Rahal Letterman Lanigan has released a statement regarding Panther Racing’s decision to sue the team, INDYCAR and other entities after the National Guard decided to move its IndyCar Series sponsorship from Panther to RLL.
Panther filed the lawsuit in a Marion County, Indiana court on Feb. 19. The Associated Press reports that the suit alleges bid-rigging and other improprieties were at cause for them losing the sponsorship.
Here’s this afternoon’s full statement from RLL:
Unhappy with the summary denial of its bid protest before the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) and unwilling to accept that the government chose to save taxpayers almost $5 million dollars per year by selecting Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s (RLL) competitive bid, Panther Racing has sued IndyCar, the National Guard’s agency, RLL, and others.
Panther is seeking damages from the National Guard awarding RLL a sponsorship contract for the Indycar racing series. The facts and issues Panther raises in the lawsuit are many of the same it raised before the GAO, which issued a 9-page decision noting that RLL was rated higher than Panther in three out of four categories. The GAO also noted that there was no evidence supporting many of Panther’s allegations, and that the National Guard’s decision probably was driven by the basic fact that Panther’s base per year price was approximately $5 million more than RLL’s base price. A copy of the GAO’s decision is attached.
RLL believes it is unfortunate and disappointing that Panther has filed a lawsuit making serious allegations against the National Guard’s decision process. RLL also believes that Panther’s lawsuit has no merit as a matter of fact and law. RLL’s lawyers will vigorously defend RLL so it can focus on what matters most — representing the courageous men and women of the National Guard and winning races.
The full decision from the GAO can be found here.
Since landing the National Guard sponsorship, RLL has shifted focus to putting together backing for a second car alongside Graham Rahal in the No. 15 Honda.
