Bob Riley Passes Away at 93

Photo: Rick Dole

Legendary sports car and Indy car constructor Bob Riley has passed away at the age of 93.

A 2024 inductee into the IMSA hall of Fame as well as being a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Riley held a storied career, both as an engineer and car designer, having worked on projects such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Ford GT Mk IV, as well as designing the Ford Mustang GTP.

One of Riley’s biggest successes came with the Intrepid RM-1, designed alongside his son, Bill, and built by Pratt Miller, prior to teaming up with Mark Scott to form Riley & Scott in the early 1990s, where the Mk III became one of the most winningest prototypes in World Sports Car history.

Riley Technologies went on to build the most successful Daytona Prototype in history, while also developing the SpeedSource-run Mazda RX-8s, also in Grand-Am, prior to the SRT Viper GTS-R and GT3-Rs in the American Le Mans Series.

All told, Riley has achieved ten overall victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, second only to Porsche.

The firm was selected by the ACO and IMSA as one of the initial four global LMP2 constructors in the mid-to-late 2010s, which was highlighted by a podium finish for the Riley Mk. 30 in the 2017 Rolex 24 with Spirit of Daytona.

“All of us at IMSA are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Bob Riley,” said IMSA President John Doonan.

“Bob was a legendary figure in sports car racing, and we were proud to have him with us as we inducted him into the IMSA Hall of Fame less than two weeks ago.

“Bob was one of the most important and influential race car engineers and designers in the United States, as evidenced by the many championships and race victories earned by Riley chassis – including seven Rolex 24 At Daytona wins.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s son, Bill, and the entire Riley family, as well as Bob’s many friends and colleagues. Bob was truly one of a kind and will be sorely missed.”

While continuing to construct Trans-Am cars, Riley Motorsports, run by Bill, has been a staple of both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS in recent years, with numerous championships collected.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John