IndyCar: Q&A With Katherine Legge After Her Test at TMS
–Press Release–
On Monday, April 3, Katherine Legge drove the No. 44 Hendrickson Dallara/Honda/Firestone entry for the first time during her speedway evaluation test prior to attempting to qualify for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Following is a Q&A about her preparation since her program was announced on February 9.
PREPARATION PRIOR TO THE TEST
“There has been a lot of preparation before the test and actually since the beginning of the year. I’ve definitely upped my training in all areas, but mostly upper body strength, core strength and neck strength. It’s been a while since I’ve been in one of these cars so you can do quite a lot to get physically prepared but there is no substitute for actually driving the car which is why it was so nice to test at Texas. We’ve also had a lot of meetings. I had to learn about this car because it is totally different to the car that I last drove. All the buttons are totally different and obviously technology has come on so far that they had to bring me up to speed on those. We also had a day in the sim which was great. It was a half day at Texas and half day at Indy which was great to prepare me but also to do some testing so it’s been a really professional preparation period from every standpoint from the team, bringing me up to speed progressively but also swiftly.”
THE BENEFIT OF THE REFRESHER TEST AT TEXAS
“The team invited me to the Texas race and, obviously, to test after the race, for a number of reasons. Firstly, because INDYCAR mandates a speedway evaluation test, or in this case a refresher, and I needed that. It was really good to do that without too many other cars on track. There was only the other team car on track. From a team standpoint, it was good to learn the structure of the team, how the team works on a race weekend, get to know my teammates and integrate myself a little. Just from a learning purpose to see how things progress throughout a race, it gives you an oversight and a bigger level of comfort going into my own race at Indy and I think the test was great for so many different reasons. For me personally, it was really good to get back in the car and shake off the cobwebs, gain confidence and learn all the procedural things like pit stops, buttons get back in during a low pressure, low stress environment. And from a team standpoint, any time we are turning laps on track, we’re learning. Hopefully it bodes well for Indy.”
MINDSET FOR THE TEST
“My mindset for the test, quite frankly, was telling myself not to be nervous and to be confident and so when you start to let thoughts creep into your head you have to put them aside. It was really important for me to build a strong foundation for this year’s Indy 500 which means doing every step of the way progressively, professionally and building it block by block so I approached it methodically. I wasn’t out to prove myself in the first couple of runs but it came back very quickly which also builds confidence and I felt very comfortable in the car after a couple of runs so I think that’s testament to the team and how they performed as well. Nobody babied me but everybody expected me to get up to speed so you have to live up to those expectations, which was nice. At the end of the day, it’s the highest level of motorsport so you have a job to do and you have to control your mind and your body in order to do that job.”
INITIAL THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST RUN
“My first thought when I left pit lane was ‘Wow, I do not remember it being this fast!’ I was in awe of how incredible it was and what a feeling it is. It did not hold though as you get comfortable relatively quickly. But even on the last runs of the day, you still have a healthy respect for how fast Texas really is and you’re still in awe of the speed at which these cars can run but you feel a little more relaxed at knowing you have the capability of doing it. At the beginning its very much like being a deer in headlights but it soon comes back.”
OUTCOME OF THE TEST AND NEXT STEPS
“I think the test went really well. I think the team are happy and that we made some strides forward with both myself and also the car. Hopefully we can take some of that and it will translate at the Indy open test. We will look at data and put a plan together for the Indy open test. We’re also on the simulator before the test so there is yet more time to prepare. There will be more debriefs, meetings and pre-event reports and then get back on track for two days to continue to learn before opening day for the Indy 500. I’m looking forward to every bit of it.”