The name is synonomous with racing. Like Andretti. Or Unser.
Rahal is an instantly recognizable name among the motorsport faithful and even a few of the uninitiated. A member of the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame and two-time Indy 500 winner, Bobby Rahal has cemented his place in American racing history time and time again. Today, he will serve as the Long Beach Grand Prix’s Grand Marshall, and watch his son, Graham, race through the same streets that he has done 15 times before. Bobby took the time to sit down with me last night for a quick discussion about the future of open-wheel racing, what it takes to make it as a driver, and competing against his 19-year-old son.
On being named Grand Marshall of the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach—a race that he drove in 15 times, but never won:
This race has so much history, the Long Beach Grand Prix has been one of the bigger events for the last 30 years. It’s a very big deal in my mind. One of the greatest disappointments in my career—and people often say, “How can you have any disappointments?”—is that I never won here. But I always loved coming here and I’m flattered to be named Grand Marshall.
On watching Danica Patrick become the first woman to win a major open-wheel race, just minutes earlier:
I’d like to think that if it weren’t for me, no one would know about her. I met her in 2001, and signed her to a contract in 2002 – gave her a job and gave her a chance that no one else would. I’m glad that she was finally able to do it.
On competing against his son, 19-year-old Graham, in the Indy Racing League:
It’s nerve-wracking. It’s never fun to watch if you’re intimately involved. It’s an interesting dynamic. You want him to win but, wait a minute, if he wins then he’s beating me.
On the Champ Car Series merging with IRL this season:
Forget the acronyms. Whether it’s Champ Car or IRL or whatever, all I know is IndyCar. There are a lot of hard feelings or whatever but that’s so in the past. There’s one IndyCar Series now and it’s the future of racing. For the people that can’t get over that, that’s their problem.
On what the Long Beach Grand Prix means to American racing:
There’s nothing close. It’s second only to Indianapolis. Indy’s been around since 1912 or something like that. But after that it’s Long Beach. Indy’s a very special event but Long Beach is a great event in its own right. You can’t really compare the two. They’re what will build the sport back up to where it needs to be.
On the lack of American drivers in open-wheel racing:
You’ve gotta make your way. But unfortunately, in this country, everybody thinks that because you’re an American, you have the right. That’s not the way that racing works. There are a lot of guys in Mexico or Brazil busting their ass so they can go out and continue to live their dream. Either you’re with it or you get out of the way. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for them, if you can’t tell.
On his favorite part of racing in Long Beach:
(Points to my roommate and her friend) The beautiful girls (laughs)!