Bobby Rahal | |||||||
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Rahal in 2010
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Nationality | American | ||||||
Born | Robert Woodward Rahal January 10, 1953 Medina, Ohio, U.S. |
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Championship titles | |||||||
1986, 1987, 1992 PPG Indy Car World Series Champion | |||||||
Champ Car career | |||||||
266 races run over 18 years | |||||||
Years active | 1982-1998 | ||||||
Team(s) | Truesports (1982-1988) Kraco (1989) Galles-Kraco (1990-1991) Rahal-Hogan (1992-1995) Team Rahal (1996-1998) |
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Best finish | 1st - 1986, 1987, 1992 | ||||||
First race | 1982 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Last race | 1998 Marlboro 500 (Fontana) | ||||||
First win | 1982 Budweiser Cleveland 500 (Cleveland) | ||||||
Last win | 1992 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix (Nazareth) | ||||||
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Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
Active years | 1978 | ||||||
Teams | Wolf | ||||||
Entries | 2 | ||||||
Championships | 0 | ||||||
Wins | 0 | ||||||
Podiums | 0 | ||||||
Career points | 0 | ||||||
Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
First entry | 1978 United States Grand Prix | ||||||
Last entry | 1978 Canadian Grand Prix | ||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 91st - 1984 | ||||||
First race | 1984 Winston Western 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
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Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal (born January 10, 1953 in Medina, Ohio) is an American auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver, he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 as a team owner for the winning driver, Buddy Rice.
After retiring as a driver, Rahal held managerial positions with the Jaguar Formula 1 team and also was an interim president of the CART series. Rahal was also a sports car driver during the 1980s, and made one NASCAR start for the Wood Brothers.
And it was frigid. A very cold day, and the race long – long for me. The longest I'd done before that was a 100-mile Formula Atlantic race, and this was a 200-mile grand prix. I just wanted to get to the end and get to the next race. It was a workman-like debut.
Rahal began his career in SCCA feeder categories, eventually finishing second to Gilles Villeneuve in the 1977 Formula Atlantic championship. The following year, he competed in European Formula Three with Wolf Racing. Near the end of the season, Rahal raced for the Wolf Formula 1 team in the 1978 United States Grand Prix and the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix. The deal with Wolf did not continue into the 1979 season, as Wolf signed up James Hunt for the one and only car available. Rahal began the 1979 racing a Chevron in Formula Two, but returned to America mid-season and raced in the Can-Am series. During the next few seasons, he competed in various sports car events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the IMSA GT Championship.