Andretti and his eight victories relegated him to the final second place.

Rahal-Hogan (1992-1998)
Rahal founded his own team for the 1992 CART season, originally named Rahal-Hogan Racing in reference to his partner Carl Hogan. His Lola Chevrolet was sponsored by the Miller beer brand, which accompanied him for the rest of his career. The driver had four victories in Phoenix, Detroit, New Hampshire and Nazareth, in addition to ten podiums in 16 races. The 39-year-old claimed his third CART series title with a four-point lead over Michael Andretti.

In 1993, Rahal started the year using his own chassis. He was second at Long Beach, but failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Back in a Lola Chevrolet, he earned two podiums and six top-fives to place fourth in the championship, behind Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy.

After Chevrolet's retirement, the Japanese automaker Honda entered the CART in 1994 with the Rahal-Hogan team. The pilot obtained a second place, a sixth and two seventh as best results; In the Indianapolis 500, he had to rent a Penske Ilmor to qualify for the test, where he finished third. He finished tenth in the championship, his worst performance since his debut.

Rahal-Hogan continued to use Lola chassis in 1995, but switched to Ilmor Mercedes-Benz engines. He racked up five podiums and eight top-fives in 17 races, including a third-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. Thus, he was third in the championship behind Jacques Villeneuve and Al Unser Jr.

Hogan retired from the Rahal team in 1996, and they exchanged the Lola chassis for Reynard. With three podiums and ten top-10s in 16 CART races, the driver finished seventh in the championship. In 1997 it switched to Ford-Cosworth engines. He had a third-place finish at Mid-Ohio and ten top-10s in 19 races, reaching the final 10th position. Rahal retired as a pilot at the age of 46.

Personal life
Rahal formerly lived in New Albany, Ohio. Rahal is a graduate of Denison University. He now lives in Lincoln Park, near the lakefront of Chicago. He is the son of sports car racer Mike Rahal and the father of Graham Rahal, who now races in the IndyCar Series.

Rahal owns a 1975 Lola T360 which he occasionally races at vintage racing events.

Rahal also grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended Glenbard West High School as class of 1971.

Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position / Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

American Open Wheel Racing
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position )

NASCAR
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )