NEW YORK – GEAR Racing has joined forces with the Grasser Racing Team to field a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class next season.
The No. 19 car will be shared by two-time GT Daytona champion Christina Nielsen and Katherine Legge. GEAR is supplying the drivers, sponsors and additional team support.
Legge and Nielsen recently joined GEAR Racing following a strong season in the No. 57 Acura NSX GT3 for Heinricher Racing w/ Meyer Shank Racing.
“GEAR stands for Girl Empowerment Around Racing, and it is our mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold in racing and in life,” says Kara Kenney, Global Brand Director of GEAR. “We’re thrilled to have Katherine and Christina on the team, and we couldn’t have found a better racing partner than Grasser.”
Nielsen won the IMSA GT Daytona championship in 2016 and ’17, while GRT finished first at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2019 and is coming off back-to-back Rolex 24 At Daytona wins for Lamborghini in GT Daytona. Legge was the 2018 GT Daytona runner-up and has four IMSA victories in her career. Legge has also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Formula E, the NTT IndyCar Series and two Indianapolis 500s.
“Recently, the opportunity to drive the No. 19 Lamborghini was brought to my attention. Around the same time, Christina and I met Kara. Her company contacted GRT and quickly signed a deal that paired us as co-drivers,” said Legge. “It was amazing to see how fast this program came together and will be great to drive with Christina again. This is about more than just racing. This is about the next generation and making a difference. IMSA has been home to me for many years now and I cannot wait to get this season underway.”
Although 2020 will be the first full IMSA season for GRT, they’re definitely not new to sportscar racing. In 2015, GRT was selected as the Lamborghini factory team to develop the Huracan GT3 and achieved outstanding results in the first season.
Starting with a victory at Monza, GRT won the 2017 Blancpain GT Series title. Including victories at Daytona and Sebring in 2019, GRT has accumulated more than 60 podiums and more than 30 overall race wins.
“I’m extremely fortunate to be competing for a third IMSA WearherTech Championship title in GTD with such strong partners,” said Nielsen. “It’s my favorite championship series. I’m excited to be back with Katherine; and Grasser is one of the most competitive teams in the entire paddock.”