Tag Archives: Katherine Legge

She’s giving women a Legge up in IndyCar

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IndyCar driver Katherine Legge, 32, will be in Dragon Racing's No. 6 car in Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

IndyCar driver Katherine Legge, 32, will be in Dragon Racing's No. 6 car in Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

In the post-Danica Patrick era, IndyCar still has plenty of Girl Power. And a new initiative is intended to put more women into race cars – and, hopefully, Victory Lane.

Katherine Legge, one of the world’s most respected female drivers, leads the pack rising through racing’s ranks. A rookie in the IndyCar series, the former ChampCar veteran will drive Dragon Racing’s No. 6 car in Sunday’s Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

Legge, 32, also is the marquee driver for TrueCar Racing’s Women Empowered Initiative, the world’s first all-female racing team.

“I’ve been involved with it since the beginning,” Legge said. “It’s been a fantastic journey.

“I thought it would be a ‘Girl Power’ thing – and it has – but guys also get really interested in it. Men have sisters, mothers, daughters. They’ve really gotten on board with it as well.”

Legge and her TrueCar teammates visited Sacramento on Wednesday on their way to Sonoma. Besides IndyCar, they also race in Star Mazda (Ashley Freiberg), USF2000 (Shannon McIntosh), World Challenge (Shea Holbrook), Mazda MX-5 Cup (Emilee Tominovich) and Rally America (Verena Mei). Holbrook will compete in Saturday’s Cadillac Grand Prix at Sonoma.

Most have been racing since grade school.

“You still definitely get guys who can’t handle being behind you,” Freiberg said. “That gets better as you go up the ladder.”

Said McIntosh: “Obviously, you want to be recognized as a driver. But in marketing, (being a woman) plays such a big role.”

Mei took a different route.

“I was a poster model in the automotive industry,” she said. “But I decided I’d rather race and sent myself through racing school.”

Mei became a stunt driver and competed in drifting before moving to rally cars.

Women can compete head to head with men in racing, Legge said.

“Driving is not about outright strength,” Legge said, “but about reflexes and ability. But Danica (now in NASCAR) so far has been the only one with equal opportunity.

“But there are a number of really good female drivers coming up through the ranks, not just in America but around the world. We will get to the point where women will win the Indy 500. We’ll be the ones who made the difference and helped get them there.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/23/4749811/shes-giving-women-a-legge-up-in.html#storylink=cpy

Scott Dixon wins IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio; Will Power takes over points lead

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Winner Scott Dixon gets doused on the podiun by runner-up Will Power, left and third-place finisher Simon Pagenaud.

Winner Scott Dixon gets doused on the podiun by runner-up Will Power, left and third-place finisher Simon Pagenaud.

Lexington, Ohio — The IndyCar points leaders took a big hit Sunday, and the points race is much tighter because of it. Defending Mid-Ohio race champion Scott Dixon took the lead in the pits on lap 57 ahead of pole-sitter Will Power, then led the parade in the final 28 laps of the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio to defend his crown.

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who came in leading the points standings, and Helio Castroneves, who was second, finished 24th and 16th, respectively, leaving the championship race in a bottleneck with three races left.

Power, who finished second, leaped from third to first (379) in the title chase with 379 points. Hunter-Reay (374) is second and Castroneves (353) is third. Dixon (351) remains fourth, but the 61 points that separated the top four drivers going into the race has been whittled to 28.

“That’s crazy for this time of year,” Dixon said of the close points race. “It’s going to be a tough end of the year, but we’re pumped.”

For the second straight IndyCar race, it was green flag from start to finish as the tight and narrow Mid-Ohio course limited passing opportunities among the leaders. That was made to order for Dixon, who started fourth but has a history of pristine efforts at Mid-Ohio. He has now won at the 13-turn, 2.25-mile circuit in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

For this one, the New Zealand native never made a pass on the track, but still saw the checkered flag first.

Rain early in the day delayed pre-race practice. Once the cars got on the track, it became a slip and slide affair for many of them as more than one driver spun in a corner or slid off line into a sand pit.

