BROWNSBURG, Ind. (December 11, 2017) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that sports business veteran Kevin Warner has joined the team as vice president of partnership marketing. Warner spent the past 13 years with leading motorsports agency CSM Sport & Entertainment (formerly JMI), most recently as director of account management for the agency’s motorsports practice in Indianapolis.
“I am very happy to have a professional of Kevin’s stature join our team.” said Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with former Late Show host David Letterman and businessman Mike Lanigan. “This is another example of the strengthening of our marketing and sales group. Having spent time with Kevin, I know him to be a very buttoned-down, organized, professional guy and I think he will do great things for us alongside Tom Knox and Brian Marks. We think this will be a real benefit for our sponsors to have Kevin work directly with them to help exceed target goals and maximize their return on investment.”
At CSM, Warner held several leadership positions in client services, event marketing and business services where he was responsible for the development and delivery of integrated marketing programs for clients such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Apex-Brasil, Boehringer-Ingelheim, DIAGEO, DIRECTV, ESPN, Fuzzy’s Vodka, Hisense, IRWIN Industrial Tools, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, SUBWAY Restaurants and Singapore Stock Exchange, among others. Warner has worked in both domestic and global capacities while developing a well-rounded motorsports background including NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, Formula One and Formula E.
“Having spent the majority of my career working on behalf of many leading brands and representing their interests specifically in motorsports, I am thrilled to join such a well-respected, championship-caliber team as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” said Kevin Warner. “I’ve been fortunate to observe the great strides the team is making in all of the series it competes and look forward to working closely with RLL’s current and prospective partners on all facets of their partnerships, doing my part to build on the team’s successful heritage.”
About Kevin Warner
Prior to joining CSM, Warner spent several years in Chicago with stints as marketing manager for an area developer of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and as an account manager for sports marketing agency, The GEM Group, managing local market sponsorships on behalf of Sears, Roebuck and Co., including partnerships with the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Eagles Radio Network. Warner earned a master’s degree in sports management and marketing from Indiana University in 2000 and a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University Kelly School of Business in 1996.
About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and Brownsburg, 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 2018, the team will compete in their 27th year of open wheel competition and attempt to add to their 25 wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice — their 30 poles, 94 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. Since 2014, BMW Team RLL has competed in the GTLM class of the United SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and has brought their total to 17 wins, 23 poles and 68 podium finishes as well as a second place finish in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships in 2015 and 2017. The team recently announced a two-car program in the world’s first production-based electric vehicle race series – the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY. The series will debut in the 2018/2019 season as a support series to the FIA Formula E Championship.
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