Katherine Legge's emailed news release response to the events of Feb. 12 is below ...
INDIANAPOLIS (February 13, 2013) The following statement is issued today from IZOD IndyCar Series Driver Katherine Legge:"I am extremely disappointed that Dragon Racing and sponsor TrueCar have announced a replacement IndyCar driver for the No. 6 car.
I signed a two year deal for 2012/2013 with TrueCar as a sponsor, and then I took that sponsorship to Dragon Racing shortly thereafter. Jay Penske told Scott Painter (TrueCar CEO) that he would bring the Penske Dealerships onboard with TrueCar if I signed with Dragon Racing, so it seemed like it would be a good fit for all. I firmly believe that Dragon Racing and TrueCar cannot proceed without me and I will be taking legal action to protect my rights.
It was a very difficult season last year, we did very little testing and I was made to sit out of some of the races. Jay Penske's actions in Nantucket really hurt my ability to find additional and personal sponsors, and it was highly embarrassing, especially with the message that we were trying to portray regarding the empowerment of women in motorsport.
I was very much looking forward to 2013, using the experience I gained last year as a spring board for greater success.
I am in a very fortunate position to have the FIA (of which I am a Female Driver Ambassador) and Girl Scouts (STEM Ambassador) onboard with my career and I am working feverishly to put something together. However, having this happen so late in the game has made it virtually impossible.
I am not sure where TrueCar and Virgin stand on the 'Women Empowered Initiative' moving forward. I can tell you that I feel like I have been treated very unfairly in all of this and the last thing I feel at the moment is 'Empowered!' Scott Painter told the press on numerous occasions that it was a two-year deal with me and how he believed women could race on an equal footing with the guys.
I have spent most of this off-season trying to help TrueCar mitigate their costs and bring sponsors onboard with their Initiative, having invested a great deal of my own time, effort and money, so this has come as a huge shock.
I am also not sure whether IndyCar will take a stand on my behalf. I believe that the contracts are between the Teams and IndyCar so I am unsure of whether there is anything they can do apart from lend me their support.
I have fought very hard, every step of my career, to get the opportunities that I have created for myself and I will continue to do so. I want to thank everybody for their support during all of this, it has been very tough for me to watch it unfold."
UPDATE: Brief response from Dragon Racing and TrueCar included in this from Curt Cavin. I haven't been able to find the Dragon statement or I would post it.
Atta girl. Go get 'em, Kat.
Posted by: The Speedgeek | February 13, 2013 at 11:46 AM
The problem for Ms. Legge is that suing takes time...lots of time if the other side...wants to drag it out...and she is losing out on being in a race car.
I would hope Roger Penske steps in and tells Jay no one profits from a law suit except the lawyers, and gets him to settle fairly with Ms. Legge.
I hope things can be worked out...I'd like to see if Ms. Legge can compete...!!
Indycar needs to get proactive...the series doesn't need any more bad press...although any press about IndyCar might bring attention to the mess it really is...and someone in power might try to solve it to keep the damage to just us racing nuts??
Posted by: Ted Wolfram | February 13, 2013 at 01:44 PM
If Katherine wins (and that's a big IF at this point), she should take her cash and start up her own sports car team.
Posted by: pressdog | February 13, 2013 at 01:50 PM
Even if she wins she'll lose. What team would hire a driver who could possibly sue them over future contract disputes?
Even if she wins a settlement she still has to collect, and that could be a long drawn out process.
My Advice, move on Kathrine, show 'em you're better then they are.
Posted by: GeorgeK | February 13, 2013 at 08:22 PM
"What team would hire a driver who could possibly sue them over future contract disputes?"
If you have a pulse and a big enough check, about any Indy Car owner will hire you.
Hell Jay Penske just hired a punk kid, who literally QUIT the day of a Lights race in 2010, and has shown literally nothing in a Indy Car since then. And if he didn't hire him, somebody else would have. Because Penske is far from the only clown car owner in Indy Cars.
Posted by: Jack The Root | February 13, 2013 at 11:32 PM
Wasn't thinking along those lines Jack The Root; I was thinking it would be almost impossible for Katherine to rustle up yet another sponsor package on such short notice and she might have a chance to catch a ride on merit.
Obviously I wasn't thinking!
Posted by: GeorgeK | February 14, 2013 at 02:33 PM
It is interesting that Katherine chose to go public with at least mulling a lawsuit. She must thinks she has a strong case. Or it just might be that she's so pissed and sick of it that she's willing to risk being seen as a driver who sues her sponsor. All of this got me wondering how many teams either subtly or overtly screw a driver because they know he/she probably won't sue, because if he/she does, they'll be seen as damaged goods by other teams. HEY, didn't Wheldon file suit against Panther at one point .... I think he did. It was resolved quickly, though. Correct me if I am full of shit here.
Posted by: pressdog | February 14, 2013 at 02:44 PM
My only knowledge of pay drivers is based on what I read concerning F1 drivers/teams. Usually the pay driver is hired because THEY are bringing the sponsor and $$$ to the team. If the team cans the driver the sponsor $$$ usually go away with the driver.
Case in point Pastor Maldonado allegedly brings $40 million dollars annually (not a typo, $40 million) to Williams F1, from Hugo Chavez. If he goes the bucks go with him. (How many Indycar teams would an annual $40M budget support???)
Can't say I've ever read of a scenario where the driver arranges a sponsorship and the sponsor stays with the team after the driver is fired.
Posted by: GeorgeK | February 15, 2013 at 08:11 AM
Katherine might have to worry that Jay Penske might try to pee on her shoes, he is known for that!
Posted by: Jim Henderson | February 15, 2013 at 10:35 AM
While I think it unlikely that any good will come from this for Kat Legge, you can rest assured that I will NOT support any sponsors of Dragon Racing or ANY Jay Penske operation AND I would suggest that anyone else who feels Ms Legge has been wronged should do likewise.
As a "paying customer," that is MY right. If someone has access to sponsor info, I wish they would publish that info. TrueCar was SUPPOSED to be about empowering women, not whiny Columbians who QUIT on previous committments. This is not, however, anything new in big time racing. We've seen this story before and before and before, and we'll no doubt see it again.
Posted by: SkipinSC | February 15, 2013 at 11:31 PM