Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) traces its origins to December 1991, when Bobby Rahal and business partner Carl Hogan purchased the distressed Patrick Racing operation. The team initially built its reputation in CART open-wheel racing, winning the 1992 CART championship in their debut season with Rahal as owner-driver. The partnership with David Letterman began in 1996, and Mike Lanigan joined as a third co-owner in December 2010.
The team made its first foray into sports car racing in 2007, fielding a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series for nine rounds, claiming a second at Road America and a third at Petit Le Mans. After a one-year hiatus, the team returned in 2009 under the BMW Team RLL banner, beginning a long-term factory relationship with the German manufacturer.
BMW Team RLL entered the American Le Mans Series in 2009 with two BMW M3 GT2s, registered under dual American and German team licenses. Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen shared the number 90 car while Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller drove the number 92. The team finished third in the GT championship that year, with the 92 car claiming second at Petit Le Mans.
The 2010 season brought the team its first ALMS GT team championship despite winning only one race, at Road America. The following year was the most dominant in the team's ALMS history: a one-two finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring opened the season, and Hand and Dirk Müller went on to win the ALMS GT drivers championship while the team secured both the GT Teams and Manufacturers titles. It was the team's second consecutive team championship with the M3 GT2.
In 2012, BMW Team RLL successfully defended its Sebring GT class victory before competition from new Porsche and Corvette machinery limited the team to one additional win at Road America. The team finished second in the championship.
For 2013, the team transitioned to the BMW Z4 GTE, a brand-new platform that replaced the long-running M3. Despite the learning curve of the first season with the car, BMW Team RLL claimed a one-two victory at Long Beach, won at Lime Rock Park, and finished second in both the Teams and Manufacturers championships behind Corvette Racing.
When the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am merged to form the United SportsCar Championship in 2014 — later renamed the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2016 — BMW Team RLL continued with its Z4 GTE cars in the GTLM class. The team posted several second-place finishes at venues including Daytona and Laguna Seca.
The 2015 season saw both RLL cars reach victory lane: the 24 car with John Edwards and Lucas Luhr won at Laguna Seca, while Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner won twice, at Long Beach and Austin. Auberlen and Werner finished second in the GTLM drivers championship, narrowly behind Porsche factory driver Patrick Pilet.
For 2016, BMW celebrated its centenary with the switch to the BMW M6 GTLM. The team's 24 car ran temporarily as the number 100 in honor of the anniversary.
The 2017 season returned BMW Team RLL to strong form. Auberlen, partnered with Alexander Sims in the 25 car, won the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen, Petit Le Mans, and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, finishing second in the GTLM drivers championship. The 24 car of Edwards and Martin Tomczyk added a win at Laguna Seca, and the team's four victories lifted BMW to second in the GTLM Manufacturers standings, just six points behind Chevrolet.
For 2018, BMW Team RLL debuted the BMW M8 GTE. Connor De Phillippi replaced Auberlen as Sims' full-time partner in the 25 car, while Jesse Krohn joined John Edwards in the 24. The 25 car won twice, at Virginia International Raceway and Laguna Seca. The 2019 season opened with a significant triumph: at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the number 25 car — shared by De Phillippi, Colton Herta, Augusto Farfus, and Philipp Eng — won the GTLM class after Tom Blomqvist was delayed by visa problems.
In 2020, the 24 car won the Daytona GTLM class and accumulated strong points, finishing second in class standings, while the 25 car won the 6 Hours of Atlanta.
Following IMSA's decision to drop the GTLM class before the 2022 season, BMW Team RLL entered the new GTD Pro class with the BMW M4 GT3, running the 25 car full-time and the 24 as an endurance-only entry. The team subsequently announced its move into the premier IMSA GTP class for 2023, campaigning two LMDh-specification BMW M Hybrid V8 prototypes. The team claimed its first GTP class victory at the 2023 Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen.
BMW Team RLL stands as one of the most decorated partnerships in IMSA and ALMS GT racing, having won multiple team championships across different BMW platforms — the M3 GT2, Z4 GTE, M6 GTLM, M8 GTE, M4 GT3, and M Hybrid V8 — over more than fifteen years of continuous factory collaboration.