Rocketsports Racing is a motor racing team from the United States based in East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

.

Rocketsports was founded in 1985 by racing driver Paul Gentilozzi

Paul Gentilozzi

Paul Gentilozzi is a race car driver and businessman. His non-racing business interests are real estate development, principally developing store sites for big box retailers....

 to compete in the Trans-Am series. It competed in Trans-Am until 2004, when the championship was cancelled, and achieved 57 outright wins in 20 years. It has also raced in the IMSA

International Motor Sports Association

The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...

 sports car racing championship.

Rocketsports joined Champ Car

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

 in 2003 with driver Alex Tagliani

Alex Tagliani

Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...

, who scored the team's only victory at Road America

Road America

Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and...

 in 2004. In 2005 and 2006 the team fielded cars for pay driver

Pay driver

A pay driver is a driver for a professional auto racing team who, instead of being paid by their car owner, drives for free and brings with him either personal sponsorship or personal or family funding to finance the team's operations...

s and frequently changed drivers. In 2007, Tagliani returned full-time and the team shared technical information with RuSPORT

RuSPORT

RuSPORT was an auto racing team that competed in the Champ Car World Series. It was founded in September 2002 by Carl Russo.Russo drove for the team then known as Performance Development and Racing based in Fort Collins, Colorado which was owned by Steve Wulff...

. This alliance was dubbed RSPORTS, and took a race win with RuSPORT's Justin Wilson. However, the alliance ended at the end of the season. In 2008, following the unification of Champ Car and the IRL, Rocketsports announced that it would not transition to the IndyCar Series

IndyCar Series

The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...

. They did compete in the Champ Car finale at Long Beach Grand Prix

Long Beach Grand Prix

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an open-wheel race held on a street circuit in Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder and promoter which began as a vision while working at a travel agency in downtown Long Beach. It was the premier circuit in the Champ Car from 1996, and...

, with drivers Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior is a Brazilian racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series.He is nicknamed "Jungle Boy", a reference to his native Amazonas...

, who competed for Rocketsports at Long Beach in 2006, and Juho Annala

Juho Annala

Juho Annala, born in Lapua, is a Finnish race car driver. After starting in karting, Annala moved to Swedish, Finnish, and Nordic Formula Ford in 2004, winning the Nordic championship and coming second in both the Swedish and Finnish championships. In 2005 he moved to the British Formula Three...

.

Since the demise of Champ Car, Rocketsports has competed in the revived Trans-Am Series with driver Tomy Drissi

Tomy Drissi

Tomy Drissi is an American race car driver Trans Am Champion. His driver experience includes ALMS, Trans-Am, NASCAR and Speed World Challenge.-Personal:...

, winning the 2009 championship.

In 2010, Jaguar announced the company would enter the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

 with the JaguarRSR XKR GT2 built by Rocketsports Racing.

Drivers that have competed for Rocketsports in Champ Car

Juho Annala

Juho Annala

Juho Annala, born in Lapua, is a Finnish race car driver. After starting in karting, Annala moved to Swedish, Finnish, and Nordic Formula Ford in 2004, winning the Nordic championship and coming second in both the Swedish and Finnish championships. In 2005 he moved to the British Formula Three...

 (2008) Mario Dominguez

Mario Domínguez

Mario Domínguez is a Mexican racing driver. He has competed in the CART and CCWS Champ Car series and later the IndyCar Series.-Early career:Domínguez first began racing in 1987 driving go-karts...

 (2006) Memo Gidley

Memo Gidley

José Guillermo "Memo" Gidley is a Mexican-American racing driver, of German and Canadian ancestry, born in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico in 1973. He holds dual citizenship - American and Mexican....

 (2004) Timo Glock

Timo Glock

Timo Glock is a German motor racing driver, currently driving in Formula One for the Virgin Racing team. At the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix, standing in for Giorgio Pantano who had a contract dispute with Jordan Grand Prix, he joined a select group of drivers who have scored a World Championship...

 (2005) Ryan Hunter-Reay

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Ryan Hunter-Reay is a professional American race car driver best known as the only driver to have won races in each of North America's top open wheel formulas, CART the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series...

 (2005) Tonis Kasemets

Tonis Kasemets

Tõnis Kasemets is an Estonian race car driver.He emigrated to the United States in 1995 and began SCCA racing. He advanced through the open wheel ranks and by 2004 was in the Toyota Atlantic series. In 2005 he placed second in the series championship to Charles Zwolsman...

 (2006) Michael McDowell (2005) Nicky Pastorelli

Nicky Pastorelli

Nicky Pastorelli is a Dutch race car driver.-Euro Formula 3000:In 2003 Pastorelli participated in Euro Formula 3000 for Scuderia Fama. He finished on the podium twice and placed 5th in the season championship....

 (2006) Nelson Philippe

Nelson Philippe

-Early career:Philippe raced go-karts from 1998-2002. In 2003, he raced in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, finishing the season with one podium, and four top five finishes....

 (2004) Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Pizzonia

Antônio Reginaldo Pizzonia Júnior is a Brazilian racing driver who has raced in Formula One and the Champ Car World Series.He is nicknamed "Jungle Boy", a reference to his native Amazonas...

 (2006, 2008) Guy Smith

Guy Smith

Guy Smith is a motor racing driver who has competed in various levels of motorsport.Smith started racing karts in 1987, winning the British Championship, and in 1991 finished second in the Senior World Championship...

 (2004) Alex Tagliani

Alex Tagliani

Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...

(2003–2004, 2007)