Q+A with Katherine Legge: Her decision to contest her third Indy 500, why the race is ‘bonkers’ and what she hopes to achieve

On the eve of qualifying for the 107th Indianapolis 500, British professional race car driver Katherine Legge has her sights set on making her third start in the iconic American race. If she does qualify for one of the coveted 33 spots in the grid (34 teams are attempting to qualify), Legge also will become the first woman to do so since Simona De Silvestro made her sixth start at Indy in 2021.

The 42-year-old Brit made headlines in February when Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced she would drive the team’s No. 44 Dallara-Honda for the race, marking Legge’s first Indy start since 2013. Last year’s Indy 500 field was notably absent for the second time in three years. The 2020 race was the first contest without at least one woman in the field since 1999.

Legge, whose team recently finished fourth in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, is one of just nine women to have raced in the Indy 500, which is set for May 28 on NBC. She currently competes fulltime in an Acura NSX GT3 for Gradient Racing in the GTD class in International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) racing. Her resume includes experience in Formula 3, Formula Renault, Formula 1 test, ChampCar, IndyCar, A1 Grand Prix, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), Formula E and sports car racing. In two previous starts at the Indy 500, Legge finished 22nd in 2012 (starting 30th) and 26th in 2013 (starting 33rd).

On Her Turf sat down with Legge during her leadup to this weekend’s qualifying to talk about her decision to race in this year’s Indy 500, her preparation and what she hopes to achieve in her third appearance at The Brickyard.

This Q+A has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

On Her Turf: Let’s start by talking about your decision to