When the race began, two drivers were already in the penalty box as both Castroneves and Alex Tagliani were dropped to the back of the starting grid — Castroneves to 14th, Tagliani to 23rd — for unapproved engine changes. Hunter-Reay had no such problems, starting seventh. But engine woes midway through the race would cost him dearly as he finished only 79 of the 85 laps.

Power sat on the pole and led the first 57 laps. Dixon moved from fourth to second on lap 28 when two drivers in front of him — Dario Franchitti and Sebastian Bourdais pitted, leaving him behind Power.

Dixon remained second until the final pit stop of the day on lap. Both he and Power pitted at the same time, with Dixon’s stall right behind Power’s. Dixon’s crew got the job done quicker, and Dixon was on his way out of his pit stall and beside Power as the leader came off his jacks. That’s as close as Power would get to the front the rest of the day.

“I knew that would be a tough pit, both on the same lap,” Power said.

Both he and Dixon noted Mid-Ohio has the smallest, tightest pit boxes in the series, meaning Power had the disadvantage of slowing down, then going around Dixon’s crew while Dixon, with the pit box behind him empty, could slide in on the fly.

“You realize going in it’s going to be tight,” Power said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. That’s racing. Still, it was a very good day. That was everything we had. Definitely a good points day.”

Dixon won by 3.46 seconds, with Power leading 57 laps, Dixon 26, and James Hinchcliffe leading two during pit stop rotations. This also proved to be the first time since 1987 that two straight IndyCar races were run without a caution flag.

Add ‘em up: IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard spoke briefly with the media before the race and said he wants to increase the number of races next season. There are 15 in 2012 after China earlier this year bailed out of a race scheduled for Aug. 19.

“We have to have a minimum of 19 races,” Bernard began. “I think we have to be able to bring more attention to these drivers and these sponsors.”

Interestingly, Mike Lanigan, promoter for the Cleveland Grand Prix, that last was run in 2008, was at Mid-Ohio and well aware of IndyCar’s wishes. The promoter already has a race in Houston locked into the 2013 open-wheel schedule. Asked about Cleveland, his response was, “I haven’t given up.”

The big stumbling block for Cleveland’s return remains the same, which is finding a title sponsor.

Good news for Legge: Katherine Legge, the former Polestar protege now with IndyCar’s Dragon Racing Team, has been somewhat on the sidelines since the Indianapolis 500 as the race team had just one Chevrolet engine to share between Legge and teammate Bourdais. Since Bourdais is the more accomplished road racer, and most of the races since Indy have been street courses, Legge has sat.

No more. Team owner Jay Penske announced Sunday the team has secured a second engine from Chevy for Legge to race in Sonoma, Calif., a street race. That will give her two straight events behind the wheel, as an oval at Infineon Raceway follows that.

“Obviously I’m thrilled to get back behind the wheel of my TrueCar Chevrolet in Sonoma and also to get the opportunity to test there prior to the race,” Legge said. “We’re all racers and anytime you have to sit out a race it’s tough, but we’ve been doing the best with the situation and hopefully we will be able to get the results we know we’re capable of in Sonoma.”

Legge back at Sonoma

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Legge back at SonomaDragon Racing announced Sunday it has secured a second Chevrolet Indy V6 engine for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, with Katherine Legge back on a road or street course for the first time since Brazil in April. It’s the first two-car effort for Dragon since Indianapolis, when the team switched from Lotus to Chevrolet powerplants.

“I am extremely grateful to Chevrolet for making this second engine available so we can return to a full team effort in Sonoma,” said Jay Penske, owner of Dragon Racing. “When we began the season in St. Pete it was our plan to run a full season with both the No. 6 and No. 7 TrueCar Dragon Racing entries, but due to circumstances beyond our control we had to reduce the effort to one car with the driving duties being shared among Katherine (Legge) and Sebastian (Bourdais). With the team back to full strength we are all really looking forward to competing in Sonoma, the home track for our sponsors andpartners, McAfee, Microsoft, and TrueCar.”

