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Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Katherine Legge feels 'passionate' about NASCAR transition
Katherine Legge has raced anything and everything. Her storied career includes four Indianapolis 500 starts, most recently in 2024. She found success in sports cars, competing in multiple endurance classics, such as the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. With last month's Indy 500 not on Legge's racing radar in 2025, she switched her attention to NASCAR. It's a move that happened by chance, though she first felt the adrenaline of stock car racing in 2018, making four Xfinity Series starts for JD Motorsports. Advertisement She fell in love with stock cars immediately, with a best finish of 14th at Road America. 'I loved it and wanted to do more, I just didn't know how to go about it,' Legge told about her move to NASCAR. 'I'm lucky that my sponsors pivoted with me and we're all in on NASCAR. 'It was something that I felt incredibly passionate about doing. I have so much fun doing it and am so motivated. I'm working hard at it. I really want to make this home.' RELATED: e.l.f. Cosmetics to sponsor Legge for multiple Cup, Xfinity races The joy for Legge in her first go-around was jostling the heavy cars around road courses. Her oval debut in NASCAR came at Richmond Raceway in 2018, finishing 28th in a 40-car field. Advertisement 'It's super fun to drive the cars; you were wrestling with them the whole time,' Legge reflects on her initial voyage. 'It's like Champ Car — we had to wrestle those beasts around the track. '[NASCAR is] not easy. It's one of the hardest championships to chase in the world because of the strength and depth. There are so many good drivers over here that are widely versed in stock car racing.' Legge began hunting for rides in February when the 2025 season began. She made her Cup debut for Live Fast Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway, though she was initially eyeing Circuit of The Americas one week prior as her first attempt. Her initial race didn't go as planned as she was involved in multiple incidents and contacted Daniel Suárez in the process, ending his day. 'It was a big uphill battle, but I respect the challenge and am not blind that it is a challenge going in with a team that wants to set out to be a entry to people like me into Cup,' Legge said. 'They know where they are at and what they want to achieve. It was going to be my first foray and fly under the radar and that didn't happen. I wanted to use it to gain experience.' Katherine Legge smiles next to her NASCAR Cup Series car. After bowing out of full-time competition, Live Fast team owner BJ McLeod wants to turn his part-time entry into a developmental ride to help rising talent. He's aware of Legge's credentials and hopes to get her acclimated, with their next opportunity slated for Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Advertisement MORE: Mexico City schedule | Cup Series entry list for Mexico City 'It's the toughest thing that she's ever come across,' McLeod said of Legge adapting to the Cup Series. 'I don't know that she would tell you that, but I can tell you that the group of drivers that get to do [Cup] every week are truly some of the best drivers in the world. All of them are that good. Not one, not 20, not 30, all 36 or however many are there. They truly are that good, and it makes it extremely difficult for her because even if she's equally as talented, she doesn't get to race every week. She is the only part-timer that's trying to get out there, get up to speed and she has very limited stock car experience.' Chevrolet paired Legge with Jordan Anderson Racing in the Xfinity Series following her introduction to Cup racing. The goal was to get the England native more starts. In addition to full-time drivers Jeb Burton and Blaine Perkins, Anderson occasionally fields a third entry. With limited on-track experience, he believes Legge has done a masterful job getting up to speed, even though the results would indicate otherwise. Advertisement 'I know she's been baptized through fire coming in this way,' Anderson said. 'With [25] minutes of practice, it's hard enough to learn a track, let alone a new car. 'The speed is there if we make her comfortable. I've been impressed with her time in the sim and how she adapts and the things she picks up, the time she has spent studying. This isn't a fly-by-night project for her; she's wanting to prove her worth and come in here and learn and do the right things.' It was key that Legge diversified her schedule. She also wanted to run consecutively, beginning with NASCAR's return to Rockingham Speedway. She failed to qualify, but the team struck a deal with Joey Gase Motorsports to field her. She led a lap in her second start at Talladega Superspeedway and was running midpack when she was collected in a multicar incident that began towards the front of the field. She has DNF'd in three of four starts and failed to qualify in the series' most recent race at Nashville Superspeedway. 