Renowned race engineer Leena Gade has joined IndyCar to link with James Hinchcliffe at Schmidt Peterson Motorsport, becoming the first female race engineer in the championship.
The British race engineer previously worked in GT racing and junior formula single-seater series before joining the Audi LMP1 team in 2007; in 2011 she became the first female race engineer to triumph at the Le Mans 24 Hours with André Lotterer, Benoît Tréyuler and Marcel Fässler, and a further two victories came for her team at Le Mans in 2012 and 2014.
Following on from her second victory at Le Mans, in December 2012 Gade was named FIA World Endurance Series 'Man of the Year' and in 2013 she became an ambassador for the FIA Commission for Women in Motorsport.
"I’m really honored that I’ve got a chance to come across and work in IndyCar,” said Gade. “When I was a kid, I used to watch IndyCar, especially when Nigel Mansell first came over, and I followed it quite a lot.
"During my sports car days, it was a little less so, until I had friends come across to the US to work in it like Piers [Phillips, General Manager of SPM]. I’m quite honored to be given the chance. It is going to be something completely different to anything I’ve ever done before, so it’s a big learning curve, but it’s a challenge that I’m really relishing, so I’m looking forward to it."
SPM General Manager Piers Phillips added, "There was significant interest in Leena amongst the international motorsports community, so we’re really excited that she sees where we’re taking SPM, believes in what we’re doing and that she is now a part of our organization.
"I’ve known Leena for quite some time now, and I’ve worked alongside her, so I knew the credit she’s been given is well deserved. We’re very much looking forward to throwing her into the deep end and seeing her add to the team’s success."
The next IndyCar test is at Sebring Raceway on January 24.
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