No. 17 Team Ethanol Honda/Dallara/Firestone
One of the top young open-wheel driving talents in the United States, Ryan Hunter-Reay has shown himself to be a title contender and competitive racer in a number of formulas, including some of the top-level series in all of open-wheel racing.
"I am very happy to be a part of a quality organization such as Rahal Letterman Racing," Hunter-Reay said. "This is a strong opportunity for me and I am eager to help the team move forward and get some results through the remainder of the season."
Hunter-Reay worked his way up the American open-wheel ladder, having great success at every level. He began his career by winning three Grand National karting titles before moving onto the Skip Barber program, where he was rookie-of-the-year in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2000. He moved to Toyota Atlantic competition in 2002, and led the series with three race wins and three poles, while also pacing the championship in laps led. The performance caught the attention of road-racing ace Stefan Johansson, who hired Ryan to drive for his first-year Champ Car World Series squad in 2003.
He became the first American rookie in 20 years to win a Champ Car race with a victory in Australia in 2003, then set a series record by leading all 250 laps in a 2004 victory at the Milwaukee Mile. Hunter-Reay made 43 Champ Car starts over three seasons with two wins, one pole and 18 top-10 results. He has spent the last two seasons running part-time in the Rolex Grand American Series as well as in A1GP competition.
He has proven to be one of the more versatile racers in the country in the last few seasons, running not only in Champ Car and IndyCar, but also in sportscars and off-road vehicles. He held the lead in this year's 24 Hours of Daytona at the midway point of the race and has also competed in the grueling Baja 1000.
He is also a leading spokesman for the Ethanol movement, carrying the vital message of Ethanol and its environmental and performance benefits to the world through the #17 Ethanol-sponsored Rahal Letterman Racing IndyCar program.
- IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year - 2007
- First American Rookie in over a decade to earn a Podium (Mid-Ohio 2003)
- First American Rookie in over 20 years to Win a Champ Car Race (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2003)
- Holds the record for the most laps lead (250) in a single race (Milwaukee 2004)
- Second youngest driver to ever Win a Street Race, youngest American to ever Win an Oval Race
- Recipient of the Greg Moore Legacy Award (2004)
To learn even more about Ryan Hunter-Reay, browse our site or visit RyanRacing.com.
To learn even more about Rahal Letterman Racing, visit Rahal.com.
To learn even more about IndyCar, browse our site or visit IndyCar.com.
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