'It's been good, bad and indifferent,' Legge said. 'I have been taken out in every race in some form or another. The only one that I think was down to me was Phoenix, which started it all. After that, it's been a lot of carnage.' Katherine Legge drives an Xfinity Series car at Talladega. Legge is delighted that her two car owners are fellow racers with McLeod and Anderson. She has leaned on them, along with AJ Allmendinger, whom she's known for two decades, and Xfinity veteran Justin Allgaier. Advertisement Compared to other racing series, Legge believes breaking into NASCAR is the hardest. She has limited oval starts and is going to new venues. The divisions are also stacked with established talent. 'NASCAR is especially challenging for the sheer number of good drivers,' Legge added. 'It's a tough beast to tame, but I'm up for the challenge.' While overcoming multiple hurdles in Legge's short NASCAR stint, she has learned plenty about herself. She is up for any racing task, though she believes she was humbled in some ways. 'I thought that I was a lot better than I am,' Legge admitted with a chuckle. 'I have no doubt that I'll get there. But how quickly? I thought I would drive the car a couple of times and then be up at the sharp end, but it's taking a little longer than I anticipated.' Advertisement The next beast for Legge to tame is the Cup Series' international debut at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this weekend, again competing for Live Fast. Her second half of the season continues filling up, with Cup starts at the Chicago Street Race, Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Richmond Raceway on the docket. She has a pair of Xfinity Series races left in the No. 32 car at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though she is trying to bulk up her racing allotment. MORE: Cup Series schedule | Xfinity Series schedule The goals for the upcoming events are to log laps and gain experience. 'Bottom line, I'm not going there looking to outpace anyone,' McLeod admitted. 'What I'm expecting is to go there and give her a solid car so that she can learn and develop her skills and try to get her closer to reaching her goals.' Legge hopes to go full time at some point in NASCAR, though she isn't shutting the door on running the Indy 500 again.
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Stay at this $75,000-a-night private island comes with this rare Ferrari
The scaled-down electric icon Ferrari will be there for a year. It was developed from the original drawings of the original, which conquered the 1000km in Buenos Aires and the 12 Hours of Sebring with the driving duo Phil Hill and Peter Collins. On top of the car, guests can also enjoy bespoke menus and up-close-and-personal encounters with wild turtles and whale sharks. The cost of staying on the island varies, but reports suggest it is around $75,000 a night. The post Stay at this $75,000-a-night private island comes with this rare Ferrari appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
Belfast Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Dan Harper pledges to ‘give it everything' to get GTD Pro title bid back on track
Part of the Paul Miller Racing Team, the Hillsborough driver has impressed at the controls of BMW Motorsport's M4 GT3 Evo in the opening salvos of the stateside competition. He clinched a first-ever podium result at March's 12 Hours of Sebring with Max Hesse and Jesse Krohn along with a full quota of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup points. That went some way to make up for the disappointment the trio had to endure at January's curtain-raising Rolex 24 at Daytona where damage sustained during a multi-car incident that was not of their own making meant their push for a podium result ended in the pits. 'I am really looking forward to getting back to IMSA racing this weekend,' said Harper, who arrives at the venue fresh from winning April's Silverstone 500 with Darren Leung and Paradine Competition. 'We had a couple of days testing at the track recently, and I have to say it is a pretty cool place. Historically, it has not been the strongest one for the BMW, but we have worked hard throughout the test, and by the end of it, we feel like we got the car in a good window. 'We know we need to regain the points we lost at the first race at Daytona, so we will carry the momentum from Sebring and give it absolutely everything over the weekend. It is a shorter race this time and sure to be full of action, so we'll get stuck in for a good result.' At only two hours, 40 minutes long, Krohn is sitting this round out, leaving Harper and Hesse to contest Sunday's meeting which gets under way at 8pm BST. On top of an impressive Silverstone 500 display, Harper has been in red-hot form so far in 2025, triumphing at the Dubai 24 Hours and coming runner-up at the opening round of the GT World Challenge series at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France in April. Fellow Ulsterman Charlie Eastwood won't be making the trip to Laguna Seca with DXDT Racing, however, due to it clashing with the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. He is being reunited with TF Sport for the third World Endurance Championship fixture, which takes place on Saturday afternoon from 1pm BST and once again will host a capacity grid. Meanwhile, Jon Armstrong continues his FIA European Rally Championship campaign in Hungary, with the Kesh native expecting the durability of his Ford Fiesta Rally2 to be thoroughly examined. The M-Sport Ford driver has compared the stages of the gravel fixture to those 3,500 miles away in Kenya. 