Rahal Preview’s the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Season

Bobby Rahal

Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan, provided a preview of the upcoming 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season that will kick off with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 10-12. The team has entered the No. 15 Steak 'n Shake Honda for Graham Rahal. The race will be televised live by ABC beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET Sunday, March 12.

BOBBY ON THE TEAM'S PREPARATION FOR 2017

"I think that every year we are able to take advantage of our successes that we had the previous year – and failures –and ensure we begin the new season on a better footing. Last year we started much better at St. Pete than we did the previous year and it’s certainly our hope to do the same again this year. I think especially given the fact that the aero kits are the same, that’s one less thing to deal with so it just comes down to preparation. We have had a positive test season so far and we will go to St. Pete with some of the things we found. We brought in Tom German since last year but aside from that the team is basically the same so that consistency and the added value that Tom brings has got us thinking pretty positive about the upcoming season."

BOBBY ON HOPES & EXPECTATIONS FOR 2017

"Our expectation is to be even more competitive this year than last. When you think about last year, half the season we were in the top five which was pretty good but we need to make it more than half of the season. We need to be averaging a top-five finish in every race in order to win the championship. We just need to start off on the right foot. Last year we got taken out by (Carlos) Munoz and it's things like that, that aren’t of your making that put you behind. You’ve just got to be lucky and not get caught up in someone else’s mistakes. The further up the grid you start, the less issues you normally have. So for us, our goal is to have a stronger presence in qualifying as well as the races so we can run up where all the good guys are and not get caught up in the mistakes you tend to see more often in the middle and back part of the grid."

BOBBY ON COMPETITION WITHIN TEAM HONDA AND THE REST OF THE FIELD

“Ganassi coming back to Honda will certainly be a big story this year. Frankly I like the fact that they now have the same equipment as we do. We beat them when they were with the competition so it will be interesting to see how we fare and I expect that we will fare quite well. But we can’t just focus on them; we’ve got to focus on the whole field. We just have to do what we’ve done the past several years and that’s rely on ourselves to develop the best car we can. Obviously everyone has to do their job, and do their job better than they’ve ever done it before. And that’s from the management side, to the mechanics, to pit stops, to Graham's driving. We’ve just got to continue to raise our game. If we do that I think we’ll be in a good spot."