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One of the Hottest 500’s on Record Ends with Legge in 22nd Position

What is commonly known as “The Month of May” in Indianapolis, the 500-mile race required IZOD IndyCar Series driver Katherine Legge to be in attendance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for some 18 days in a row. Her ‘month’ was supposed to begin on May 10th, with the Rookie Orientation Program. But delays encountered when switching engine manufacturers to Chevrolet would leave the rookie six days behind in her program. The month would end on May 27th when she took the checkered flag as the ninth female to compete in the world’s largest single-day sporting event.

In near record heat that saw nearly 200 fans seeking medical attention, Legge launched her No. 6 TrueCar Dragon Racing Chevrolet onto the 2.5-mile circuit from a 30th starting position. It was a position that the UK native was fortunate to earn after only two hours of practice before qualifications began. The TrueCar Racing pilot estimates that she ran only 120 miles in practice sessions before having to complete the most difficult 500 miles in all of motorsports. It may have been that lack of practice for her TrueCar Racing team that prevented them from seeing a better result.

“We didn’t know what engine we would get and if we would get one on time,” said Legge. “There was a lot of legal wrangling and Sebastien [Bourdais, her teammate] and I didn’t really know what was going on in the end. But ultimately other teams gained an advantage and got to be on the track practicing for six days before we got an engine.”

She and her teammate struggled to find speed in Friday’s practice, which would be the last time they would drive the famed oval before Sunday’s race. It showed, as they finished 22nd and 20th, respectively. And that’s what bothered Legge more than anything else the legendary track would throw at her during a race that most rookies are just happy to finish.

“My biggest fear was not having a good result,” she said. “If I finished outside of the top 12 or 15, I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied.

It was 500 miles so we really learned a lot. I’m pleased in a lot of ways but also disappointed as it just didn’t go the way we hoped. We went a lap down early, but I think we had a car to finish better than 22nd and I hate that we didn’t finish higher. I’m glad we finished the race and I’d really like to thank my TrueCar crew for all of their efforts. The Indy 500 is an amazing experience that nothing can prepare you for.”

Legge will now prepare herself for the streets of Belle Isle as she heads to her next stop in Detroit for the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. She has only seen the circuit during a May 21st media day. The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to the 2.1-mile circuit at Belle Isle June 1-3 for the first time since 2008, where the race will be broadcast live on ABC, Sunday, June 3 at 3:30 PM.

NOTE - Katherine Legge honored millions of Girl Scouts by wearing the Girl Scout logo on her helmet during the 96th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Legge wore the logo to call attention to Girl Scouts’ ToGetHerThere campaign, and Legge’s partnership with the Girl Scouts that continues beyond Sunday’s race as she is Girl Scouts’ inaugural STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Ambassador and Girl Scouts’ first motorsports athlete as a national spokesperson.

ABOUT KATHERINE LEGGE

Birthdate: July 12, 1980
Hometown: Guildford, England
Residence: Indianapolis
Marital Status: Engaged
Website: www.katherinelegge.com
Twitter: @katherinelegge (personal) and @KatOnTrack (for on-track updates)

Career Highlights

•Named to drive for Lotus-Dragon Racing full time in 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season … Competed in European-based DTM touring car series as factory Audi driver from 2008-10, driving for Futurecom TME, Abt Lady Power and Team Rosberg … Drove in Rolex 24 at Daytona for Robinson Racing in 2007 … Competed in Champ Car World Series in 2006-07 for PKV Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, becoming first female to lead Champ Car race … Recorded five top-10 finishes in Champ Car in 2006 … First woman to win major open-wheel race in North America, with three victories in Toyota Atlantic in 2005. Finished third in series … Earned Formula One test with Minardi in 2005 … Drove for A1 Team GB in A1 Grand Prix, tested Champ Car in 2005 … Raced limited schedule in British and North American Formula Renault championships and Can-Am championship in 2004 … Competed in limited British Formula 3 schedule in 2003 … Competed in British Formula Renault in 2001-02, wininng pole in 2002 at Oulton Park with track-record lap … Earned British Racing Drivers’ Club “Rising Stars” honor in 2002 … Became first woman to win pole in British Formula Ford Zetec championship in 2000 … Competed in karting from 1990-99.

About TrueCar, Inc.

TrueCar, Inc. is an online automotive information and communications platform focused on creating a better car buying experience for dealers and consumers. Consumers want a hassle-free car buying experience and dealers want high-quality sales velocity. TrueCar helps achieve these goals by providing unbiased market information on new car transactions and by supplying an online communications platform through which dealers and consumers can communicate with each other. TrueCar’s market-based information provides both consumers and dealers with an accurate and comprehensive understanding of what others actually paid recently for similar vehicles, both locally and nationally. TrueCar’s communications platform then allows informed, ready-to-buy consumers to communicate directly with participating dealers. Some of the nation’s largest and most well respected membership and service organizations rely on websites powered by TrueCar to help educate their members and customers who are in the automotive market. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, and has offices in San Francisco, CA, and Austin, TX. After experiencing dramatic growth since 2006, TrueCar is developing a suite of products and services centered on radical clarity through the comprehensive analysis of market data and information. TrueCar’s participating dealer partners have sold over 500,000 new vehicles to TrueCar users nationwide.

You can follow TrueCar on Twitter and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook.

About Dragon Racing

Dragon Racing is an IndyCar Series team owned by Jay Penske, the Chairman and CEO of Penske Media Corporation (PMC). Dragon Racing began under the original banner of Luczo Dragon Racing founded by both Penske and Steve Luczo, the Chairman and CEO of Seagate Technologies. The team debuted in 2007 at the Indianapolis 500 with driver Ryan Briscoe and finished fifth. In 2009, during the team’s first complete season, it won Rookie of the Year honors with driver Raphael Matos. In 2012, Dragon Racing has forged an alliance with Lotus to become the Lotus Factory Team, along with lead strategic sponsors Microsoft, TrueCar, and McAfee. Dragon Racing has two entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series for 2012: Katherine Legge, the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America, and four-time Champ Car Series champion Sebastien Bourdais. Dragon Racing has operations in Indianapolis, Indiana and Los Angeles, California. For more information on Dragon Racing or its drivers please contact press@dragonracing.com.

Source: GRand Solutions, LLC., for Dragon Racing/TrueCar Racing, Press Release