Team preseason profile: RLL doubles commitment

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

The cast: Drivers – Graham Rahal and James Jakes. Engineers – Gerry Hughes (Rahal) and Eddie Jones (Jakes). Race strategists -- Bobby Rahal (Rahal) and Riocardo Nault (Jakes).

Twitter: @GrahamRahal, @JamesJakes, @RLLracing

The cars: No. 15 Honda-powered Midas/Big O Tires, No. 16 Honda-powered Acorn Stairlifts

Snapshot: Both drivers are avid golfers (Rahal participated in the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic pro-am last week for the third consecutive year) and Jakes looks forward to a few rounds with his new teammate during the season. “When you’re traveling from race to race, you keep a set of golf clubs in the truck and go play at some unique courses,” Jakes said. “It’s just a chance to relieve some stress.”

The stats: Rahal recorded four top-five and seven top-10 finishes in 15 races in 2012, punctuated by a runner-up finish at Texas in early June, for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing. … He posted top 10s in four of the five oval races. … Third on the 1.5-mile Texas oval also was his best qualifying effort. … He was running at the finish in 13 races (completing 87.2 percent of the laps run). … Jakes, in his second year driving for Dale Coyne Racing, had a best finish of eighth (after starting 24th) at Toronto and added one other top 10. … He led his first lap in the series at Iowa and led 10 laps in the season finale.

The gist: Both drivers enter their first season with the team co-owned by Rahal’s father, Bobby. Rahal will surpass 100 Indy car career starts this season, while Jakes has made 31 starts over the past two seasons. Rahal has one IZOD IndyCar Series victory – the 2008 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which will be this year’s season opener March 24. One of his two pole starts came at St. Pete in ’09. Mike Conway, who will drive the No. 17 car at Long Beach for a third RLL entry, will test at Barber Motorsports Park with the other drivers on March 12-13.

They said it: “The team has done a great job of making the transition (to two cars) and everyone has been very helpful. Bobby has done everything he can to make us feel welcome and show us he’s there to compete with the best. I’m just anxious to get out and drive (at the March 12-13 Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park). Eddie (Jones) and I have worked a lot together already, which is important to get things rolling before the Barber test and the St. Pete opener. My first two years in IndyCars I’ve been blessed to have Sebastien Bourdais the first year and then Justin Wilson as teammates. Graham and I should get on pretty well. Obviously, we both want to beat each other.”

Added Rahal: “I think James has a lot of talent and frankly probably just hasn’t been in the right place yet. I think this team has always specialized in taking guys like that and putting them in the right environment and allowing them to succeed. That’s what is expected and what I think we’ll see this year. It’s a big step for this team. We’re coming back full force, which we haven’t seen from this group in a long time.”