Katherine_Legge

Katherine Legge

Katherine Legge

British racing driver (born 1980)


Katherine Anne Legge (/ˈlɛɡ/ LEG; born 12 July 1980)[1][2] is a British professional auto racing driver who competes full-time in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, driving the No. 66 Acura NSX GT3 for Gradient Racing, and part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 51 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with backing from e.l.f. She holds the record for the fastest qualifying effort for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history, set in 2023,[3] and was the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America.[4]

Quick Facts Nationality, Born ...

Racing career

Early racing and Atlantics

Prior to joining the Toyota Atlantic series, Guildford-born Legge raced in several developmental open-wheel series in Britain, including Formula Three, Formula Renault and Formula Ford. In 2000, she was the first woman to achieve a pole in a Zetec race. In 2001, she beat Kimi Räikkönen's lap record and achieved a pole, and she was the first woman to receive the BRDC's "Rising Star" accolade.

Legge's move to the United States came about in 2004, when after running out of finances to continue her racing career, she visited the UK offices of Cosworth, refusing to leave until she had met Cosworth boss Kevin Kalkhoven. Kalkhoven sent his daughter to speak to Legge to get her to leave: after a brief conversation with Legge, she instead told Kalkhoven that he should meet with her. Kalkhoven then offered her a drive in the first three rounds of the 2005 Toyota Atlantic Championship with Polestar Motor Racing: this was her first full-time drive. She won the series opener at Long Beach in her first career Atlantic start.[5] In doing so, she became the first woman to win a developmental open-wheel race in North America. Legge went on to take her second and third wins of the season at Edmonton and San Jose. She finished the season 3rd in the championship with three wins and five podiums. She also received the Toyota Atlantic BBS Rising Star 2005 Award.

In November 2005, Legge became the first woman to test a Formula One car since Sarah Fisher in 2002, when she tested on the second and third days (22 and 23 November) of the Minardi team's final testing session at Vallelunga.[6] After she crashed after 2 laps on her first run on the track, it was decided to postpone the test until the following day, on which she completed 27 laps with a best lap time of 1:21.176.[7] She was also the first woman to test an A1 Grand Prix car, on 9–11 December 2005 with A1 Team Great Britain.[8]

She received the 2005 RACER Magazine "Most Promising Road Racer of The Year" award.[9]

Champ Car

In the 2005–2006 off-season, Legge tested a Champ Car once for Rocketsports Racing and twice for PKV Racing. In February 2006, it was announced that she would drive for PKV Racing in the 2006 Champ Car season. In June, she became the first woman to lead a lap in series history, leading 12 laps at Milwaukee.[10] Legge suffered a violent accident at the 2006 Grand Prix of Road America when the rear wing of her car broke; she was able to walk away from the car unharmed.[11][12]

Legge drove for Dale Coyne Racing in 2007, and her best result in the series was sixth place, twice.

Legge in 2009

DTM

Legge competing at the Hockenheimring, during the 2009 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season.

In 2008, Legge moved to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series, driving for Colin Kolles' Futurecom TME Audi team. For 2009 and 2010 she raced for the Abt Sportsline team, who were the 2008 champions. For 2009 she was the only one of the 5 drivers in the Abt Sportline team using the previous year's car.

Return to the US

In January 2012, Legge signed with Dragon Racing in the IndyCar Series, alongside Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais.[13] Legge reached a two-year agreement with sponsor TrueCar as part of their Women Empowered campaign.[14] However, since the Lotus engines were shown to be uncompetitive, the team made a change to Chevrolet engines. But team owner Jay Penske could only procure one Chevrolet engine lease agreement for the team, so they could only enter one car per race after Indianapolis. Therefore, for the remainder of 2012, Dragon entered Bourdais at the road and street courses, and Legge at oval tracks, except for Sonoma Raceway where both drivers were able to compete.[15] Legge finished 26th in points, competing in ten of the 15 races, and had a best finish of ninth in the 2012 MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships at Auto Club Speedway.

In 2013, Legge left IndyCar to join the DeltaWing program in the United SportsCar Championship. Legge competed in the 2014 and 2015 seasons for DeltaWing.

