Rahal Was 12th When the Firestone 600 Was Stopped By a Red Flag Due to Inclement Weather; Rescheduled for August 27
June 12, 2016
Rahal Returns to Road America for the First Time Since His Third Place Finish in the 2007 Champ Car Race
June 22, 2016BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 15, 2016) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that the Gehl brand, part of Manitou Americas, Inc. has returned as co-primary sponsor of the team’s No. 15 Verizon IndyCar Series entry for Graham Rahal in the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America June 24-26. The official name of the entry will be the No. 15 Gehl / D-A Lubricant Honda. Manitou Americas, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of Gehl, Manitou, and Mustang branded equipment for construction, agriculture, mining, energy industries and beyond.
Gehl was an associate sponsor of the race team from 2006-2008 and in 2014 and is in their 11th season of involvement with Graham Rahal, whom they have had a personal services contract with since his 2006 Atlantic Championship season where he was runner up to the champion.
“We are thrilled to be part of the Road America IndyCar event and to have Graham pilot the No.15 Gehl / D-A Lubricant Honda Indy car at our hometown race track” said Dan Miller, CEO of Manitou Americas and President of the Compact Equipment Division. “Having Graham back in the driver’s seat of the Gehl and Manitou branded car will surely be exciting for our 190 VIP customers who will be at our event. We are also proud to co-sponsor with our valued partner D-A Lubricant.”
“For me it’s really cool to have the Gehl colors back on my car,” added driver Graham Rahal. “It takes me back to 2006, where it all began with Gehl in Formula Atlantic. In my career, Gehl has had such a huge and influential part of everything that I have done. They were the first company of size to back me before I had ever done anything so it’s great to have them back on board for their home race. Connecting Gehl with D-A Lubricant Company, who has been a big part of our team since 2015 and a big part of our success last season, has been fun. It’s good to see the two companies working together.”
In addition to its relationship with RLL and driver Graham Rahal, Gehl has been active in motorsports for many years. Gehl has been the “Official Construction Equipment” of the Grand Prix of Long Beach for more than 25 years and Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI for over 26 years. Other race venues Gehl has been involved with include the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Denver Grand Prix, Infineon Raceway, and The Milwaukee Mile. Gehl was also an “Official Supplier” to the Champ Car Safety Team for many years.
Rahal has a season-best finish to date of second place in the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama. His previous race at Road America in the 2007 Champ Car World Series resulted in a third place finish with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.
The 16-race 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season continues with the Kohler Grand Prix of Road America on June 26, which will be televised live on NBSCN at 12:30 p.m. ET. For more details about the Series, please visit www.indycar.com.
About Gehl
Gehl is a manufacturer of compact equipment used worldwide in construction and agricultural markets. Founded in 1859, the Company is headquartered in West Bend, WI, with manufacturing facilities in Madison and Yankton, SD. Gehl Company information is available at (www.gehl.com) or contact: Gehl, One Gehl Way, West Bend, WI 53095 (telephone: 262-334-9461).
MANITOU Group, world leader in all-terrain material handling, designs, manufactures, distributes and services equipment for Construction, Agriculture, and the Industries. Its product range consists of; telescopic handlers, all-terrain, skid steers, track loaders, articulated loaders, semi-industrial and industrial masted forklifts, access platforms, truck-mounted forklifts, and attachments. Through its core brands, MANITOU, GEHL, and MUSTANG, the Manitou Group offers more than 400 models throughout the world, with an international network of 1,400 independent dealers, providing the best solutions to deliver the highest value for its customers. Headquartered in France, the group registered a revenue of €1.2 billion in 140 countries in 2013, and employs 3,300 people all committed to satisfying customers.
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 2016 the team will compete in their 25th year of open wheel competition and attempt to add to their 22 wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice — their 29 poles, 88 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. In 2014, BMW Team RLL moved to the GTLM class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and earned six podium finishes including four second-place finishes. In 2015, the team earned three wins, two poles and a total of eight podiums to finish second in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships. In 2016, BMW Team RLL will attempt to add to their 13 wins, 20 poles and 57 podium finishes.
– RLL –
