Rahal-Hogan RH-001
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 Truesports 91C | |||||||||
| Category | CART IndyCar | ||||||||
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| Constructor | TrueSports/Rahal-Hogan | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Don Halliday | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Suspension (front) | pushrod | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | pushrod | ||||||||
| Engine | 1991-1992: Judd AV, 2,647 cc (161.5 cu in), V8 80°, turbocharged, Mid-engined, longitudinally mounted. 1992: Ilmor-Chevrolet 265A, 2,647 cc (161.5 cu in), V8 80°, turbocharged, Mid-engined, longitudinally mounted. 1993: Ilmor-Chevrolet 265C, 2,647 cc (161.5 cu in), V8 80°, turbocharged, Mid-engined, longitudinally mounted. | ||||||||
| Transmission | 6-speed manual | ||||||||
| Fuel | Methanol, supplied by Shell. | ||||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear Eagle Speedway Special Radial 25.5in x 9.5in x 15in (front) 27in x 14.5in x 15in (rear). | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | TrueSports King Racing RAL Group Rahal/Hogan Racing | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |  Scott Pruett  Geoff Brabham Brian Till Bobby Rahal Mike Groff | ||||||||
| Debut | 1991 Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix | ||||||||
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| Teams' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
The Rahal-Hogan RH-001 was a CART racing car used by Truesports, King Racing, RAL Group and Rahal-Hogan Racing. It was raced during the 1991, 1992 and part of the 1993 IndyCar season.
The car was initially designated, in 1991, as the TrueSports 91C and one example started the season. Another chassis was completed during the 1991 season. When Truesports modified their 91C before the 1992 season, the two cars were renamed for 1992 as the TrueSports 92C and another example was completed during the 1992 season. Before the end of the 1992 season, the Truesports racing team and their chassis program were sold to Rahal-Hogan Racing and the surviving 92Cs were renamed as the Rahal-Hogan RH-001 for 1993. It was raced in 43 races, scoring no wins. The car was designed by Don Halliday, and he and Steve Horne were the main personnel setting up the Truesports chassis program.
Development
Truesports 91C
The Truesports 91C was built in Hilliard, Ohio. Steve Horne and Don Halliday started the project in 1989. The 91C was designed around its driver, American Scott Pruett and had new safety features after his pre-season testing crash in 1990. Aerodynamics were the main design features of the 91C, but the problem was finding a wind tunnel. Most of the IndyCar teams had wind tunnels in England. The team got permission from the Ohio State University to reopen a wind tunnel that was formerly used by the U.S. Air Force based at Port Columbus. It was six miles away from the Truesports team. The 91C's main problem was the engine, it was powered by a Judd VA V8 engine. It was a planned by Truesports to design a Truepower IndyCar engine but it never went ahead. The team raced their 1989 Lola T89/00 in 1990 because the team chose not to design a 1990 chassis in order to save money to design the 91C. Truesports debuted the 91C in 1991 with a carbon monocoque and it had limited success during the year.
Truesports 92C
Before the start of the 1992 season, Truesports arranged a deal to run Ilmor-Chevrolet 265A engines. The 91C was renamed as the Truesports 92C. After a disappointing 1992 season, Truesports sold all the equipment, including their headquarters and chassis program to Rahal-Hogan Racing.
Rahal-Hogan RH-001
After the 1992 season, Rahal-Hogan Racing co-owners Bobby Rahal and Carl Hogan elected not to run Indy cars from Lola, instead they designed their own chassis. Rahal chose to race in a car that he and his team would design and build themselves. It would be the only car of its kind in the world. So, Rahal and Hogan bought the chassis program and the remaining Truesports 92C's were renamed as the Rahal-Hogan RH-001. The RH-001 was fitted with the newer version of the Ilmor-Chevrolet 265C engine but the car was abandoned before the end of the 1993 season and the team decided to rely on the usual Lola chassis. During the year, It also attempted to develop its own chassis; the RH001 was not too successful, particularly on oval tracks and it proved to be a flop, so Rahal announced that the team would run a 1993 Lola T93/00 for the rest of 1993, starting at Milwaukee.
Racing history
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TrueSports 91C
TrueSports
The first race of the 1991 season was the Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix, which Pruett finished in fifth position. The American retired from the next four races; broken suspension at the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix, stalled the car at the Valvoline 200, broken transmission at the 75th Indianapolis 500 and engine failure at the Miller Genuine Draft 200. Pruett finished 17th at the Valvoline Grand Prix of Detroit. The American finished tenth at the Budweiser/G.I.Joe´s 200. Pruett retired from the next two races; broken suspension at the Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland and engine failure at the Marlboro Grand Prix, Meadowlands. The American finished fourth at the Molson Indy Toronto. Pruett retired at the Marlboro 500 with clutch failure. The American finished fifth at both the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver and the Molson Indy Vancouver. Pruett finished fourth at the Pioneer Electronics 200. The American retired from the next two races; broken gearbox at the Texaco/Havoline 200 and after an accident at the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix. The final round of the 1991 season was the Toyota Monterey Grand Prix and Pruett finished seventh.
King Racing
King Racing bought a 91C and used the Judd VA V8 engine for Australian Geoff Brabham to compete at the 75th Indianapolis 500 in 1991 but he retired with an electrical fault, The team chose not to race in the remainder of the 1991 season.
