IMSA: Rahal considering P2 run to prep for Le Mans

IndyCar and IMSA team owner Bobby Rahal continues to work toward a personal dream of fielding a car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Rahal says a program involving a P2 car and IMSA's four Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup rounds is the plan he's working toward, and it would be done to earn an invite to the world's biggest race.

"I want to put together a deal to run in Prototype, and even if it's just the four major endurance races, it's what we need to do to qualify for Le Mans," Rahal told RACER. "It's something we want to do to add to our list of victories and even if it isn't in P1, winning Le Mans in P2 would still mean a lot to me and to our team."

• Rahal eager to learn direction of GTLM program

With P2 entrants preparing for new cars in 2017, Rahal is debating whether putting together a NAEC program in 2016 with an existing Prototype entrant like Mike Shank (who recently expressed his desire to field a second P2 car at next year's NAEC rounds) makes the most sense, or if waiting until 2017 would be the best option to consider.

"Realistically, we might wait until 2017 knowing there's a car change about to happen, but we could talk with teams to lease a car if we can put something together sooner," said Rahal, whose Honda-powered IndyCar team won the most recent round at Fontana. "I get along really well with Mike, and the fact that he's a Honda guy makes a lot of sense, too."

Rahal's existing programs take precedent over his Le Mans ambitions, and anything that happens in P2 would fall outside the Honda IndyCar and factory BMW GTLM program that he, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan co-own. The experience of fielding a team at Le Mans to watch his son Graham compete is also a key motivator for the 1986 Indy 500 winner.

"Winning the four big IMSA races would be a big attraction, too – Daytona, Sebring, Watkins, and Petit Le Mans, and then the chance to go to Le Mans..." Rahal added. "And going to Le Mans with Graham is also a dream of mine. We've raced at the Indy 500 together, he's raced at the 24 Hours of Daytona with our team, and on a personal front, being able to race at Le Mans with him in a prototype would be something special."