Legge looking forward to 500 miles at Fontana

IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie Ready for Second 500-Mile Race of the Season

FONTANA, Calif. Sept. 11, 2012—TrueCar Racing driver Katherine Legge didn't flinch or wince when INDYCAR announced in June that the season finale at Auto Club Speedway would be lengthened to a 500-mile event. After all, the IZOD IndyCar Series rookie had just finished her first Indianapolis 500 only a few weeks before the news came out about the Fontana, Calif. event.

Katherine Legge, Dragon Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Steve Gaysinskiy

"I really didn't give it much thought," said UK-native Legge. "Indy was my first 500-mile oval race, but when I got out of the car that day, I felt like it had only been an hour. I'm not sure if it was just the adrenaline of racing at Indy, but I am really looking forward to doing it again at Fontana this weekend."

In a year when testing has been crucial as the IndyCar teams and drivers developed the new Dallara DW-12 chassis and new engines, Legge unfortunately has had minimal seat time due to an inconsistent supply of engines for her TrueCar Dragon Racing machine. She was, however, fortunate to participate in testing last week at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval.

"Our test last week didn't go quite as we had planned, but we are working hard towards preparing a comfortable race car," remarked Legge. "500 miles is a long race, especially at such a unique place like Fontana that has a lot of challenging bumps."

To stay focused on the race, Legge decided to remain in the Fontana area until this weekend's race to visit with her team and her sponsor, who are both located in the Los Angeles area.

Her No. 6 car’s primary sponsor, TrueCar, is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., less than 70 miles from Auto Club Speedway. The online car dealership is proudly promoting a Women Empowered initiative through six female racing drivers, including Legge, spanning six different series across the United States. Dragon Racing made Marina del Rey their new headquarters at the start of this year.

"I have enjoyed the SoCal area immensely this week," said Legge of her time in the area. "It has been nice to visit so many places near the hometowns of both my team and sponsor. It has also been such lovely weather to train in."

Source: Katherine Legge media