Leena Gade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leena Gade
Born	1975/1976 (age 48–49) Perivale, United Kingdom
Alma mater	University of Manchester
Occupation	Race engineer
Known for	First female race engineer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Leena Gade is a talented British race engineer. She helps design and manage race cars for big competitions. She has worked in famous races like the FIA World Endurance Championship and IndyCar series. In 2011, Leena made history. She became the very first female race engineer to win the tough 24 Hours of Le Mans race. She also won important awards for her work in technology. Leena is also an Ambassador for women in motorsport. She encourages more girls to join the world of racing.

Leena Gade's Early Life and Education

Leena Gade was born in Perivale, United Kingdom. Her parents were immigrants from India. She grew up with two sisters in England. For three years, between ages 9 and 12, her family lived in India. During this time, Leena and her younger sister Teena became very interested in engineering.

When they returned to England, both sisters started watching Formula One racing. Leena said they became "obsessive" fans. They were not interested in the glamour. Instead, they were fascinated by "what the machines could do." Leena's sister, Teena, also became a race engineer.

Leena Gade studied engineering at the University of Manchester. In 1998, she earned a Master of Science degree. Her degree was in aerospace engineering. When she started university, she was one of only five female students in a class of 100.

Leena Gade's Racing Career

After university, Leena Gade worked for Jaguar Cars. She was a vehicle refinement engineer for six and a half years. At the same time, she worked part-time. She was an engineer for racing teams. These teams competed in Formula BMW, A1 Grand Prix, and GT racing.

First Le Mans Experience

In 2006, Leena went to the 24 Hours of Le Mans race for the first time. She was part of the Chamberlain Synergy Le Mans Prototype team. This experience was a big step in her career.

Joining Audi Sport Team Joest

In 2007, she started working for Audi Sport Team Joest. This was a major racing team.

Making History at Le Mans

In 2011, Leena Gade made history. She became the first female race engineer to win at Le Mans. She worked with drivers André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer, and Marcel Fässler. Her team won again in 2012 and 2014.

In 2012, Leena moved to Germany. There, she helped develop new race cars for Audi. She continued her work as a race engineer. When Audi's LMP1 program ended in 2016, Leena left to work for Bentley Motorsport.

Awards and Recognition

Leena Gade has received many awards for her work.

• In December 2012, she was named FIA World Endurance Championship 'Man of the Year'.
• In the same month, she received the C&R Racing Women in Technology award.
• In 2013, she became an ambassador for the FIA Commission for Women in Motorsport. This role helps encourage more women to join racing.
• She was also a Formula Student ambassador in 2013 and 2014.

Working in IndyCar

In 2018, Leena took on a new role. She became the race engineer for James Hinchcliffe. This was part of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports's IndyCar program. She worked on the No. 5 car. Leena and the team later separated. This happened after Hinchcliffe did not qualify for the 2018 Indianapolis 500.

New Roles and Leadership

In 2019, Leena Gade was hired by Canada's Multimatic. She engineered the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P Daytona Prototype International (DPi) car. This car competed in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship. Later that year, she was given a very important position. She was appointed president of the FIA GT Commission. In this role, she oversees global grand tourer racing.