Should Katherine Legge fly off the track in her works Audi at Brands Hatch on Sunday, at least she will have a roof to help protect her.

That was not the case two years ago when the rear wing broke on Legge's Champ Car at the Road America circuit in the US, sending her careering into a barrier at 180mph.

The car exploded into a thousand pieces, with the engine and wheels being ripped off as the cockpit somersaulted over and over before coming to rest upside down. Speaking on the eve of her return to a British circuit for the first time in four years, Legge admitted: "I did think I was going to die. It was surreal. At first I wasn't that worried because I knew how strong those things were.

"Then my helmet started hitting the wall, then the ground. Plus I was getting hit by debris and I knew then that all it would take was for something to hit my head the wrong way."

Legge escaped with nothing worse than bruised legs and, within four days, she was back behind the wheel. She ended that season as the first woman to lead a race in the Champ Car championship previously won by Nigel Mansell. Now, aged 28, she heads for Brands Hatch with the reputation for being one of motor sport's leading women drivers.

In the DTM German Touring Car series, she competes against ex-Formula One drivers Ralf Schumacher and Christijan Albers. And on Sunday Legge will catch up with Lewis Hamilton, with whom she used to tour kart circuits when they were youngsters. Hamilton is set to thrill the crowds with a high-speed demonstration run in his F1 McLaren-Mercedes.