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Reading
Mike Rahal (1924-2017)
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Racecar Articles

Mike Rahal (1924-2017)

 VR Staff

Mike Rahal, father of three-time Indycar National Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and the grandfather of current-day Indycar star Graham Rahal, passed away last week at the age of 93. (Photo from Rahal Collection, courtesy of David Bull Publlishing)

Racing was a hobby for Mike, whose business was in the wholesale food distribution industry, but those recreational activities set the stage for his son and grandson. Mike’s racing provided Bobby with what he calls a “nutrient-rich environment,” giving him his initial exposure to the sport that would come to dominate his life.

Mike began racing in 1957 with the SCCA in an Austin-Healey 100 LM, and followed it with several other production sports cars before moving into a series of Elvas, a Porsche 906, a Lola T290 and a Lotus 47 during the ’60s and ’70s. His biggest win, perhaps, came with a Porsche–powered Elva in the under-two-liter class of the 1967 Road America 500, where he and co-driver Ralph Trieschmann outfoxed Horst Kroll for the win.

Vintage Racecar extends its deepest sympathies to the Rahal family and to all of Mike’s many friends in and out of the sport.

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Group (SCCA (Sports Car Club of America))People (Bobby Rahal)Racetrack (Road America)

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VR Staff
Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
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One Comment

  1. Avatar photo BOBBY RAHAL says:
    May 18, 2017 at 6:46 pm

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND THOUGHTS. WE WILL MISS HIM.

    Log in to Reply

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