'It is going to be massively tough,' admitted Armstrong, who is the No.9 seed with co-driving team-mate Shane Byrne. 'The only real way to describe it is like a mini-Safari. 'Okay, you don't have the soft sand called fesh-fesh, but there is a lot of undulation in terms of jumps into crests and dips and you have bedrock in sections which hurts tyres.' Among the ERC1 (Rally2) line-up are six winners of European Rally Championship events, including three that have conquered Rally Hungary in the past – Mads Ostberg (Citroen C3 Rally2) and Skoda Fabis RS Rally2 exponents Simone Tempestini and Frigyes Turan.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche Penske No. 7 Wins at Long Beach to Extend Season Opening Streak to Three in a Row
Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr are officially tied for the longest opening streak to a season in IMSA's modern prototype era, as the two full-time drivers of the No. 7 Porsche 963 have won the opening three rounds of the 2025 season. Their sprint win in the 100-minute Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach joins their second consecutive 24 Hours of Daytona, followed by the 12 Hours of Sebring last month. Their Porsche teammates in the No. 6 finished in second for the second Porsche Penske 1-2 of the season. Nasr was the closing driver and, after some earlier battling with his teammate in the No. 6, was able to pull away to a 3.058-second victory at Long Beach. After winning the 24 Hours of Daytona last year, Porsche Penske went on to win the championship, but their start was still not nearly as hot as it is in 2025. The No. 7 team dominated what Tandy calls a flawless race. The British-born driver, while Facetiming his kids after the race, shared that his young son Felix credited the win to Nasr's energy management. "He said, 'Awesome job of energy management for Felipe,'" Tandy joked. "Honestly, that's what won the race. Short stop and awesome management. Flawless, again. I love it." While the drive wasn't flawless, with Tandy and Nasr admitting to making major saves to stay out of the barriers, the start of the season is. "Incredible," Nasr told NBC Sports on his teammate's save. "I had one as well right after the pit stop when we went green. I had a moment in I think [turn] 8 where I lost the rear and saved it. It was tricky out there, it's difficult to keep the car in one line, once I found my pace I just kinda stayed there." On the flip side, the first sprint race of the 2025 season for Team RLL's duo of BMW M Hybrid V8s followed the same script as the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring this year, where high expectations and pole positions ended with the No. 24 and No. 25 entires finishing behind the Porsche Penskes. The No. 24 piloted by Dries Vanthoor led the opening part of the race before the only pit stop taken by leaders, a slow pit stop during a caution, only 30 minutes in was enough to send BMW back to third. Philip Eng was the closing driver for the No. 24 and completed the podium after the lead was lost on the pit stop. The BMW team was followed by Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken in the No. 21 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series and then their teammates Marco Wittman and van der Linde in the No. 25 to complete the overall top five. In its 100-minute North American debut, the Aston Martin Valkyrie had its season-best finish of eighth behind the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillacs in sixth and seventh. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring
Race, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Round 2, Sebring (USA) Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring Atlanta., March 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Porsche has clinched first and second place at round two of this year's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Brazilian Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy from Great Britain, and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium swept to victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring at the wheel of their No. 7 Porsche 963. This victory comes after the trio's triumph at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. Matt Campbell from Australia and the two Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Kévin Estre rounded off the stellar performance of