Legge: “It Always Seems To Go In Waves”

Given her experience level in various series and forms of machinery, it’s interesting to note Katherine Legge will still have a pair of “firsts” this weekend at Road America.

She’ll have her first double-duty weekend in North America, as she’ll race in today’s TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with the rebuilt DeltaWing DWC13 coupe, after making her Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge debut with Compass360 Racing’s Honda Civic Si on Saturday. The latter appearance marked her first time in a front-wheel drive car.

It’s a unique weekend for Legge, whose recent years in motorsport have been defined by a general lack of seat time and yet this one, she’ll be one of the busiest drivers in the IMSA paddock.

“I’m very grateful to both DeltaWing and Compass360/HPD for allowing me to do this,” Legge told Sportscar365. “Obviously, I have to be very on top of my scheduling. But yeah, I’m getting a lot of seat time.

“It always seems to go in waves. You don’t drive anything for ages – we haven’t raced the DeltaWing since Mosport – and obviously it’s a new car now. To drive the Civic should be an amazing experience. I’ve never driven a front-wheel drive car before.”

What Legge lacks in experience with the Civic, or with the rebuilt DeltaWing – Friday’s practice marked both her and Andy Meyrick’s first time in the car since its unfortunate fire at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last month – she gains in track experience at Road America.

Three past open-wheel starts and a breakout race with the Élan-powered DeltaWing here a year ago – when both she and Meyrick led overall in the open-top spyder’s finale – leave her with a wealth of knowledge heading into this weekend’s pair of races.

Perhaps her biggest learning point this weekend came in the CTSC race, where she was in the abnormal spot of dealing with faster GS cars overtaking her ST car.

“It’s something you have to take responsibility for on your own,” Legge said. “You’ve got to be very aware of what’s going on around you. Of course it’s easier to drive a faster car than to be looking over your mirrors. But it’s a different art, and we should be fine.”

Her co-driver James Vance made it from 31st and last on the grid to eighth in his stint; although Legge fell back to 24th once the car pitted, she rebounded to 10th by the end of the race. Today, she and Meyrick look to improve upon a breakout fifth place overall result in last year’s American Le Mans Series race.