Liz Halliday-Sharp Explained

Liz Halliday
Nationality: United States
Birth Date:December 14, 1978
Birth Place:San Diego, California, U.S.
Current Series:Lotus Cup UK
First Year:2012
Prev Series:Kumho BMW Championship
Rolex Sports Car Series
Silverstone Classic
24 Hours of Le Mans
American Le Mans Series
European Endurance Racing Club
Oulton Park International Gold Cup
Bathurst 24 Hour
British GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
Prev Series Years:2010
2010
2010
2005-07
2004-08
2004-05
2004
2003
2001-04
2001-03
Awards:Italian Historic Cup GT1 Winner
Dailysportscar Rookie of the Year
Kumho Driver of the Day
Kumho Driver of the Season
EERC Driver of the Day
Award Years:2010
2005
2003
2002
2002
Show-Medals:yes

Elisabeth Halliday (born December 14, 1978)[1] is an American equestrian, race-car driver and commentator. She was born in San Diego, California, and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.[2] Before becoming a full-time equestrian, Halliday was the most successful female driver in the American Le Mans Series with six victories.[3] Halliday has stated that her ambition is to become the first woman to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and to earn a spot on the United States Equestrian Team.[4]

Halliday was scheduled to make her Olympic debut in equestrian at the 2020 Summer Olympics, but was withdrawn with less than a month to go following a minor injury to her horse.[5]

Career

Equestrianism

Halliday first rode horses when she was eight years old, and went to England as a pupil of William Fox-Pitt. Halliday is an eventer.[6] She was a member of the Fallbrook Pony Club and the Southern California Show Jumping team, which finished third in the National Pony Club Championships. Her hopes of qualifying for the United States equestrian team for the 2004 Summer Olympics were dashed when she was eliminated in a jumping event.[7]

In May 2021, Halliday-Sharp and her ride Deniro Z were named to the U.S. eventing team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.[8] She was withdrawn shortly before the Olympics after Deniro Z got sidelined through injury.

In 2024, Halliday was named as the travelling reserve for the U.S. eventing team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. After Will Coleman pulled out of the competition, Halliday and Nutcracker made their Olympic debut.[9] [10]

Racing

Halliday first started racing at age 16 in a 1967 Datsun 510 that she shared with her father, Don, who was a Sports Car Club of America instructor and vintage racer.[4] When she attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, she was involved in low-level motor clubs and the Vintage Auto Association.[11] In 2001, Halliday raced in the Kumho BMW Championship series for Mosely Motorsport in the M3 E30, and was named "Driver of the Season" in 2002. A year later, Halliday recorded one win and broke the class lap record at Croft, earning her "Driver of the Day" honors.[12] In 2003, Halliday became the first woman to win a British GT Championship round.

In 2005, Halliday made her 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in the LMP2 class, and was leading the class until she was forced to retire eleven hours into the race due to engine problems. A year later, she finished fourth in the class. After her contract with Team Modena was terminated, Halliday raced for the Noël Del Bello Racing Team in a Courage-AER LC75, which she shared with Romain Iannetta and Vitaly Petrov.[13] However, the team was only able to finish 198 laps at the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, and finished 38th.[14]

In parallel, Halliday competed at the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series for Intersport Racing, finishing sixth in 2005 and vice-champion in 2006. She collected three class wins in each season, most notably at the 2005 Petit Le Mans and the 2006 12 Hours of Sebring, where she finished second overall.

Halliday had a two-year hiatus from racing to be a commentator for Eurosport covering the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as an expert judge at Speed's GT Academy series.[15] She also covered the American Le Mans series for CBS Sports throughout 2007, as well as for Motors TV during their Le Mans broadcasts. Halliday has also served as a mentor and judge in the Sky One series The Race.[16]

In 2012, Halliday made her return to racing in the Lotus Cup UK series at Silverstone Circuit for John Danby Racing,[17] and finished the race second after starting in last place.[18]

At the 2014 and 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, she worked as a pit-lane reporter for the Eurosport television network.[19]

Motorsports career results

Rolex Sports Car Series

Grand Touring

(key) Bold – Pole Position. (Overall Finish/Class Finish).

