BROWNSBURG, Ind. (February 3, 2016) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Hyatt, a leading global hospitality brand, has joined the team as a major associate sponsor and official hotel sponsor of the Verizon IndyCar Series program in a multi-year deal.
As the Official Hotel Marketing Sponsor of RLL, Hyatt will appear prominently on the side of the No. 15 Indy car cockpit near driver Graham Rahal. Hyatt plans to create innovative one-of-a-kind experiences for its loyal guests and partners. The team’s crew, owners, drivers and sponsors will stay at Hyatt hotels throughout the 16-race IndyCar Series schedule.
“As co-owner of a Hyatt Centric-branded hotel, I could not be more proud to team up with an iconic company that has led the way in high-quality accommodations and service,” said Michael Lanigan, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with former late night talk show host David Letterman, and legendary racecar driver Bobby Rahal, who is also co-owner of Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago. “We look forward to furthering Hyatt’s winning ways of creating superior customer experiences, both on and off the race track.”
RLL was a championship contender entering the season-finale of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series with Graham Rahal, who was ranked a career-best second place entering the double-points race at Sonoma Raceway and the highest-ranked Honda-powered driver. He was in sixth place with nine laps to go but was hit from behind and ultimately finished 18th in the event and fourth overall in series standings. Rahal earned a series-high six podium finishes including wins at Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2015.
“As a company built on creating signature guest experiences, Hyatt is excited to work with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as a way to be in the center of the action,” said Maryam Banikarim, global chief marketing officer for Hyatt Hotels Corporation. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to reach new guests and build awareness for our 11 premier hotel brands, including our latest addition, Hyatt Centric.”
The 16-race 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season begins on March 13 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg which will be televised on ABC. For more details about the Series, please visit www.indycar.com.
The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.
About Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company’s subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences and vacation ownership properties, including under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Centric™, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Zilara™,Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Residences® and Hyatt Residence Club® brand names and have locations on six continents. As of September 30, 2015, the Company’s worldwide portfolio consisted of 627 properties in 52 countries. For more information, please visitwww.hyatt.com.
About Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard, Ohio and Brownsburg, Ind., is co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan. In 2016 the team will compete in their 25th year of open wheel competition and attempt to add to their 22 wins – including the 2004 Indy 500 from pole with Buddy Rice — their 29 poles, 87 podium finishes and 1992 series championship. The team also competed in the American Le Mans Series from 2009-2013 as BMW Team RLL where they won both the Manufacturer and Team Championships in the GT category in 2010 and swept all three GT titles in 2011 – Manufacturer, Team and Driver. In 2012, the team finished second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team and Manufacturer Championship. In 2014, BMW Team RLL moved to the GTLM class of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with a two-car program and earned six podium finishes including four second-place finishes. In 2015, the team earned three wins, two poles and a total of eight podiums to finish second in the Manufacturer, Team and Driver championships. In 2016, BMW Team RLL will attempt to add to their 13 wins, 20 poles and 57 podium finishes.
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