Written by Mina Jigau, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Women have played an influential role throughout the history of motor racing. Many have taken to the wheels of motorsport machines, while numerous figures have worked tirelessly on the sidelines in various roles, shaping the racing world to the present day. Woman Spotlight Wednesday aims to take a look at the tales of these superwomen, who have surpassed various hurdles to reach where they are today.
This article dives into the remarkable Katherine Legge. Throughout her career, Legge has always been a fearsome contestant, constantly setting new records and making decisions based on her unmatched intuition. Her driving style is untaintedly unrestrained, a bold display of tenacity, but most of all, beautiful.
Her journey spans across almost four decades, starting as a young child discovering motorsport, turning into an adult who fell in love with the thrill of the race. Since her early introduction to karting, Legge has given everything racing-related a go.
From NASCAR, to IMSA and Indy500, she was even the second female driver, following Sarah Fisher, to take the wheel of an F1 car.
Back in the early 2000s, she was the first woman to take pole position consecutively for two years in a Zetec race. This display of her exceptional capabilities is what propelled her into being the first female race car driver to win the 2001 British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) rising star award.
In the bloom of her professional career, she was voted RACER Magazine’s most promising road racer by fans across the globe, after her win at a major open-wheel race in North America.
What really cemented her name in the motorsport world was the moment she beat Kimi Raikkonen’s lap record during the 2002 British Formula Renault Championship at Oulton Park, shaking the world of motorsport fans everywhere.
2003 was the year she raced for British Formula 3, before Legge would go on to win the 2005 series opener for the Toyota Atlantic championship in Long Beach, California, coming third overall with her three wins and five podiums.
The following year, Legge raced in Road America, but with six laps to go before the finish line, she suffered a destructive accident that broke her car’s wing plates, making Legge lose traction and spin out backwards into a concrete barrier.
She was vaulted in the air, leaving in her wake, sparks and fire, before crumbling to the ground. Thankfully, she survived the crash without any detrimental injuries, but was forced to retire from the remainder of the races.
However, she cast aside any doubt surrounding her racing abilities and shocked the world, by participating in the last two races of the season, taking pole position nonetheless.
Between 2006 and 2013, Legge participated in variations of racing competitions, including Indy500, becoming the ninth female racecar driver to qualify and having a best finish of 12th.
Following a short hiatus between 2015 and 2017, Legge returned to racing in the Acura GTD program with Meyer Shank Racing for three seasons. During this time, she earned four wins and 11 podiums, with her first win being for NSX in Detroit, marking the end of her racing break.
In 2020, Legge switched her focus to European series, signing with Richard Mille racing for the Le Mans season and 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 prototype category. She was ready to dive back into the most intense racing sessions of her life, but suffered a pre-season testing crash at Paul Ricard and couldn’t compete anymore.
The following year, Legge returned to IMSA as the lead driver for Team Hardpoint, in a Porsche 911 in the GTD class.
At the start of this year, she drove Rolex 24-hours at Daytona, being one of nine women. During the race, she became the fastest female racer in the history of Indy500 when she hit 231 mph during qualifying. Though she ended up with a shiny new title, her exit had been a little too rough and damaged her car.
Legge made history when the news of her partnership with e.l.f cosmetics broke out just before her fourth Indy500 entry. E.l.f became the first beauty brand to be the primary sponsor of a racecar driver, supporting Legge as she raced for Dale Coyne Racing this past May.
This wasn’t the first time the beauty brand and British driver partnered, with 2023 being the year they sealed the deal when Legge had the fastest first lap at Indy500.
When Legge isn’t on track, she is a very proactive girls scouts STEM ambassador and believes in the future of females in motorsport.
Her legacy is nothing short of amazing, with her constant ambition and desire to race, surpassing any tough condition she may face.
“Katherine is a bold disruptor with a kind heart. She is a force driven by positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. She takes to the track motivated to pave the way for future drivers who might not currently see themselves behind the wheel at big races. Her presence is helping to shape the future culture of racing,”
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Kory Marchisotto, Chief Marketing Officer at e.l.f beauty
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