“Obviously I’m thrilled to get back behind the wheel of my TrueCar Chevrolet in Sonoma and also to get the opportunity to test there prior to the race,” said Katherine, “We’re all racers and anytime you have to sit out a race its tough, but we’ve been doing the best with the situation and hopefully we will be able to get the results we know we’re capable of in Sonoma.”

“Sonoma is a very important market to both TrueCar and our new partner  Virgin, so it was important to have Katherine back behind the wheel as part of our TrueCar Racing Women Empowered Initiative,” said Scott Painter, CEO of TrueCar. “Our women’s initiative racing program is a vital part of the TrueCar fabric and a strong representation of our brand and beliefs.  We couldn’t be happier to see Katherine back on track in Sonoma and again in Fontana.”

Katherine Legge returns as Dragon gets back to two cars for Sonoma IndyCar race

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Katherine LeggeDragon Racing will revert to a two-car line-up for the Sonoma IndyCar race later this month after securing a second Chevrolet engine for Katherine Legge.

Legge and Sebastien Bourdais formed a two-car line-up at the start of the season, but Dragon was forced to cut back to one entry after switching its engine deal from Lotus to Chevrolet, with Legge scheduled to drive the oval races, and Bourdais taking the wheel on road and street courses.

“I am extremely grateful to Chevrolet for making this second engine available so we can return to a full team effort in Sonoma,” said team owner Jay Penske.

“When we began the season at St Pete it was our plan to run a full season with both the #6 and #7 entries, but due to circumstances beyond our control we had to reduce the effort to one car. We are really looking forward to competing in Sonoma.”

Legge said that she was pleased to be getting an additional race under her belt.

“Obviously I’m thrilled to get back behind the wheel at Sonoma, and also to get the opportunity to test there prior to the race,” she said. “We’re all racers, and anytime you have to sit out a race, it’s tough. But we’ve been doing our best with the situation, and hopefully we’ll get the results we know we’re capable of in Sonoma.”

The team will revert to a single car for Bourdais at the following round in Baltimore, with Legge due to complete the season at the Fontana finale.

By Mark Glendenning

Chevy provides an engine for Legge at Sonoma

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Chevy provides an engine for Legge at Sonoma

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Katherine Legge stood in a corner of the Dragon Racing garage, watching the crew prepare the No. 7 TrueCar car for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and waiting for a break in the thunderstorm to keep a breakfast reservation.

It was a metaphor for the 31-year-old Brit’s first IZOD IndyCar Series season.

After competing in the first five races (the initial four with a Lotus engine before Dragon Racing switched to Chevrolet in mid-May), she has shared the car and its Chevrolet 2.2-liter, twin turbocharged V6 engine with Sebastien Bourdais. He’s driven in the four road/street course races since the Indianapolis 500 on May 27. She’s driven in the three oval races since competing in her first 500 Mile Race.

Thanks to Chevrolet providing a second engine to the team for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Aug. 24-26, Legge will compete in her first road course race since Barber in early April. She’ll join 22 others in testing at the recently reconfigured circuit Aug. 17, and with the addition of Legge and Sebastian Saavedra in an AFS/Andretti Autosport entry the field will swell to 27.

“We’re hugely grateful to Chevrolet for stepping up at Indy and now giving us two engines for Sonoma,” said Legge, who has a best finish of 15th (Texas, Iowa) in her eight races. “We’d be in a pretty dire situation without their help.

“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from outside the car and support the team. It’s an exercise in patience because I’d much rather be driving. But you have to make the best of the situation and that’s what we’re all trying to do.”

Legge did a few laps at Sonoma during testing July 12, though Bourdais “spent the day testing and setting the car up,” she said. The upcoming day on the course (open to the public and free) will be her first full test since Sebring International in early March.

“I’ll be able to make some improvements and adjustments on the car myself and learn the track,” said Legge, who’s also scheduled to compete in the season finale Sept. 15 at Auto Club Speedway. “I’ve been training hard because (Sonoma) is a physical place. When you’re in the car (regularly), you keep fit by driving in addition to working out. I’m very excited.”

