Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Rahal-Letterman to quit IRL unless a sponsor steps up]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/30/rahal-letterman-to-quit-irl-unless-a-sponsor-steps-up/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/30/rahal-letterman-to-quit-irl-unless-a-sponsor-steps-up/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/30/rahal-letterman-to-quit-irl-unless-a-sponsor-steps-up/#commentsFiled under:


Click for a gallery of shots from the 2008 Detroit Grand Prix

Roger Penske once said "the quickest way to make a small fortune in racing is to start with a large fortune." Bobby Rahal is a racer, but he's no fool, and he appears to be taking Penske's sage words to heart. Unless a company steps up in the next couple of months with a truck-load of cash, Rahal-Letterman Racing won't be fielding a car in the 2009 IRL season. Rahal has seen plenty of other teams soldier on without a sponsor over the years only to finish at the back of the pack (if they finish at all) until they go bust. Rahal doesn't plan to be in that spot now that the ethanol company that sponsored his IndyCar team has pulled out. He and his partner David Letterman want to run in IndyCar, but if no one steps up before the the season opener on April 5, they won't be fielding a team. Rahal is confident the crew can at least line up something for the Indy 500 and the firm plans to remain in business regardless of what happens on the IRL front. The team has operations in Indy Lights, Formula BMW Americas and its factory ALMS GT2 program with the new BMW M3.

Gallery: Detroit Grand Prix 08: IndyCars


[Source: TSN]
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Rahal-Letterman to quit IRL unless a sponsor steps up originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>indyindy 500indy racing leagueIndy500indycarIndyRacingLeaguerahal lettermanrahal letterman racingRahalLettermanRahalLettermanRacingsponsorshipsponsorshipsFri, 30 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Rahal Letterman Racing tests new M3 racer at Road Atlanta, Sebring]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/24/rahal-letterman-racing-tests-new-m3-racer-at-road-atlanta-sebri/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/24/rahal-letterman-racing-tests-new-m3-racer-at-road-atlanta-sebri/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/24/rahal-letterman-racing-tests-new-m3-racer-at-road-atlanta-sebri/#commentsFiled under: ,


Click above for a gallery of the BMW M3 Racing Version

Motorsports fans are eagerly anticipating the 2009 ALMS season where Ferrari, Porsche, Panoz, Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet and now BMW will be competing for the GT2 title. BMW Motorsport unveiled the new M3 racing program back in February of this year and have been developing the car in Europe since then. They recently handed off the car to Rahal Letterman Racing who tested the car this past week at Road Atlanta and are currently running laps at Sebring International Raceway. BMW also announced the first two drivers for the program, Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand, both of whom have extensive experience driving previous versions of the M3. Auberlen first drove for BMW in 1996 and won titles in 1997 and 2004. The M3 will make its 2009 racing debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21.

Gallery: BMW M3 racecar testing at Road Atlanta

[Source: ALMS via SpeedHunters and AutoFiends]

Continue reading Rahal Letterman Racing tests new M3 racer at Road Atlanta, Sebring

Rahal Letterman Racing tests new M3 racer at Road Atlanta, Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this year Rahal Letterman Racing announced its partnership with BMW to bring M3s back to ALMS GT2 in 2009. The Rahal Letterman deal is a new venture for BMW, putting its ALMS race operations in the hands of an unfamiliar crew. While Rahal Letterman is a proven open wheel race team, they are not one of the existing ALMS teams with prior BMW sports car racing experience. It is an interesting match-up that will be exciting to watch next year.

To keep in step with this fresh-faced approach, Rahal Letterman Racing has now also announced a partnership with Rays Engineering, which will supply wheels to the RLR ALMS program. Widespread use of Rays' wheels has yet to take hold throughout the world amongst the professional ranks, but they have been tried and tested for years in every type of event found in Japan. Rays Engineering is best known for their Volk Racing wheel line and the lightweight TE37 model in particular. They have established a reputation for classic design, combined with a high strength, in featherlight package. Demand for their designs has also garnered them the opportunity to supply the stock wheels for the new Nissan GT-R.

The complete Rahal Letterman, BMW and Rays Engineering package will no doubt be a dynamic force in the next ALMS season. All three organizations have a lot of respective racing history between them, and they all certainly want to prove their worth in the total equation. They have the knowledge to be competitive from the get-go, so no teeth cutting should be necessary. Thanks for the tip Andy!

[Source: MotorWorldHype]

Rahal Letterman BMW ALMS GT2 program gets new shoes from Rays originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ALMSALMS BMW M3ALMS GT2AlmsBmwM3AlmsGt2BMW M3BmwM3Rahal LettermanRahal Letterman RacingRahalLettermanRahalLettermanRacingFri, 24 Oct 2008 15:40:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: E92 BMW M3 racer rolls out to the track]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/video-e92-bmw-m3-racer-rolls-out-to-the-track/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/video-e92-bmw-m3-racer-rolls-out-to-the-track/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/video-e92-bmw-m3-racer-rolls-out-to-the-track/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above to watch the E92 M3 race car in action

The previous generation M3 had a short but dominant history in the American Le Mans Series. Competing in the 2001 season with a 4.0-liter V8, the M3 GTR decimated the GT (now GT2) class. Porsche cried foul, citing a lack of an "authentic" V8-powered M3 production car. Despite a small run of V8 M3s to satisfy regulations, the ALMS changed the rules so that BMW had to either produce 1000 road cars or face weight and intake restrictions. BMW decided it wasn't worth it and didn't return for the 2002 season. But with introduction of the E92 M3, BMW is free to race with a V8 unrestricted and announced their racing program in cooperation with Rahal Letterman Racing, as well as unveiling a new racecar at the Chicago Auto Show this year. We haven't heard much about the car since then, but BMW Motorsport released a video showing some pretty awesome footage of the car on track. It's design is aggressively beautiful, and we can't wait to see it rub fenders with Porsche and Ferrari next year in GT2. Follow the jump to watch the video or adorn your desktop with the gallery of images below.

Gallery: BMW Rahal Letterman Racing M3 ALMS car

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: E92 BMW M3 racer rolls out to the track

VIDEO: E92 BMW M3 racer rolls out to the track originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ALMSAmerican Le Mans SeriesAmericanLeMansSeriesBMWBMW M3BMW M3 Racing VersionBmwM3BmwM3RacingVersionRahal Letterman RacingRahalLettermanRacingTue, 15 Jul 2008 15:34:00 EST