Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) was established in late 1991 when driver Bobby Rahal and partner Carl Hogan purchased Patrick Racing. The team became known primarily as an IndyCar organisation, winning the 1992 CART championship and the Indianapolis 500 in 2004 and 2020. Its sports car division took shape separately, and the BMW Team RLL identity emerged when BMW Motorsport granted the team factory support for IMSA competition in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing re-entered sports car racing in 2009 under the BMW Team RLL banner, fielding two BMW M3 GT2s in the American Le Mans Series. The pairing of Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen in the number 90 car and Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller in the number 92 was the foundation of the programme. The team took the GT Teams Championship in 2010 despite winning only one race at Road America.
The 2011 season represented the high-water mark of the M3 era. BMW Team RLL achieved a 1-2 finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring and went on to win two further races, claiming both the GT Teams and Manufacturers championships. Joey Hand and Dirk Müller won the GT Drivers Championship, completing a near-total sweep of the category's honours.
The team defended its Sebring success in 2012, winning the 12-hour race for a second consecutive year before finishing runners-up in the season championship. For 2013 the squad transitioned to the BMW Z4 GTE, scoring a 1-2 victory at Long Beach and a win at Lime Rock Park in the car's first season.
When the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am merged into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2014, BMW Team RLL continued its programme with the Z4 GTE in the GTLM class. The team managed multiple second-place finishes across the season, with Bill Auberlen and Andy Priaulx as well as Dirk Müller and John Edwards sharing duties.
The team moved to the BMW M6 GTLM from 2016 and returned to victory in 2017, with Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims winning three races including the Petit Le Mans and the six hours at Watkins Glen. The pair finished second in the GTLM Drivers Championship, and BMW finished second in the Manufacturers standings. The M6 era also produced a class win at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona for the number 24 car.
For 2022 the team joined the new GTD Pro class with the BMW M4 GT3. In 2023, BMW Team RLL stepped up to the GTP class with two LMDh-specification BMW M Hybrid V8 prototypes, marking the manufacturer's return to top-category endurance racing in North America. The team secured its first GTP victory at the 2023 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen.
Throughout the BMW programme, BMW Team RLL fielded a blend of factory-contracted BMW Motorsport drivers and experienced North American campaigners. Dirk Müller, Tommy Milner, Joey Hand, Bill Auberlen, Connor De Phillippi, John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, and Alexander Sims all served extended stints. For endurance events the team regularly supplemented its roster with factory drivers including Augusto Farfus and Philipp Eng.
The 2019 24 Hours of Daytona GTLM victory was notable for involving De Phillippi, Colton Herta, Philipp Eng, and Augusto Farfus in the winning number 25 car, with Farfus substituting for Tom Blomqvist following visa complications.
BMW Team RLL established itself as one of the most consistent BMW factory programmes in North American endurance racing. Its back-to-back 12 Hours of Sebring victories, multiple championship titles across multiple regulatory eras, and eventual step into top-category LMDh prototype competition placed the team among the marquee entries in IMSA. The BMW Team RLL designation reflects the ongoing alignment between one of IndyCar's longest-standing teams and BMW Motorsport's ambitions in the United States.