Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced today that the Gehl brand, part of Manitou Americas, Inc., will be the primary sponsor for Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Honda at the Iowa Corn 300 race weekend July 8-9 at Iowa Speedway.
Gehl was co-primary sponsor of Rahal’s entry at this past weekend’s KOHLER Grand Prix at Road America for the second consecutive year and has increased its involvement with the Verizon IndyCar Series team.
“We are very excited to continue our relationship with Graham and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team at the Iowa Corn 300 (Verizon) IndyCar Series race,” said Laurent Bonnaure, executive vice president, global sales and marketing, Manitou Group. “Graham has been associated with Gehl for over 11 years and has developed strong relationships with our dealers, customers and company employees. We are honored to have Graham drive the Gehl/Manitou-sponsored car.”
Manitou Americas is a producer of Gehl, Manitou and Mustang equipment for construction, agriculture, mining, energy industries and beyond.
“I’m extremely excited that Gehl has come back on board as the primary sponsor for the race in Iowa,” Rahal said. “For me, this has been such a tremendous relationship that goes back so many years. It’s great to see them expand their relationship with the team and put the bright yellow car on track in Iowa. I want to thank everyone at Gehl Manitou that made this possible. We will certainly do our best to make them proud.”
A day after his eighth-place finish in Sunday’s KOHLER Grand Prix, Rahal visited Gehl’s headquarters in Wisconsin and did some donuts in one of the company's track loaders.
Indy 500, Long Beach nominees for Best Motorsports Race
Two of the most popular Verizon IndyCar Series races – the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – are among the candidates to be named the Best Motorsports Race in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice 2017 poll.
Now through noon ET July 17, fans can vote once a day for their favorite motorsports event among the 10 nominees. The winner will be announced July 21.
To vote daily, visit http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-motorsports-race-2017/.
Remember to vote Pagenaud for Best Driver ESPY
Speaking of votes, you can still cast your ballot for Simon Pagenaud to win the 2017 ESPY Award for Best Driver.
Pagenaud, driving for Team Penske, won five races and seven pole positions on his way to the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. The native of Montmorillon, France, also led more races (12) and laps (406) than any driver, had the most top-five finishes (10) and tied for the most top-10 finishes (12).
Also nominated in the Best Driver category are NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr., Formula One’s Lewis Hamilton and NHRA drag racer Ron Capps. The annual awards show airs at 8 p.m. ET July 12 on ABC and will be hosted by retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.
Voting for the ESPYs Best Driver is available online at http://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/page/voting22/best-driver.
Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe co-hosting The RALLY Toronto fundraiser
Racing For Cancer will host The RALLY Toronto on July 13 in advance of the Honda Indy Toronto race weekend to raise funds for the the non-profit founded by Verizon IndyCar Series driver Ryan Hunter-Reay as well as the Walderstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation of Canada.
Hunter-Reay, the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, will be joined by Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver and Toronto-area native James Hinchcliffe, retired Indy car driver and Toronto native Paul Tracy and other current drivers at the event. The evening is open to adults and children and includes a cocktail reception, small plates, dinner, open bar, silent and live auctions, and live entertainment.
The RALLY will take place at The Fermenting Center, 28 Distillery Lane, Toronto. The event runs from 6:30-10:30 p.m. ET. Tickets, are $110 U.S. or $150 Canadian, plus applicable fees. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit RacingForCancer.org.