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps
2005 Intersport Racing Sam Hancock
Gregor Fisken
Lola B05/40 / AERLMP2119DNFDNF
2006 Intersport Racing Clint Field
Duncan Dayton
Lola B05/40 / AERLMP229719th4th
2007 Noël del Bello Racing Vitaly Petrov
Romain Iannetta
Courage LC75 / AERLMP2198DNFDNF

Equestrian career results

CCI5* results

Results
EventKentuckyBadmintonLuhmühlenBurghleyPauAdelaide
2015 EL (Fernhill By Night)
2016 40th (HHS Cooley)
EL (Fernhill By Night)
2017 EL (Fernhill By Night)
2018 8th (Deniro Z)
2019 EL (Deniro Z) 15th (Deniro Z)
2021 10th (Deniro Z)
42nd (Cooley Quicksilver)
EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew

Notes and References

  1. Web site: HALLIDAY Elisabeth . 2024 . Olympics.com . 9 August 2024.
  2. Web site: Blue Fox Farm; Lexington, Kentucky . lizhallidaysharp.com . 2021-05-28.
  3. Web site: Liz Halliday NEWS . Racerchicks.com . 2012-07-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120706175646/http://www.racerchicks.com/news/M_Halliday02.html . 2012-07-06 . dead .
  4. Web site: Riding Fast with Liz Halliday . Equine-world.co.uk . 2012-07-17 . 2010-12-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101214143555/http://equine-world.co.uk/article_read.asp?id=269&title=Riding%20Fast%20with%20Liz%20Halliday . dead .
  5. Web site: US Equestrian Announces Substitution for U.S. Eventing Olympic Team . en . . 2021-07-07 . 2021-07-07.
  6. Web site: 5 November 2007 . Equestrian Racecar Driver . 2012-07-17 . Horsechannel.com.
  7. Web site: Center . Bill . 2004-06-17 . Engines and equines | The San Diego Union-Tribune . 2012-07-17 . Utsandiego.com.
  8. Web site: 2021-05-27 . US Equestrian Announces U.S. Eventing Olympic Team for Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 . 2021-05-27 . . en.
  9. Web site: Will Coleman Out, Liz Halliday In For US Eventing Team In Paris - The Chronicle of the Horse . 2024-07-29 . en-US.
  10. Web site: 1 Spun, 5 Held At First Olympic Eventing Horse Inspection - The Chronicle of the Horse . 2024-07-29 . en-US.
  11. Web site: Petter Solberg. BBC Wales - Colin Jackson's Raise Your Game - In the zone - Liz Halliday . Bbc.co.uk . 1970-01-01 . 2012-07-17.
  12. Web site: Liz Halliday Racing CV . Lizhalliday.com . 2012-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120709205252/http://lizhalliday.com/pages/common/liz.aspx?pg=134 . 2012-07-09 . dead .
  13. Web site: Liz Halliday confirmed in Noel Del Bello Courage . Planetlemans.com . 2007-05-30 . 2012-07-23.
  14. Web site: 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans Results and Competitors . Experiencelemans.com . 2012-07-23.
  15. Web site: — 22 September 2011 . Halliday To Appear On Nissan GT Academy Judging Panel | Female Racing News | News about Women in Motorsports . Female Racing News . 2011-09-22 . 2012-07-17.
  16. Web site: Liz Halliday TV - Broadcaster / Presenter . Lizhalliday.com . 2006-11-12 . 2012-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120713051743/http://lizhalliday.com/pages/common/liz.aspx?pg=242 . 2012-07-13 . dead .
  17. Web site: Halliday primed for Lotus debut at Silverstone | Driver Database News . News.driverdb.com . 2012-04-13 . 2012-07-17.
  18. Web site: Stunning comeback helps BWRDC Mentor Halliday score second on Lotus debut . Motors TV . 2012-04-18 . 2012-07-17.
  19. Web site: halliday set for annual le mans appearance with eurosport international . 2015-06-05 . 2015-06-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150630235001/http://www.lizhalliday.com/pages/news/latest_news_detail.aspx?nid=4019 . 2015-06-30 . dead .