the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team with second place. In the GTD Pro class, the AO Racing customer team notched up its first victory at an endurance race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series with the Porsche 911 GT3 R dubbed 'Rexy'. Daytona winners Nasr/Tandy/Vanthoor triumph again at second IMSA round Campbell/Jaminet/Estre finish second in the Porsche 963 Record Sebring winner Porsche extends record to 19 outright wins AO Racing's 'Rexy' Porsche 911 GT3 R victorious in the GTD Pro class Atlanta. In summer temperatures reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit, a fierce battle among the top GTP contenders unfolded as soon as the green flag waved at 10:10 a.m. Eastern Time. Felipe Nasr swept to the front at the wheel of the No. 7 Porsche 963 just 15 minutes into the race after starting third. While the Brazilian and his teammates Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor relinquished the lead around an hour later, they ultimately fought their way up the order to regain the lead in the evening after overcoming difficult conditions on the extremely hot track at the Sebring International Raceway. The decisive moment came after the ninth and final full course caution when the field went head-to-head in a thrilling sprint during the final 31 minutes of the race. Nasr fought off his attacking rivals to bring home Porsche Penske Motorsport's second victory of the young season. The win marked Porsche's 19th overall victory at the endurance classic in Florida, and the first since 2008. For Nick Tandy, who earned himself the nickname 'Mister 24 Hours' after his victory in Daytona, this latest triumph was another dream come true: The UK ace is just the tenth racing driver in the world to achieve the so-called Triple Crown of endurance racing after scoring overall victories at Sebring and the 24-hour races in Le Mans and Daytona. The No. 6 sister car also ran among the frontrunners for much of the 12-hour race. Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Kévin Estre ultimately crossed the finish line just 2.239 seconds behind their victorious teammates. Thanks to the one-two finish at Sebring, Porsche has extended its lead in the manufacturers' championship while the two driver crews now hold the top two positions in the drivers' championship. 'Congratulations to the whole team for a flawless performance,' Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, said. 'As expected, the 12 Hours of Sebring delivered some fierce competition. Drivers, mechanics, and engineers – everyone did an absolutely perfect job today. It couldn't have gone better. The Porsche 963 has again upheld its reputation as the most successful LMDh car since the regulations were introduced. This is something we can all be very proud of. Thanks to everyone who contributed to these successes. I'd also like to congratulate our customer team AO Racing. They scored a well-deserved class victory with the Porsche 911 GT3 R.' 'Victory at Daytona, and now Sebring: We've won the 36 Hours of Florida,' said a delighted Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Racing LMDh. 'That was one of our most outstanding races, absolutely flawless. I'm ecstatic. All the drivers and the entire team put in an incredibly strong effort: pit stops, strategy, car – everything went perfectly.''A superb performance from all six drivers and the whole team,' declared Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. 'Just two seconds separated our two cars after twelve hours. This underlines just how perfectly and smoothly everything went for us. We were able to set a strong pace, especially in the dark when temperatures got cooler. Several other team members and I witnessed the last overall victory for Porsche at Sebring in 2008, so it's simply wonderful to be at the front together again now.' The customer teams in the top GTP class also showcased the prowess of the Porsche 963 at times. Proton Competition finished the race in sixth overall, with JDC-Miller MotorSports's identical hybrid prototype crossing the finish line in eighth place. In the No. 85 car, Porsche works driver Nico Müller celebrated his debut in the Porsche 963. The Swiss driver, who also contests Formula E for the Andretti customer team, put in some strong stints. GT classes: AO Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 R triumphs after fierce battleIn the GTD Pro class, customer racing team AO Racing celebrated its first-ever victory in one of the major endurance races of the IMSA series with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. At the wheel of the fan favourite 'Rexy', two former Porsche Juniors in Laurin Heinrich from Germany and Klaus Bachler from Austria joined forces with Belgian Alessio Picariello to drive a flawless race. After an intense fight for the lead, the trio ultimately won by a margin of 4.371 seconds. Proton Competition's No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R finished eighth. In the GTD class, the Wright Motorsports customer