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Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entering Red Bull Global Rallycross

By Brittany Frederick

Austin Dyne races at Round 8 of Red Bull Global Rallycross at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC USA on July 29, 2016. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Red Bull Global Rallycross.
Austin Dyne races at Round 8 of Red Bull Global Rallycross at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC USA on July 29, 2016. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Red Bull Global Rallycross. /
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IndyCar and IMSA team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is expanding into Red Bull Global Rallycross beginning with the upcoming 2017 season.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is becoming a three-motorsport organization. The Verizon IndyCar Series and IMSA team announced on Wednesday that they’ll also be fielding a Red Bull Global Rallycross effort starting immediately.

Driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the 2017 Global Rallycross season is Austin Dyne. Dyne competed last season under his own AD Racing banner after leaving Bryan Herta Rallysport. His best race result was fifth at MCAS New River, and he finished eighth in the GRC championship standings.

Under the RLL banner Dyne will continue to drive a Ford Fiesta ST.

“Rahal Letterman Lanigan has a lot of experience in motorsports and a lot of resources that we’ve never had access to before, so I’m excited to start the 2017 season,” Dyne said in a press release on Wednesday. “Last year we struggled a little early in the season due to a late start with a new team, but this year will be a much smoother transition.

“I will be working with the same engine engineer, chief mechanic and race engineer, Clément Mitchell, that I ended last season with. We can also fabricate parts in-house at the Ohio race shop, which will benefit our program.  We had some good momentum toward the end of the year, and I am optimistic we can carry that forward for a stronger start for 2017.

“It will allow me to focus solely on the racing aspect for the first time in a while. I’m looking forward to working with everyone at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, especially Bobby [Rahal], who has so much experience to learn from.”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is best known for their Verizon IndyCar Series team, which fields the No. 15 Honda for Graham Rahal. Oriol Servià will also join the team for three races later this season.

Under the BMW Team RLL banner the organization fields three entries in the GT Le Mans class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Yet their inclusion in Red Bull Global Rallycross could be an impressive move for the team, the driver and the entire series.

Dyne has presented solid but not contender-worthy results in GRC. Having the resources and experience of a veteran brand such as Rahal Letterman Lanigan could be the difference-maker that improves his performance. One needs only to look toward Steve Arpin, who was a great driver in need of more resources and how his career leaped forward when Chip Ganassi Racing entered GRC two seasons ago. Now he’s a title contender.

RLL also brings another IndyCar organization into GRC following the apparent departure of Ganassi. The former CGR team has rebranded as Loenbro Motorsports. Having RLL on board goes a long way toward filling the void in Global Rallycross that Ganassi will leave behind.

And for a league that’s still facing an uphill battle both on and off track, the established name of Rahal Letterman Lanigan is a nice feather in the proverbial cap with a little less than two months before the season starts.

“We have been closely following the Global Rallycross series for the past few years but were waiting until the right opportunity came along,” Bobby Rahal said in Wednesday’s press release. “We’re really happy to be entering the series with Austin.

“It will be a new challenge for us for sure, but we have the resources to learn quickly.  When you look at the demographics of the series, they are considerably younger than other forms of racing.  I’ve seen a couple of races before as a spectator. It’s a different form of racing and very intriguing.

“It’s a good place for us to be because it gives us access to a different crowd and a good addition to what we’re doing as a team.”

Next: IndyCar's Franchitti talks concussion that ended his career

The 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross season begins on April 29. You can see the complete season schedule here. Are you excited by the addition of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to GRC? Let us know your thoughts about Wednesday’s news in the comments.