Coyne’s crew pulls off yeoman’s work

The car looked like a write-off, what was left of it, anyway, dangling from the end of a hoist after Katherine Legge's high-speed crash in yesterday morning's practice session.

"When we saw it on TV on the hook, we thought our weekend was probably over," said team owner Dale Coyne.

"It was a really, really big hit, probably the biggest that we've gone through yet."

The damage was extensive.

"All the rear suspension, both sides. The driveline, both sides. The gear box and the rear wing. The undertray. And from the engine back, all the body work was gone, top, bottom and sides.

It was just before noon. The afternoon qualifying session was from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. With no backup car, the only option was rolling up the sleeves and fixing the thing. In two hours.

"We got into it and said if we kill ourselves maybe we'll get this thing ready for qualifying," said Coyne. "They were fired up, it was the challenge of getting it out when nobody expected them to."

With a crowd six deep watching, a team of seven mechanics swarmed the wreck, getting it back on the track with minutes to spare.

"They did a phenomenal job," said Coyne. "Adrenaline kicks in and away they go. We got it out when nobody expected us to get it out at all. It was a good effort by the guys, they really jumped in there and tried hard to get it out for Katherine."

She appreciated it.

"I'm really proud of those guys," she said. "I thought there was no way I was going to be out there for qualifying, but they got it back together, I couldn't believe it. I'm amazed, astounded."

Getting it fixed meant Legge got five very important laps in during qualifying. She'll be starting 15th on the grid.

"If we can get into the top six to eight I think that would be good," she said, adding it might help to have a blocker in the guy who's starting 14th.

"I think I should be able to move up through the field, especially since I'm right behind Paul Tracy." Edmonton Sun