Popular IndyCar and IMSA Team Raided by FBI
The FBI conducted a raid on Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's (RLL) headquarters in Zionsville, Indiana, on Wednesday.
Staff were reportedly instructed to step away from computers and electronic devices during the operation. The investigation is believed to involve a former employee who left Andretti Global for RLL and may have transferred intellectual property from the former team.
It's unclear what the IP transferred may be—IndyCar is a spec series with the Dallara DW12 having been in use since 2012, by this time it's quite the known quantity.
Indycar does allow open development of dampers and does allow for in-house manufacturing of some suspension components, in particular, the rocker arms, or bellcranks, used on the pushrod suspension. There are also computational models, and other proprietary solutions that are used for everything from strategy to workflow that could be in question here, or the information might not even pertain to on-track personnel and could be purely related to the business side of the operation.
RLL released a statement confirming their cooperation with the investigation but stated they were limited in the information they could share due to the ongoing nature of the case. The RLL headquarters, a new facility that opened in early 2023, houses their three IndyCar programs and the BMW-based IMSA sports car teams including the GTP LMDh squad. The team is owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman, and Mike Lanigan.
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An experienced automotive storyteller known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge and experience having been part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic and built cars that raced in TCR, IMSA, and IndyCar.
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