Truesports

Truesports[1] was an automobile racing team founded by Jim Trueman[2] based in Hilliard, Ohio.

The primary crew chief of the team was Steve Horne, who would later start Tasman Motorsports.

In 1981, Trueman sponsored the car of owner/driver Vern Schuppan in the Indianapolis 500 through his Red Roof Inn motel business.

He followed that up with another win at Michigan, a second-place finish in the season standings, and clinched the CART rookie of the year award.

Rahal qualified for the front row at Indy, but early in the race, mechanical problems ended their day.

After a two-year battle with cancer, team owner Jim Trueman succumbed to the disease eleven days after the Indy 500 victory.

The team dedicated their efforts to Trueman's memory, and Rahal went on to win six races, and the 1986 CART championship.

Truesports switched from March to the Lola chassis, and remained with the reliable Cosworth DFX powerplant.

Having switched to the Lola, he enjoyed a comfortable month, while many competitors (particularly those in March and Penske chassis), were experiencing a tumultuous time getting their cars up to speed.

In March 1990, Pruett was seriously injured in a preseason testing crash at West Palm Beach, Florida, an IMSA street course.

In 1985, Trueman and Rahal traveled to Italy to meet with Ferrari and made a demonstration run for them with a March 85C-Cosworth.

In addition, the design team utilized a rolling road wind tunnel at the Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratory at nearby Ohio State University.

Midway through the 1992 season, facing escalating costs, the team announced they were going to abandon the in-house chassis project.

Although it was not openly revealed at the time, the association with Ferrari (and subsequent cancellation of the chassis/engine program) in the late 1980s had an effect on the team.

The following week they switched to the more conventional Lola, while team driver Mike Groff attempted to salvage a season out of the R/H.