Brit racer’s bid to complete ‘Double’ ends with early crash at Indianapolis 500
Katherine Legge’s ambitious bid to become the first woman to conquer “The Double” – an arduous 1,100-mile motor racing challenge across two tracks in a single day – was abruptly cut short on Sunday following a crash at the Indianapolis 500.
The English driver completed just 17 of the scheduled 200 laps on the iconic 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before colliding with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Hunter-Reay’s car began to spin in the second turn, forcing him to brake hard to avoid the wall.
Legge, trailing behind, steered inside in an attempt to evade the 2013 Indy 500 winner, but as smoke billowed from both braking vehicles, her car struck the inside wall, ending both their races.
“I’m fine, just gutted more than anything,” Legge said after being checked and released from the track’s infield medical centre. “Ryan spun in front of me, I think he was battling his car for a minute, I was just chilling, trying to save fuel and he spun down the track and started coming up the track, so I tried to go low and just didn’t make it.”
Legge is only the sixth driver in history to attempt “The Double,” which pairs the Indy 500 with NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina. The feat has only ever been completed by three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart in 2001.
Her ill fortune began even before the race, with a flight delay from New York causing her to miss Indy’s annual media day. Communication issues plagued her during Friday’s final 500 practice, and after flying to Charlotte on Saturday, Coca-Cola 600 qualifying was rained out.
“Hopefully, we get all of the travel woes out of the way now before the weekend, and this weekend goes smoothly,” Legge told The Associated Press on Thursday.
“My management has been speaking with Kyle’s management about how to get the logistics sorted out, how they did it and we’re trying our best to copy and paste what they had and they’re just keeping me in the loop.”
A brief glimmer of hope emerged when the speedway avoided predicted pre-race rain, allowing the Indy 500 to start on time. However, this was quickly extinguished by the tangle with Hunter-Reay, who was also checked and released by IndyCar’s medical team.
“It was super tough out there,” Hunter-Reay said. “The whole time I was trying to keep it off the wall. Just super disappointing. That’s the busiest I’ve been around here in 16 years. I was trying to keep it off the wall the whole time and finally, one of those wiggles didn’t come back in Turn 2.”
Crashes and adverse weather have been a recurring theme in the last three “Double” attempts. A rain-delayed Indy start prevented two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Larson from reaching Charlotte in time for the 2024 start, and he crashed out of both races last year after another rain-affected Indy start.
Legge’s father, Derek Legge, had expressed cautious optimism before the first race, texting from a golf cart outside her garage: “She’ll stay here throughout. We’re keeping an eye on the weather. It might even be delayed here an hour at a time.”
By then, Legge’s car was already on the Brickyard, with sold-out grandstands and hundreds of people surrounding the vehicles. The English driver started from the 26th spot at Indy, racing for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing.
Despite the crash, she still plans to head to North Carolina, where she will start 37th for Live Fast Motorsports following Saturday’s rainout. Rain, however, could still be a factor, with forecasts indicating an increasing chance of precipitation throughout Sunday night in Charlotte.
Unlike previous “Double” contenders who had months to prepare, Legge’s attempt was only announced last week, necessitating a rapid organisation of logistics, including helicopter and private jet travel.
