Horrific F-1 Crash

[3.2 CAB]

Sept. 15, 2001: Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi is involved in a brutal crash which caused amputation of both of his legs. He later was able to return to racing with the aid of two prosthetic limbs.


pic removed per request - ns

Holy Crap!!

[930LDR]

Old news but very sad and inspiring story. you should read his memoirs.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I hate to be the one to mention this...but is that hunks of...viscera flying in the upper left of that picture? Yikes!

[billwagnon]

here's what i was expecting

[motion]

That was actually Zanardi in a ChampCar crash in Germany. Painful to see that photo. The Pineapple is a really amazing character.

[3.2 CAB]

I think that it is just totally amazing that after such devastating injuries, he was able to return to racing!!

[alf]

Is the driver on the bottom left of the picture?

[HardDrive]

Wow thats nasty.

[tchanson]

Zanardi's memoir a few years back on his career and rehab, My Sweetest Victory, was some pretty inspirational reading. I could live without ever seeing that photo again.


There was a nice piece on AZ in AutoWeek last week as well:



By CURT CAVIN

Alex Zanardi is on the cell phone from Italy, where he returned three years ago from Monte Carlo to give his young son, now nine, an Italian education. As he pulls into his garage in Padova, near Venice, after a 45-minute call, he apologizes for needing to hang up.

"The next duty is to cook dinner for my family," he says. "Tonight we're going to barbecue stuff in the fireplace."

That's Zanardi, 41, a man who seems to grow finer with age.

A decade ago, he might have been lost as just another Formula One castoff, but he continues to wow those around him today with his dedication to the racing world and to the human race.

Zanardi, who lost both legs in a horrific Champ Car accident at EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany, in 2001, is not only back on firm ground in a race car--he drives a BMW in the World Touring Car Championship--but he also leads a charge to help others who are missing limbs.

Zanardi recently created a charity called Bimbi in Gamba, which means "Kids on Legs" in Italian. The goal is to raise money to help children who need them receive prosthetic arms and legs. The charity has raised about $150,000 to date, with Zanardi even using a hand cycle to pedal for the cause. In November 2007, he tackled the New York City Marathon on a three-wheeled bike, finishing fourth in his class.

"We can build 20 prosthetic limbs for $15,000, and that makes a difference," says Zanardi, who insists the effort "couldn't find a better testimonial than from me."

He's right, but he does more than talk the talk. He recently drove to Milan to see a 13-year-old girl who was born without an arm. Thanks to Zanardi, she now has a prosthetic one.

"When I first met her, the only thing she would do is look at the floor, because that's the only way a kid has to protect herself once she starts to understand that she's different," Zanardi says. "She had lived 13 years looking at the ground, but she could see in me a similar type of problem.

"When I arrived, we spent a half-hour crying together. She was so happy [for the arm], and I was so touched. But I believe she helped me much more than I helped her."

Zanardi is recognized for his efforts. Italians involved with the Paralympic Games have asked him to consider competing for their country in the 2008 event in Beijing. Zanardi says that the more he thinks about the potential benefits, the more likely he is to accept the invitation. But he isn't doing it for himself or for the glory.

"Because I've had the fortune to get some light on me [for racing cars], that would certainly make the entire discipline shine a little more," he says. "It would make a great curiosity, and it would be great for the charity."


Zanardi flew to Indian-apolis before Christmas to help an Italian company produce a documentary that includes the American portion of his racing career, highlighted by CART championships in 1997 and '98. He says he wants the video to show people the determination he had in winning 15 races from 1996 to 1998 and returning to CART after a second stint in F1.

Zanardi always has won people over with his unselfishness. In his first three CART seasons, with Ganassi Racing, he and Jimmy Vasser formed a bond like that of brothers. Zanardi's crew loved him for many of the same reasons that made him the most popular CART driver of his era.

"I was the lucky bastard who got all the credit when things were going right, but I always felt the crew didn't want to have anybody but me driving the car," he says. "That type of chemistry you cannot force; it happens by destiny once in a while."

Chip Ganassi says of Zanardi: "He's been even more spectacular off the track, a guy who transcended the sport. Forget about his personality for a minute; he's just a good guy, and he's the kind of story people need to know about."

Zanardi says he never looks in life's mirrors. He doesn't harbor ill will toward the people who decided they didn't want him in F1, nor does he take sides in the Champ Car/Indy Racing League conflict that kept him from racing in the Indian-apolis 500. He doesn't even curse the moment he slid into Alex Tag-liani's path at Euro-Speedway, an oval track, and suffered the collision that split his car in half and nearly cost him his life.

"My attitude is to always enjoy what I have and try to evaluate what I have in my hands rather than what either was slapped away or I never got my grip on," he says. "Of course, for example, it would have been fantastic to race at Indy, and believe it or not, the only way I got around Indianapolis was with the tour bus. I paid my dollar, and I went around it in 1996."

Another example of Zanardi's unselfishness: Former Honda Performance Development boss Robert Clarke issued a standing invitation to the Italian to participate in the Indy 500 at any time, but the husband and father will not accept.

"If I would tell my wife that I have taken that decision to race at Indy, she would probably kill me, and I can't blame her," he says. "One thing is racing, another is racing on ovals. We all know they are a great way to race, and I am grateful that I got to do it, but it would take a lot of effort, preparation and time, and right now, those things are for my family more so than my passion.

"But if I was single, that is probably one of the first things that I would consider."

For now, Zanardi points toward his fifth touring-car season, and he hopes to improve on his 15th-place standing in 2007.

"It is my full intention to try not to have a bicycle race be the highlight of my season," he says, referring to the attention he received for the New York marathon and for his injuries. "Believe me, it is pretty difficult not to consider myself a race-car driver first, in spite of the difficulties that I have to overcome."

















Tim

[Por_sha911]

Alex is the man. He went back to the track where he crashed and drove the 'final lap" to finish the race in a specially fitted car:

[tchanson]

Still gives me a huge smile...








Tim

[Drew001]

That was awesome.
Thanks for posting it, tchanson.

[930LDR]

The man is seriously unstoppable. His book can really put life into perspective. Family, friends, careers, etc. I will warn you though that there are some parts of the book where the written words are far worse than that picture.

[motion]

The Pass! Back in the good days before Chip joined the Gomers.

[DavidB911]

I wish many, many more people had his drive. Shoot, I wish I had half of it.

That pass was awesome.