Modifications to the course include:
• The entrance to Turn 11 will be extended 200 feet before drivers encounter the hairpin. This will give drivers more space to out-brake each other and set up a passing opportunity before the right-hand Turn 12. The geometry of the modified Turn 11 will mirror the shorter turn used for the IZOD IndyCar Series in previous years.
• The exit of Turn 9 (aka The Bus Stop) will be widened by 10 feet to 50 feet on drivers’ left.
• At Turn 7, instead of the looping right-hander where drivers could maintain speed, they will now encounter a hairpin similar to Turn 11.

The modifications will make the IZOD IndyCar Series circuit 2.31 miles (it had been 2.303 miles) and 12 turns. The race distance will increase from 75 to 85 laps.

“I am extremely grateful to Chevrolet for making this second engine available so we can return to a full team effort in Sonoma,” Dragon Racing owner Jay Penske said. “When we began the season in St. Pete it was our plan to run a full season with both the Nos. 6 and 7 TrueCar Dragon Racing entries, but due to circumstances beyond our control we had to reduce the effort to one car with the driving duties being shared among Katherine and Sebastien.

“With the team back to full strength, we are all really looking forward to competing in Sonoma, the home track for our sponsors and partners, McAfee, Microsoft, and TrueCar.”

By Dave Lewandowski

INDYCAR: Dragon Adds Entry For Legge At Sonoma

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Dragon Racing announced today that they have secured a second Chevrolet Indy V6 engine for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

Dragon Adds Entry For Legge At Sonoma

Jay Penske, left, has struck a deal with Chevy to add a second entry for Katherine Legge, right, at Sonoma. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)

Dragon Racing, the IndyCar team owned by Jay Penske announced today that they have secured a second Chevrolet Indy V6 engine for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma and will now be entering two cars at the raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on August 26.

“I am extremely grateful to Chevrolet for making this second engine available so we can return to a full team effort in Sonoma,” said Jay Penske, owner of Dragon Racing. “When we began the season in St. Pete it was our plan to run a full season with both the #6 and #7 TrueCar Dragon Racing entries, but due to circumstances beyond our control we had to reduce the effort to one car with the driving duties being shared among Katherine (Legge) and Sebastian (Bourdais). With the team back to full strength we are all really looking forward to competing in Sonoma, the home track for our sponsors and partners, McAfee, Microsoft, and TrueCar.”

“Obviously I’m thrilled to get back behind the wheel of my TrueCar Chevrolet in Sonoma and also to get the opportunity to test there prior to the race,” said Katherine, “We’re all racers and anytime you have to sit out a race its tough, but we’ve been doing the best with the situation and hopefully we will be able to get the results we know we’re capable of in Sonoma.”

“Sonoma is a very important market to both TrueCar and our new partner Virgin, so it was important to have Katherine back behind the wheel as part of our TrueCar Racing Women Empowered Initiative,” said Scott Painter, CEO of TrueCar. “Our women’s initiative racing program is a vital part of the TrueCar fabric and a strong representation of our brand and beliefs. We couldn’t be happier to see Katherine back on track in Sonoma and again in Fontana.

Dragon Racing to Return as a Two Car Team in Sonoma

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Katherine Legge to be back in the #6 Dragon Racing TrueCar Chevrolet
August 5, 2012, Lexington, OH – Dragon Racing, the IndyCar team owned by Jay Penske announced today that they have secured a second Chevrolet IndyV6 engine for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma and will now be entering two cars at the raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on August 26.

“I am extremely grateful to Chevrolet for making this second engine available so we can return to a full team effort in Sonoma,” said Jay Penske, owner of Dragon Racing. “When we began the season in St. Pete it was our plan to run a full season with both the #6 and #7 TrueCar Dragon Racing entries, but due to circumstances beyond our control we had to reduce the effort to one car with the driving duties being shared among Katherine (Legge) and Sebastian (Bourdais). With the team back to full strength we are all really looking forward to competing in Sonoma, the home track for our sponsors and partners, McAfee, Microsoft, and TrueCar.”