In May 2015, Legge announced her involvement with the Grace Autosport project to enter the 2016 Indianapolis 500 race. Working with the support of the FIA's Women in Motorsport Commission, the all-female team set out to promote technology and engineering as a career for young women.[16]

Legge joined Michael Shank Racing in 2017 to drive an Acura NSX GT3 at the IMSA SportsCar Championship. In the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona Legge raced as part of an all-female team alongside Simona de Silvestro, Christina Nielsen and Ana Beatriz, having placed second in class the previous year. She was placed 15th in their class after Legge brushed a wall and damaged the car's suspension.[5]

Formula E

Legge signed for the Amlin Aguri team to compete in the inaugural season of the Formula E electric open-wheel series.[17] She raced in the first two races before being dropped for Salvador Durán.

European Le Mans Series

In July 2020, while participating in the pre race testing at Paul Ricard ahead of the European Le Mans Series, Legge was injured in a crash suffering a broken wrist and leg. Legge was part of the all-female Richard Mille Racing team along with Sophia Florsch and Tatiana Calderón.[18]

NASCAR

Legge's No. 15 NASCAR Xfinity car at Road America in 2018

In August 2018, Legge joined JD Motorsports for her NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, driving the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro. As part of a two-race schedule with the team, she also competed at Road America.[19] Legge later made her oval debut at Richmond Raceway.[20]

In 2023, Legge returned to NASCAR and the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 07 car for SS-Green Light Racing in the road course races at Road America, the Indianapolis road course, Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval.[21]

Personal life

Legge is a member of the Women in Motorsport Commission of the FiA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile).

She was briefly engaged to German racing driver Peter Terting.[22]

Motorsports career results

Racing career summary

More information Season, Series ...

* Season still in progress.

Complete American open-wheel racing results

(key)

Atlantic Championship

More information Year, Team ...
More information Years, Teams ...
** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.
*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

Champ Car

More information Year, Team ...
More information Years, Teams ...
** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.
*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

IndyCar Series

More information Year, Team ...


More information Years, Teams ...
** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.
*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

Indianapolis 500

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

(key)

More information Year, Entrant ...

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
  •  — Retired, but was classified as she completed 90% of the winner's race distance.

Complete Formula E results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Entrant ...

Points only counted towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and not the overall GTD Championship. * Season still in progress.

24 Hours of Daytona results

More information Year, Class ...

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Entrant ...

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Xfinity Series

More information NASCAR Xfinity Series results, Year ...

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points


References

  1. "Look out, Danica! Woman wins race". NBC Sports. Associated Press. 18 July 2005. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. Pruett, Marshall (24 November 2017). "Who The Hell Are You, Katherine Legge?". Marshall Pruett Podcast. Episode 211. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  3. Warwick, Matt; Gornall, Katie; Lockwood, David (20 May 2023). "Women of the Indianapolis 500". indianapolismotorspeedway.com. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  4. Warwick, Matt; Gornall, Katie; Lockwood, David (11 April 2005). "Legge Makes History in Long Beach". autosport.com. Retrieved 11 April 2005.
  5. Warwick, Matt; Gornall, Katie; Lockwood, David (20 May 2019). "Katherine Legge: The woman who 'had to fight and claw' her way into motorsport". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  6. "Legge crashes on F1 testing debut". BBC Sport. 22 November 2005. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  7. "Katherine Legge impressively quick at Vallelunga". GPUpdate.net. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  8. Berlinger, Tal (13 November 2023). "The Need For Speed: The Fiercest Female Drivers of the Racing World". Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  9. "PKV Racing's Katherine Legge back in a Champ Car following crash at Road America". Press release. PKV Racing. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2012.[permanent dead link]
  10. "Allmendinger wins RA as Legge survives major crash". Crash.net. 24 September 2006. Archived from the original on 15 June 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  11. "Allmendinger wins crash-marred Champ Car race; Legge escapes injury". USA Today, publishing AP material. Associated Press. 24 September 2006. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  12. Cavin, Curt (13 January 2012). "Dragon team will have Bourdais, Legge and Lotus engine". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  13. "Katherine Legge Gains TrueCar INDYCAR Sponsorship". ecommerce.com. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  14. Hier, Daryle (31 May 2012). "Jay Penske's Dragon Racing Will Be a Two-Headed Single Car – Fan's Take". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  15. "About – Katherine Legge". Amlin Aguri. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  16. "Katherine Legge injured in crash at European Le Mans Series". bbc.com. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  17. "Katherine Legge to make NASCAR oval debut at Richmond". Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  18. "Katherine Legge – 2006 Champ Car World Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  19. "Katherine Legge – 2007 Champ Car World Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  20. "Katherine Legge – 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  21. "Katherine Legge – 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  22. "Katherine Legge – 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  23. "Katherine Legge – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  24. "Katherine Legge – 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 27 July 2023.

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