TrueSports 92C
TrueSports
Pruett stayed with Truesports for the 1992 season, the chassis was completely upgraded and it was renamed as the Truesports 92C. The team chose the Chevrolet Indy A engine to replace the Judd VA V8 engine. The first race of the 1992 season was the Dailkyo IndyCar Grand Prix and Pruett retired with broken transmission. The American finished seventh at the Valvoline 200 and finished ninth at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The American retired from the next two races, engine failure at the 76th Indianapolis 500 and through accident at the ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit. Pruett finished tenth at the Budweiser/G.I.Joe's 200. The American finished 11th at the Miller Genuine Draft 200. Pruett finished sixth at the New England 200 and retired at the Molson Indy Toronto due to him crashing. Pruett finished fifth at the Marlboro 500. The American finished seventh at the Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland. Pruett finished ninth at the Texaco/Havoline 200. The American finished fourth at the Molson Indy Vancouver. Pruett finished ninth at the Pioneer Electronics 200. The American finished tenth at the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix. The final round of the 1992 season was the Toyota Monterey Grand Prix and Pruett finished 14th. Truesports left IndyCar at the end of the 1992 season and sold all of their assets, including their headquarters and the chassis program to Rahal-Hogan Racing, co-owned by former Truesports driver Bobby Rahal and Carl Hogan.
RAL Group
RAL Group bought a 92C for American Brian Till to drive in nine IndyCar races and they used the Judd VA V8 engine. The team's first race of 1992 was the third round, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and Till retired with engine failure. RAL Group skipped the 76th Indianapolis 500. The American retired from the next two races, through accident at the ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit and header issues at the 1992 Budweiser / G.I. Joe's 200. The team skipped the Miller Genuine Draft 200, then entered the New England 200 and Till finished 12th. The American finished tenth at the Molson Indy Toronto. RAL Group skipped the Marlboro 500, then entered the Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland and Till finished 15th. The American was running well in the Texaco/Havoline 200 but retired when he ran out of fuel with one lap to go. The team skipped the Molson Indy Vancouver, then entered the Pioneer Electronics 200 and Till finished 14th. RAL Group skipped the Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix, then entered the final round of the 1992 season, the Toyota Monterey Grand Prix and the American retired when he crashed. RAL Group left indycar at the end of the 1992 season.
Rahal-Hogan RH-001
Rahal-Hogan Racing buy Truesports
At the end of 1992, Rahal-Hogan Racing co-owners Bobby Rahal and Carl Hogan had faith in the all American chassis program developed by Truesports and they bought the chassis program from them. The team moved from Indianapolis to the old Truesports facility at Hilliard. They also bought the two-year-old Truesports chassis program and the cars were renamed as the Rahal-Hogan RH-001 for 1993. American Bobby Rahal, Rahal-Hogan Racing co-owner and driver began the season with the RH-001, with the intention of introducing their own Rahal-Hogan (R-H) later in the year but it did not materialize due to the lack of success of the RH-001. The team chose to run the Chevy Indy C engine.
Rahal-Hogan Racing's 1993 season
The first race of the 1993 season was the Australian FAI IndyCar Grand Prix, Rahal qualified 13th and finished sixth. The Valvoline 200 saw the American retire with handling issues. Rahal finished in second place at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The success was short-lived. The team entered a second car for American Mike Groff to drive alongside Rahal for the 77th Indianapolis 500 but both drivers failed to qualify. However, the main issue with the RH-001 was that the chassis proved very uncompetitive on the superspeedway races. After Indy, Rahal announced that the team would run a 1993 Lola T93/00 for the rest of 1993, while Groff attempted to salvage a season out of the RH-001. The American retired from the next two races, electrical fault at the Miller Genuine Draft 200 and crashed the car with two laps left in the ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit. Groff finished ninth at the Texaco/Havoline Presents Budweiser/G. I. Joe's 200. The team used the T93/00 for the next three races (Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Dairy Mart, Molson Indy Toronto and Marlboro 500). The team entered the RH-001 for Groff for the New England 200 and finished eleventh. Eventually the team abandoned the RH-001 permanently before the Texaco/Havoline 200 to concentrate on the T93/00.
Complete Indy Car World Series results
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(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrants | Chassis | Engines | Tyres | Drivers | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Points | D.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | TrueSports | TrueSports 91C | Judd AV V8 t | G | SFR | LBH | PHX | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | MEA | TOR | MCH | DEN | VAN | MDO | ROA | NAZ | LAG | ||||
| Scott Pruett
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11 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 17 | 8 | Ret | Ret | 4 | Ret | 5 | 5 | 4 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 67 | 10th | |||||
| King Racing | Geoff Brabham
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21 | Ret | 0 | 44th | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | TrueSports | TrueSports 92C | Chevrolet 265A V8 t | G | SFR | PHX | LBH | INDY | DET | POR | MIL | NHA | TOR | MCH | CLE | ROA | VAN | MDO | NAZ | LAG | |||||
| Scott Pruett
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10 | Ret | 7 | 9 | Ret | Ret | 10 | 11 | 6 | Ret | 5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 62 | 11th | ||||||
| RAL Group | Judd AV V8 t | Brian Till
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24 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 12 | 10 | 15 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 8 | 23rd | |||||||||||
| 1993 | Rahal/Hogan Racing | Rahal-Hogan RH-001 | Chevrolet 265C V8 t | G | SFR | PHX | LBH | INDY | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MCH | NHA | ROA | VAN | MDO | NAZ | LAG | |||||
| Bobby Rahal
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1 | 6 | Ret | 2 | DNQ | 1331 | 4th1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mike Groff
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DNQ | 81 | 23rd1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 11 |
^1 Includes points scored by the Lola T93/00.