“Obviously I’m thrilled to get back behind the wheel of my TrueCar Chevrolet in Sonoma and also to get the opportunity to test there prior to the race,” said Katherine, “We’re all racers and anytime you have to sit out a race its tough, but we’ve been doing the best with the situation and hopefully we will be able to get the results we know we’re capable of in Sonoma.”

“Sonoma is a very important market to both TrueCar and our new partner Virgin, so it was important to have Katherine back behind the wheel as part of our TrueCar Racing Women Empowered Initiative,” said Scott Painter, CEO of TrueCar. “Our women’s initiative racing program is a vital part of the TrueCar fabric and a strong representation of our brand and beliefs. We couldn’t be happier to see Katherine back on track in Sonoma and again in Fontana.
About Dragon Racing:
Dragon Racing is an IndyCar Series team owned by Jay Penske, who is also 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 lead strategic sponsors Microsoft, TrueCar, and McAfee and has two entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series: 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, contact Dragon Racing at: press@dragonracing.com

TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES HINDER TRUECAR RACING AT LONG BEACH

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TRUECAR RACING PRESS RELEASE

On-track debris and engine issues hamper Katherine Legge’s performance at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach; she finishes 19th at street circuit

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 15, 2012 – Katherine Legge, driver of the No. 6 TrueCar Lotus Dallara DW12 had a difficult race at the IZOD IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach today Continue reading →

Five Drivers With Women In The Winner’s Circle Ties Selected For Truecar ‘Women Empowered’ Initiative

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FROM PADDOCKTALK.COM

The recently unveiled “Women Empowered” initiative from TrueCar, Inc., which provides sponsorship to six female racers at various levels of North American motorsport, includes five drivers with strong ties to the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation.

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Katherine Legge, Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear driver Ashley Freiberg, Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda racer Shannon McIntosh, Pirelli World Challenge Championships driver Shea Holbrook and Rally American Series driver Verena Mei are associated with the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation established by Lyn St. James to help women achieve their goals in motorsports.

“I want to congratulate TrueCar, Inc. for creating this remarkable motorsports campaign with its sponsorship of six women racers in six different professional racing series,” said St. James, the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. “After watching so many women racers struggle to secure funding just to get in a race car, now these drivers know they have the support to run a full season with proper race teams, which is history making. Too often, women drivers are only able to secure short term deals, and generally aren’t funded well enough to have a competitive effort.”

Appropriately, the new program launched in March, which is “Women’s History Month.” McIntosh opened her 2012 season at Sebring International Raceway on March 13-17, while Legge, Holbrook and Freiberg opened their respective seasons last weekend at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. All six of the “Women Empowered” drivers, which also includes SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup Series driver Emilee Tominovich, participated in a meet-and-greet and autograph session during the weekend at St. Pete.

Three of the drivers – Freiberg, McIntosh and Holbrook – are graduates of the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation’s Complete Driver Academy, which is the most comprehensive educational and training program of its kind for talented women race drivers who aspire to the professional levels of motorsports. The Academy’s two-fold purpose is to identify potential champion women drivers who have demonstrated success on the track and have a desire to pursue a career in professional motorsports; and create an experience that will provide the tools to further women drivers’ careers in motorsports as well as enhance their lives on and off the track.

“It’s ironic how things turn full circle,” said Holbrook, who claimed her first World Challenge victory last year at Long Beach. “At the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, I was talking to a group of kids about how important it is for anybody in any profession to find confidence, knowledge about the industry, have an elevator speech, and business cards! All of those things I learned at Lyn’s Women in the Winners Circle development program. Lyn’s program helped give me the foundation I have today. Without it I wouldn’t be where I am today nor would I have accomplished everything I have so far. Having passion and perseverance really does go a long way. I feel very fortunate to have Lyn as a mentor and friend.”

Freiberg, McIntosh, Holbrook, Mei and Legge have all been featured at the annual Women in the Winner’s Circle awards celebration, and Legge, Freiberg and McIntosh are featured in the organization’s traveling exhibit. St. James and Legge, who is driving the TrueCar Lotus/Dallara for Dragon Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, have a relationship that dates back to Legge’s earliest efforts to launch a racing career in North America.

