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Rahal targets Indy 500 improvements after “ruined” event in 2016

Graham Rahal believes the addition of Tom German in the engineering department and Oriol Servia as second driver will boost Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s chances at Indy, after taking a major aerodynamic misstep in 2016.

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Jay Alley

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Tom German
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda and father Bobby Rahal
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Oriol Servia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda
A Honda engine
Oriol Servia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Oriol Servia, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
2018 IndyCar aerokit concept drawings
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Rahal has finished in the top five as foremost Honda-powered driver in both the last two IndyCar seasons, but has said that last year's Indy 500 performance – qualifying 26th and finishing 14th – was a sore disappointment.

“We really need to improve at Indy, that's our main focus of everything this off-season,” said the 28-year-old who’s team-owner father Bobby Rahal won the 1986 Indy 500 and three IndyCar championships. That's what we feel like we need.

“We brought on Tom German [Alexander Rossi’s race engineer last year] to help out on the engineering front with specialty projects, particularly because Indy was such a struggle.

“We really messed up on some aerodynamic testing that we did before. We only did one day of wind tunnel testing, and it completely fooled us. We just reacted to this one day, and the data points weren't even correct, and it literally ruined our entire month. We were an outlier for the Honda camp, as far as our aerodynamic settings. We shot ourselves in the foot, and so we just kind of have to reset, and Tom will help us do that.

“He had many, many years at Penske, so on the preparation side of things, he's already pinpointed a couple things that we need to do.”

Servia’s return

Last year, the team ran a second car at the 500 for then-rookie Spencer Pigot, as part of his prize for winning the previous year’s Indy Lights title. This year, the second car – so far guaranteed for IMS and the Detroit double-header – will again be raced by Servia, three of whose eight Indy 500 starts have come with RLLR. Rahal cited this move as a key part in improving the team’s pace at the Speedway.

He's going to help our performance at Indy, I can tell you that right now,” he said. “He's been there so many times with the organization, he's been in and out of the team a handful of times, he knows everybody. So it's a clear fit.

“I love Spencer, I think he's got great potential in his career, but at Indy last year, you might as well have been a one-car team. Legitimately there was no information coming off of that car to help, and when we were having these aerodynamic issues, you need somebody to say, ‘Hey, I tested it, too, and I'm not really sure or whatever.

“When we were following this aero path, the comments from the other side were just like, ‘Yeah, it's a lot better.’ So you just react. We need a very experienced guy who can help lead us down the right path, and Oriol is going to be that guy.”

Rahal emphasized what he and his father have said for the last two years, that RLLR will only add a second car to boost the overall team performance.

“Several drivers came to the team who wanted to run full season, had budgets to do it and everything else, and they were all turned away,” he said. “The team is focused on making sure if there is the addition of a second car full-time, it has to fit the environment… Oriol is a guy who fits just perfectly and won't upset the apple cart, so to speak.”

Aero freeze requires more from Honda engine

Rahal admitted that IndyCar’s development freeze on the manufacturer aerokits for their final season was a disappointment, and that he’d be relying on engine improvements from Honda Performance Development to compensate for the deficiencies in the Honda kit.

“My hope, as a Honda guy through and through, is that the engine can continue to improve and overcome what the aero kit lacks,” said Rahal. “There is no doubt there are aero kit inefficiencies, but it is what it is.

“Is it a little bit tough going into a season knowing, OK, we're going to have the same uphill battle we've had for the last couple years? Yes. But I actually believe that Honda on the engine side is pretty strong, and I think that that will continue to develop. A couple new hires that they've had starting in the middle of last year really helped the performance of the engine… and I think that will continue to happen.

“As they say, horsepower can overcome anything. So we've just got to get enough of it somehow.

Regarding the 2018 universal aerokit revealed last week at the Detroit auto show, he commented: “I do hope the new car has less aero wash. I do hope the undertray is more effective and that you can actually follow closer to make the road course racing a little easier, because with these aero kits for sure, it's more difficult. Really, you then rely more on the tires to create the falloff and then create the racing, which Firestone has done a great job of that.

“But I think the new car – I haven't seen the finished product by any means – but I think it looks pretty awesome. I'm excited about it.For me, it's more like what an IndyCar should look like.”

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