Katherine Legge has opened up about her ultimate goal in racing and where she sees her future in the sport. The British driver said that legacy was important to her, and leaving one behind is something she thinks about often.
The 45-year-old, who competes in NASCAR and IndyCar events said: “I want to leave a legacy and give back, because I’ve had a very long, very varied, very diverse career that I’m proud of and very grateful for.”
Legge, who recently attempted a feat even Danica Patrick failed to do, told In Style that she wants to “tick all the boxes” and enjoy it for as long as she can, because she has “the best job in the world”.
She added: “But I also want to be able to pay it forward-leave enough of a legacy that it makes a difference in people’s lives.”
Legge is the record-holder for the fastest qualifying time for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history and back in 2005, she became the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America.
She has raced professionally for nearly 25 years, but earlier this year after joining NASCAR she found herself the target of misogynistic abuse and violent threats online after her involvement in a crash.
Legge told CNN that it was “shocking to read some of the vile things that people write”, adding: “I think it’s more prevalent with women in sports, especially with women in male dominated sports, because we stick out more, you know? There is the opinion that we are a gimmick, or we shouldn’t be there because we’re DEI hires and we haven’t earned our spot.”
The Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame inductee said that she fell in love with racing as a child, telling CBS Mornings last month: “It was about the competition, it was about the technology, it was about the adrenaline.”
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When she first started out, Legge said that she tried to be more of a tomboy to fit in. “Anything I would do I would think ‘would Jensen Button do this?’ or ‘would Lewis Hamilton do that?'” However, she has recently become comfortable with her femininity, and has brought e.l.f Cosmetics as a sponsor.
The make-up brand wanted Legge to drive a pink car, which she was against at first but now admits “changed the game”. She said this helped female fans of the sport feel more represented and opened up about seeing fans wearing pink jerseys and having young girls come up to her.
“I can be feminine, I can be whoever I am and still be a bad*** race car driver, it doesn’t change anything,” she explained.