“Lyn has been an inspiration and a role model for myself and many other young drivers both male and female,” Legge said. “She has opened many doors before us and continues to help and support the up and coming young talent in the racing arena. She was the first person I called when I came to the USA and is still the first I call when I need guidance. She is a rock star!”

McIntosh and Legge are back in action this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, while Holbrook’s next event is a tripleheader at Miller Motorsports Park on April 27-29. Mei returns to action at the Oregon Trail Rally in Portland, Ore. on May 4-6, and Freiberg’s next event is the prestigious “Night Before the 500″ at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis on May 26.

“I look forward to watching them as the season progresses,” St. James concluded. “I know they’ve worked hard and are prepared for the challenges ahead. Without having this opportunity, they know they might be watching from the sidelines, or just struggling to get on the racetrack.”

Barber Race Recap

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FROM TRUECAR RACING PRESS RELEASE

TRUECAR RACING LEAVES ALABAMA WITH VALUABLE EXPERIENCE

Katherine Legge finishes 23rd in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and Ashley Freiberg finishes 11th and 12th in two Star Mazda races at Barber

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 30, 2012 – Katherine Legge and Ashley Freiberg, driving for TrueCar Racing’s “Women Empowered” initiative, had mixed results at Barber Motorsports Park today but both drivers left with a wealth of experience and a positive outlook for the season. In the IZOD IndyCar series, Katherine Legge (Dragon Racing) finished 23rd in the weekend’s marquee event – the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – while Ashley Freiberg (JDC Motorsports) left with 11th- and 12th-place finishes in the two Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear races held today.

Legge, driver of the No. 6 TrueCar Lotus Dallara DW12, started 24th but had difficulty advancing much further throughout the 90-lap event. A lack of test time has put her and her team at a distinct disadvantage, and thus Legge and Dragon Racing have been experimenting (more than what is normal during a race) with tires, tire pressures and bar settings to optimize the car.

“We’re learning about the car during races,” said Legge. “When I got in a gap, our lap times were pretty comparable with everybody else, which means that we’re improving. But I don’t think we are up to speed yet. We need another couple of races or at least have some testing like everybody else out there.”

Legge suffered from traction issues for much of the race – won by Will Power, last year’s defending race winner – but the team was ultimately able to find a good setup for the car. Unfortunately it was not enough to make much of a difference in the race as by that point Legge was no longer on the lead lap.

“One time we got it right – on the red (tires) – but the problem was because everyone pitted really late, the first set of tires were completely shot (by that time),” said Legge. “Then I had to get off-line to let a car pass, so I went into the marbles and then it would take a half a lap to clear them up. By the time they were gone another car would go past and it was back into the marbles so it was a complete disaster. In the middle of the race – for about 10 laps – we were okay and then we tried something else with the next set of tires. So again we had entry oversteer and traction problems at the rear of the car. But we at least learned something.”

Legge’s TrueCar Racing teammate Ashley Freiberg, made several late-race passes in both Star Mazda events (22 laps each) she competed in. She was able to advance her #91 Star Mazda three positions in the first race (from 14th to 11th) and two in the second race (from 14th to 12th). The first race was won by Jack Hawksworth, and the second – which was rescheduled from Friday because of rain – was taken by Martin Scuncio. Freiberg was fairly pleased with her performance but is hoping for better the next time around.

“I didn’t get the best start on the second race so I fell back a couple of positions,” said Freiberg. “I had the same strategy for both races, though, which was to try and keep my tires as good as I could for as long as I could. I was battling pretty good with Carlos (Linares). I had good entry speed but he would have good exit speed so neither of us really had much on the other. Basically the whole race I was strategizing on how to get around him and then on the last lap I did.

“This track is really tough on tires and they fall off quickly,” stated Freiberg. “I did the same for the first race, hoping others would wear their tires out before me. My car was oversteering at the beginning of race one, which burned out the rears fairly quickly, so we worked on mitigating that for the afternoon event.”

