Rahal and McLaren Compete in IMSA GTD PRO Class

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today a multi-year collaboration with McLaren Motorsport that will see the team return to IMSA’s GTD PRO class in 2026 with the McLaren GT3 EVO. The team will participate in next week’s November 15-16 IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway and the full season drivers for the No. 59 RLL Team McLaren entry will be confirmed at a later date.

The agreement marks McLaren Motorsport’s return to the fiercely competitive GTD PRO category, which in 2025 featured top manufacturers including Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche.

McLaren made its mark in sports car racing in 1995 with the F1 GTR, writing history by winning that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Returning to sports car racing in 2012 with the championship-winning 12C GT3, McLaren continues to be a force on the international GT scene. The current GT3 EVO has proven to be very successful, winning races in FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe series and other regional and domestic series.

RLL, founded in 1992 and known for its success across both open-wheel and sports car racing, has a rich history in sports car competition. The team first entered sports car racing in 2007, fielding a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series GT2 class with drivers Tommy Milner and Ralf Kelleners. Despite missing three of 12 rounds, RLL finished fourth in the championship, highlighted by multiple podiums. The following year, the team campaigned an Aston Martin DB9 in select SCCA World Challenge events, earning a pole and runner-up finish at Road Atlanta.

From 2009 to 2025, RLL partnered with BMW Motorsport in a successful 17-year collaboration that delivered numerous race wins and championships across multiple GT platforms and culminated with a race and pole-winning program in the GTP class from 2023-2025. The team previously competed in IMSA’s GTD PRO class under the BMW M Team RLL banner in 2022 while simultaneously preparing for their two-car factory GTP program debut in 2023. During that period, RLL secured pole position at Watkins Glen and GTD PRO podium finishes at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans.

With McLaren, RLL embarks on a new chapter — one that blends the team’s proven sports car pedigree with McLaren’s legendary racing heritage and cutting-edge engineering. The partnership aims to build a front-running program from the outset and compete for victories in one of the most competitive classes in sports car racing.

The 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season begins with the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona, January 24-25. The 10-race GTD PRO schedule includes well known venues such as Daytona International Speedway, Sebring International Raceway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among others. All races can be streamed live in their entirety on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports App with authentication or Peacock Premium. For more information about the team or series, please visit www.rahal.com or www.imsa.com.

QUOTES

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of RLL: “As someone who has always valued the rich history of motorsport, partnering with a brand as iconic as McLaren is truly exciting. The Rahal legacy began with my father Mike’s passion for sports car racing, and to now launch this new chapter with such a storied partner is something we take tremendous pride in.”

JAY FRYE, President of RLL: “McLaren is a globally renowned brand, perfectly aligned with the ambition of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Together, we’re not just building a team – we’re building a championship-caliber program for the seasons ahead.”