Veteran driver Katherine Legge will attempt to qualify for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in the No. 44 Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) and sponsored by Hendrickson, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of suspension systems and components to the commercial transportation industry.
Legge, from Great Britain, will attempt to make her third career start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” as she competed in the race in 2012 and 2013. Legge is one of nine women to make at least one career “500” start.
This entry marks a return to RLL for Legge. She scored a victory and a pole with RLL in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series in the 2018/2019 ABB FIA Formula E season and finished on the podium three times in 10 races.
“I am thrilled to be back at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the biggest race in the world, the Indy 500,” Legge said. “Bobby (Rahal) gave me my first chance to win races for the team in the Jaguar I-PACE series a few years ago, and it feels like a homecoming of sorts to be back with the team, especially seeing as I’m also very proud to be back with HPD in IMSA, and now in the INDYCAR SERIES.
“Racing at Indy with an Indy 500-winning team and with Honda is an amazing opportunity, and one I am very grateful for and intend to make the most of. I’m hoping I can learn from my teammates and team members, and transition smoothly back to open-wheel racing for May. I can’t wait to get to work.”
Longtime Honda/Acura competitor Legge has built an accomplished global racing resume over the last two decades. She races an Acura NSX GT3 full time in the GTD class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. She competed in the INDYCAR SERIES full time in 2006-07 and raced alongside four-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Sebastien Bourdais in a partial schedule with Dragon Racing in 2012.
She has made 39 career INDYCAR SERIES starts, with a best finish of sixth.
“After more than a few attempts, I’m happy to announce that Katherine will join us in our Hendrickson Honda for the 107th Running of the Indy 500,” team co-owner Bobby Rahal said. “I’ve been a fan of Katherine’s for many years and know that, in the right situation, she can be competitive and figure into the outcome at the end of the race.
“She has driven for us before in the Jaguar electric program and won from pole in Mexico City and finished on the podium several times, so it is nice to have her back with us to work together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time. I know she looks at this as a chance to show everybody what she really can do.”
Said team co-owner Mike Lanigan: “We are looking forward to seeing the No. 44 Hendrickson entry at ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ – the Indy 500 – and welcoming Katherine back to the team. The Lanco Group of Companies has used Hendrickson suspension components for many years, and it is great to work with them in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. They have been a great partner over the years, and we are looking forward to a long future and exciting May.”
Hendrickson joined RLL as an associate sponsor in 2019 and created a purpose-built engineering support trailer that made its debut at the 2019 Indianapolis 500. The trailer enables the team to maximize the information sharing between its three full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES programs at each of the race events in the interest of performance. Hendrickson extended its partnership with the team in 2022 and expanded it to become the primary sponsor of Christian Lundgaard’s entry at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio last year. This will be Hendrickson’s second appearance as a primary sponsor of an RLL entry at a racing event.
“Hendrickson is very proud to be a part of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” said Jeff Sass, vice president of marketing, Hendrickson. “We, at Hendrickson, are excited to have Katherine Legge driving the Hendrickson Honda No. 44 car at ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ the Indy 500. We expect to be kneeling down next to Bobby, Dave, Mike and Katherine kissing the bricks Memorial Day weekend.”