Freiberg gets a break (but will test in the coming weeks) as the Star Mazda series does not run again until May 25-26 at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis. However, Legge must jump back into it as she goes with the IZOD IndyCar Series to Long Beach, where she has had considerable success – one win in the Toyota Atlantic Series in 2005 and two top-ten finishes there (in Champ Car) in 2006 and 2007.

“I feel better going into Long Beach,” said Legge. “I know that track; I didn’t know St. Pete or Barber so I feel a bit more confident. I also feel a little bit more convinced that we’ve learned a more about the car and I’ve gotten to know it a little better. But I still don’t think that we’re anywhere near where we should be. The team is doing everything in their power to get where we need to be, but it will take time.”

The next IZOD IndyCar series race takes place on Sunday, April 15th, at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The rest of the TrueCar ladies will get a break from racing until Shea Holbrook and the Pirelli World Challenge take to the track at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah during the weekend of April 27-29.

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 (@TrueCar) and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook and Google+.

TrueCar Prepares for Next Round of Racing in Alabama

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From: The Sacremento Bee (TrueCar Racing press release)

TrueCar Racing’s “Women Empowered” drivers take part in IndyCar practice and Star Mazda qualifying/racing today at Barber Motorsports Park

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 30, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — The TrueCar Racing team will be hitting the track for the second weekend in a row, at least in part, as Katherine Legge (Dragon Racing) and Ashley Freiberg (JDC Motorsports) prepare to compete at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

Legge, who is going into her second race in the IZOD IndyCar series (after a three-year hiatus from open-wheel racing to compete in Germany’s DTM series,) has never raced at the track before but is learning from her Dragon Racing teammate Sebastien Bourdais, who finished 11th in the IndyCar series race here last year.  She has also spent a considerable amount of time learning the track through race driving simulators.
“I’m looking forward to racing here because it reminds me a lot of European tracks – very green, very hilly and smooth,” said Legge, driver of the No. 6 TrueCar Lotus Dallara DW12.  “It looks fantastic.  I’ve been driving the simulator at home so with the limited testing we’ve had I think that’s really important.”

The team has only been able to test one full day thus far and is working hard to put themselves on par with the rest of the field.  Legge remains optimistic and is happy for the track time she will gain this weekend, starting with several practice sessions today.

“Obviously we are still in a testing process and I think this weekend we’ll probably have similar issues to the ones we had at St. Pete,” explained Legge, referring to the previous race at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where her car suffered from engine management issues and overheated. “We haven’t had much time to fix that at this point. The objective is to keep learning and keep moving forward; that’s what we can realistically expect right now.”

Legge’s TrueCar Racing teammate Ashley Freiberg, however, has been able to experience Barber first-hand and is excited about returning to the 16-turn, 2.38-mile road course near Birmingham, Alabama.  She will qualify her #91 Star Mazda today and compete in two Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear races this weekend, Race 1 tonight and Race 2 on Sunday.

“The track is really challenging – a lot of high-speed flowing corners, many elevation changes and a lot of blind corners where you can’t see the exits,” said Freiberg. “I’ve raced here before (with the Skip Barber Race Series) but it’s going to be a completely different experience.  Those cars have treaded tires.  These Star Mazda cars run on racing slicks, so I’m learning how when you put a new set of slicks on how to get the most out of it in two laps – when the tires are giving their peak performance.  You can go about two and a half seconds faster per lap at that point.  That’s been a big part of the learning curve.  Getting used to the downforce is too – Skip Barber cars don’t have any downforce and these cars have a fair amount.”

The Star Mazda Championship races take place this weekend at 4:45 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, March 30th, and at 10:20 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday, April 1st.  IZOD IndyCar Series qualifying takes place on Saturday, March 31st with the race being held on Sunday, April 1st at 1:00 p.m. (CDT) and will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.

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 (@TrueCar) and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook and Google+.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/30/4379689/truecar-prepares-for-next-round.html#storylink=cpy