team was plagued by a raft of setbacks despite the pace to contest for the win. The Ohio-based team was at times in contention for the lead with the 911 GT3 R, only to have two penalties during pit stops cost them crucial ground. The No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by full-season American drivers Adam Adelson and Eliott Skeer, along with Austrialian Tom Sargent, took the flag fifth in its class. The Iron Dames team, complete with a full female driver line-up of Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frye and Sarah Bovy, wrapped up their second IMSA outing of 2025 with the in 11th place. The famed Long Beach street race hosts round three of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season April 11-12. The spectacular Southern California street race is a 100-minute long sprint, a stark contrast to the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring to open the season. Drivers' comments after the raceNick Tandy (Porsche 963 #7): 'It feels amazing to win two races in a row. But winning the 36 Hours of Florida in Daytona and Sebring is hard to believe. And to top it off, both Porsche 963 finished both races on the podium. Given the fierce competition, that's incredible. No mistakes, no penalties, no damage – today was simply a dream in endurance racing.' Matt Campbell (Porsche 963 #6): 'The one-two finish is obviously a banner result for Porsche Penske Motorsport. Congratulations to our victorious sister car. Today was incredibly long and tough for us; the race went back and forth. We experienced some difficulties in the intense heat of the early afternoon, but our Porsche was incredibly strong in the cooler evening. It's terrific to score the maximum number of points together.' Nico Müller (Porsche 963 #85): 'What a fantastic weekend! I had great fun with the team, my teammates, and in the paddock – especially in my first race laps in the Porsche 963. I quickly adapted to the prototype; there was great synergy. At times the performance was super strong. But at the end of the day, the race could have gone a bit better for us. We had to change a brake disc, and we lost a lap in the process. It's a great honour to get the chance to drive the car over the finish line during the Sebring night.' Tristan Vautier (Porsche 963 #5): 'We're a little disappointed. After some initial setbacks, we managed to fight our way up the field only to have a puncture throw us out of the fight for the top five. Still, in the end, we made it back into a promising position, and we performed particularly well in the dark. However, with just two laps left, we had to refuel again – what a shame, because it prevented us from bringing home the result was wanted.' Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #77): 'I'm so proud of the team! Laurin did an exceptional job in the last two hours of the race, and Alessio was also incredibly strong. It's simply cool to share the car with two great guys. We've finally won one of the biggest races with 'Rexy'. Now it's time to celebrate. I'm already looking forward to all the remaining races this season – I hope it continues like this.'Adam Adelson (Porsche 911 GT3 R #120): 'We're championship oriented, so we wanted to do anything we could to maximize that. As a team, we persevered and put our best foot forward. Unforunately it wasn't enough. But as a team, with all of the adversity we faced today, we can be really proud of our result and we're going to be shooting for higher than that in every race from here on out.' Race resultGTP class:1. Nasr/Tandy/L. Vanthoor (BRA/GBR/BEL), Porsche 963 #7, 353 laps2. Jaminet/Campbell/Estre (FRA/AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, + 2.239 laps3. Van der Zande/Yelloly/Palou (NLD/GBR/ESP), Acura #93, + 5.017 laps6. Jani/Pino/Vautier (SUI/CHL/FRA), Porsche 963 #5, + 1:02.670 minutes8. Van der Helm/Bruni/Müller (NLD/ITA/SUI), Porsche 963 #85, + 1 lap GTD Pro class:1. Heinrich/Bachler/Picariello (DEU/AUT/BEL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 329 laps2. Hesse/Harper/Krohn (DEU/GBR/FIN), BMW #48, + 4.371 seconds3. Snow/Verhagen/De Phillippi (USA/USA/USA), BMW #1, + 5.027 seconds8. Schiavoni/Cressoni/Lietz (ITA/ITA/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #20, + 1 lap GTD class:1. Ward/Ellis/Dontje (USA/GBR/NLD), Mercedes-AMG #57, 327 laps2. Hawksworth/Thompson/Montecalvo (GBR/CAN/USA), Lexus #12, + 3.265 seconds3. Gamble/Stevenson/Robichon (GBR/GBR/CAN), Aston Martin #27, + 6.720 seconds5. Adelson/Skeer/Sargent (USA/USA/AUS), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, 1:43.593 minutes11. Bovy/Frey/Gatting (BEL/SUI/DNK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #83, + 1 lap Full results and championship standings: Attachments Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring Porsche Penske Motorsport scores one-two victory at 12 Hours of Sebring CONTACT: Luke Vandezande Porsche Cars North America, Inc. 470.363.5001 Reece White Porsche Cars North America, Inc. 831.383.9426 reece@ in to access your portfolio
