A gathering of the people who shaped racing history: our 2026 Grand Marshal, plus design chiefs, Hall of Fame drivers, champions, and the builders who keep these cars running. Meet them in person on the Lake Mirror Promenade.
2026 Grand Marshal
Bobby Rahal
Co-Owner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Robert “Bobby” Woodward Rahal was born in Medina, Ohio, in 1953, and worked his way up through the racing ranks, starting with the SCCA’s feeder series to Formula Atlantic and then on to European Formula Two. In an 18-year career spanning F1, Can-Am, Le Mans/IMSA, and CART, Rahal notched three CART championships, including a win at the 1986 Indy 500, along with wins at the 1981 “24 Hours of Daytona” and the 1987 “12 Hours of Sebring.”
One of open-wheel racing’s most consistent drivers during his career, Rahal started 264 races for five teams and took 18 poles and 24 wins. He collected back-to-back CART championships in 1986 and 1987, then picked up his third in 1992. When Buddy Rice won the 2004 Indy 500, Rahal became one of only a handful of individuals to win the Indy 500 as both a driver and a team owner.
Following his retirement from competitive racing after the 1998 season, Rahal spent time with Jaguar’s Formula 1 effort, and in mid-2000 he returned to the United States to become the interim boss of CART. Along with former late-night talk-show icon David Letterman and businessman Michael Lanigan, he is a principal in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, where he has grown the team from a one-car program into a multi-car, multi-discipline organization and developed some of the top young talent in open-wheel racing.
It was also Bobby Rahal who brought Honda into North American open-wheel racing in the early 1990s, an involvement that has since produced 21 drivers’ championships, 11 manufacturers’ championships, and 298 victories, including 16 Indy 500 triumphs. We are honored to welcome him as Grand Marshal of the 2026 Lake Mirror Classic.
Honored on stage and on the lawn across the October weekend.
Designer
Kip Wasenko
Automotive Designer, Race Car Designer, Racer and an amazing, lifelong auto enthusiast.
Kip worked as a designer for General Motors for 40 years. He designed many Indy 500 and Daytona 500 Pace Cars. Some of these cars include the two-rotor mid-engine Corvette, the Buick Wildcat, the Cadillac Evoq (which became the XLR), and the Cadillac LMP which raced at Le Mans. Mr. Wasenko was also our Grand Marshal in 2024 and we are excited to have him back year after year.
Hall of Fame
David Hobbs
Hall of Fame Driver and winner in GT40’s
A man who spent his life behind the wheel making racing history and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009. Starting his career in the late 50’s with his mom’s Morris Oxford, he was an obvious man of natural talent. His God-given speed and engaging personality quickly took him around the world, racing in every major championship for the top teams in the most iconic cars: Formula 1, IMSA Camel GT, Indy 500, Formula 5000, Trans Am, NASCAR, and Le Mans.
Champion
Charlie Mendez
1978 12 Hours of Sebring Winner
Charles combined his passion for racing with the successful resurrection of the famed 12 Hours of Sebring. Under his guidance, with racing partner Dave Cowart, in 1978 the Sebring tradition was returned to international prominence with official FIA listing and the return of major corporate sponsors, auto manufacturers and the media. In recognition of his efforts as promoter of the race from 1978 -1982 and as a former winner in 1978 he became one of the original inductees into the Sebring Hall of Fame in 2002.
Program lead
Doug Fehan
Program Manager for Corvette Racing
Fehan was the sole Program Manager for the Corvette Racing program since it’s inception with 20 years of competition. Establishing the world's premier production-based sports car team. 14 Team Championships and 13 Driver’s titles in the American Le Mans Series and WeatherTech Championship. Just as important are the 13 Manufacturer titles Corvette Racing delivered for Chevrolet including a clean sweep in the 2016 and 2017 IMSA seasons. He oversaw a total of 238 races collecting 113 victories and 63 one-two finishes. All the while he also oversaw Corvette Racing’s 8 class victories at Le Mans.
Designer
Camilo Pardo
Design Chief for the 2005-2006 Ford GT
After 15 years at Ford Motor Company, he took on what was, for him, the ultimate assignment … a state-of-the-art re-design of the classic Ford GT race car. This project developed the 2002 Ford GT concept car. As chief Designer of the Ford GT and the SVT Studio, Camilo’s team worked on the 2005 and 2006 production Ford GT. The GT became an instant success, capturing the interest of car enthusiasts around the world.
Builder
Rich Brooks
President of the GT Garage
Rich Brooks started his career working at Roush in 1995 as a technician after earning an associate's degree at the Henry Ford College. During his time he was involved with the second generation of the F-150 Lightning Program as well as the 2003 SVT Cobra. But his luckiest streak was working on some of the earliest Ford GT’s under Coletti’s direction. In 2008, he began working on building his shop, the GT Garage. In 2010, he was able to go full time at the GT garage which is one of the leading shops for Ford GT’s in the nation.
8 more legends
More legends joining us
Founders, authors, curators, and champions from across the Ford GT world.
BS
Brian Styles
Founder of the Shelby Research Group
HP
Hunt Palmer-Ball
Owner of a ’67 GT350 with a story you have to hear
GL
George Levy
President of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
BH
Brent Hajek
Owner of Hajek Motorsports Museum and the GT90
BW
Bob Wingard
Designer & Owner of the Shelby Series 2
DF
Donald Farr
Author, Journalist, Editor & Publisher
BB
Brian Baker
GM Designer, Director of Collections at GM Heritage
AR
Automobile Racing Club of Florida
Members joining us on the lawn
Three days of motoring
Meet the legends in person
Bring a vehicle or join us on the promenade for the 27th Lake Mirror Classic, October 16 to 18, 2026.
