Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Owner(s)	Robbie Buhl and Dennis Reinbold
Base	Carmel, Indiana, USA
Series	Izod IndyCar Series
Race drivers	22. Justin Wilson 24. Ana Beatriz
Manufacturer	Lotus
Career
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	1 (Walt Disney World Speedway 2000 - Robbie Buhl)
Pole positions	2

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an automotive racing organization competing in the open wheel IndyCar Series, co-owned by former driver Robbie Buhl, who owns the team with Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen and Maserati dealer Dennis Reinbold. Off the track, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) have spent thousands of hours as the national spokesperson & advocate for "Racing for Kids," a national youth charitable foundation. On behalf of "Racing for Kids," DRR has visited more than 20,000 children in over 400 hospitals worldwide, and raised nearly $5 million for local children's health initiatives.

2000–2006 Indy Racing League / IndyCar Series

Founded in 2000, DRR was one of the few teams that consistently ran the Infiniti engine until they left the series, then switched to Chevrolet and finally to Honda in 2005. When Buhl retired from the cockpit in 2004, he placed Felipe Giaffone in the cockpit, followed by Roger Yasukawa with financial backing from Honda. With Honda backing gone for 2006, some doubted if the team would continue, as Buhl had consistently stated that if running the team did not make financial sense, he would shut it down. However, sponsorship was found and the team named 2000 series champion Buddy Lazier their primary driver. During the team's heyday in 2001 and 2002, the team often also ran a second car for Sarah Fisher. In the 2006 Indianapolis 500, the team's second car was driven by Al Unser, Jr..

The team's only win came in the 2000 season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway, when Buhl stunned the series with a win from the 22nd starting position. In 2006 the team scored their best finish in years when Ryan Briscoe showed a great turn of speed in the wet at Watkins Glen International to get on the podium. During that time, other good results in the season were few and far between.

The team's #15 car driven by Buddy Rice in practice for the 2008 Indianapolis 500

2007–2009 IndyCar Series

For 2007 the team has recruited two ex-Fernandez Racing engineers and added a new sponsor. On January 31, 2007, 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice and Sarah Fisher would drive for the team. Rice brought in respectable performances, finishing 9th in points with three top-five finishes. Fisher struggled to 17th place in points after playing second fiddle to the "A Team" oftentimes being given less than par equipment. Fisher announced in late 2007 that she would leave the team due to lack of commitment from the team to her efforts.^{[citation needed]}

Rice returned to the team in 2008 while the team's second car was shared by Milka Duno and Townsend Bell, with all three drivers competing in the 2008 Indianapolis 500. Both Rice and Bell finished in the top-10 (8th and 10th respectively) while Duno finished 19th in the race. Rice finished 16th in points with a best finish of fourth at Watkins Glen.

2009 saw Dreyer & Reinbold bring on a completely new driver lineup from 2008. Joining the team full-time was British rookie Mike Conway, who most had previously competed in the GP2 Series. A second full-time entry was shared between Darren Manning (two races), Milka Duno, and Tomas Scheckter. In addition, Roger Yasukawa also returned to the team for the race at Twin Ring Motegi. The team also fielded cars for Richard Petty Motorsports driven by John Andretti and for Kingdom Racing and driver Davey Hamilton in the 2009 Indianapolis 500. The cars of Duno, Andretti, and Conway all struggled to qualify but made the field on bump day, the final day of qualifications. Conway, Andretti, and Duno were the last-placed cars running at the finish in the 18th, 19th, and 20th positions respectively. Throughout the rest of the season, Conway struggled for consistency, only finishing nine of the seventeen races, but was fast at times on the road courses, finishing on the podium in third at Infineon Raceway.

2010–2011 Izod IndyCar Series

On 2 February 2010 it was announced that Justin Wilson would be joining Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 2010 IndyCar season in the #22 Z-Line Designs car. Wilson was to be partnered throughout the season by returning driver Mike Conway. For the opening race in Brazil they were joined by Ana Beatriz. For the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 the team was expanded to run four cars for Tomas Scheckter and Ana Beatriz. After Conway was sidelined for an accident in the closing stages of the Indy 500, Wilson was partnered by Tomas Scheckter, Graham Rahal and Paul Tracy. It was announced that he will be joined by J. R. Hildebrand who will make his Indycar debut at Mid-Ohio. The Toronto event was Wilson's breakthrough event of the season, after being in the top two in each of the three practice sessions, he dominated qualifying. Justin made it to the Firestone Fast Six shootout without using a single set of the faster red walled (alternate compound) tires, and easily took the pole for the race after posting a record lap time of 1:00.2710s. Justin went on to lead much of the race, however after losing grip coming off of turn 11 on a restart late in the race, Justin's car spun and relinquished the lead to Will Power. Even after Justin found himself pointing the wrong way in turn 8, he was able to rebound to a 7th place finish, but unfortunately wasn't able to capitalize on the team's best chance for a win in 2010.

After healing, Conway left DRR for Andretti Autosport for the 2011 IndyCar season and was be replaced by rookie Ana Beatriz and her sponsor Petroleo Ipiranga. On 11 November 2010 an announcement was made confirming Justin Wilson would remain with Dreyer & Reinbold for a second year.

2012 Izod IndyCar Series

On November 17, 2011, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Group Lotus PLC announced that DRR will serve as a Lotus factory partner team. Additionally, the historic auto manufacturer will provide Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entries with its new Lotus IndyCar V-6 racing engine for the 2012 IndyCar season. On January 17th, 2012 the team announced Oriol Servia as the teams full-time entry On the same press release they have announced that they are working toward securing a second full-time entry.

Past and Present Drivers

• John Andretti (2009)
• Townsend Bell (2008)
• Ana Beatriz (2010-Present)
• Ryan Briscoe (2006)
• Jeff Bucknum (2005)
• Robbie Buhl (2000–2004)
• Mike Conway (2009–2010)
• Milka Duno (2008–2009)
• Sarah Fisher (2002–2003, 2006–2007)
• Felipe Giaffone (2004)
• Memo Gidley (2002)
• Davey Hamilton (2009)
• J. R. Hildebrand (2010)
• Steve Knapp (2000)
• Buddy Lazier (2004, 2006)
• Darren Manning (2009)
• Simon Pagenaud (2011)
• Giorgio Pantano (2011)
• Graham Rahal (2010)
• Buddy Rice (2007–2008)
• Tomas Scheckter (2009–2010)
• Paul Tracy (2010-Present)
• Al Unser Jr. (2006)
• Justin Wilson (2010-Present)
• Roger Yasukawa (2005, 2007, 2009)

External links

• DRR Official Website
• DRR Official Facebook Page
• DRR Official Twitter
• IZOD IndyCar Series Team Page