Tuesday 11th September 2012

What next for Alex Zanardi?

After success at the Paralympics, is the Indy 500 his next challenge?

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Could two-times Paralympic hand cycling gold medal winner Alex Zanardi’s next challenge be to compete at the Indy 500? If it were anyone else, you may consider it fanciful. But this is Alex Zanardi, someone who genuinely deserves hero status.

Zanardi, remember, lost both his legs in a truly sickening crash at Germany’s Lausitzring in 2001. He also lost two-thirds of his blood in the accident. He was given the last rites in the helicopter that took him to hospital, surgeons simply didn’t believe he could survive.

But he did. And he went on to walk again using prosthetic limbs. He drove a racing car again, completing the laps he had left to run in a modified Champ car. HE raced again, in the World Touring Car Championship. And he became a race winner again, triumphing several times in WTCC. Then he decided to become an athlete, on hand cycles. Last year, he won the New York City Marathon. Then he qualified for London 2012.

Now, he’s won two gold medals in Paralympic hand cycling (plus a silver medal in the Italian time trial relay). Fittingly, the 40-mile road race, in which he averaged 20 miles an hour, was held at Brands Hatch: he’s since called it the race of his life.

So, what next for the remarkable Zanardi, who also has two CART titles and a twice-run F1 career driving for Lotus and Williams to his name? Well, the latest speculation is that he could indeed enter one of the biggest races in the world – the Indy 500.

It started out as banter between Zanardi, former CART teammate Jimmy Vasser and team owner Chip Ganassi. If I win gold, asked Zanardi, will you fix me a drive in the Indy 500? We’ll talk, answered Vasser, who apparently didn’t take it too seriously… but is now.

Could it happen, though? Well, in completing the laps at Lausitzring, Zanardi’s proven he can handle a single-seater. In winning races in the WTCC, he’s proven he’s fast. And in winning an Olympic gold twice, he’s proven he is one of the fittest guys around. Ovals don’t demand the same sort of inputs as road racing either, and with a suitably modified car, safety concerns could be allayed too.

It sounds unbelievable. But everything Zanardi has done since that sickening day in 2001 has been. Why not Indy 500 now?

[monthefish]

I had no idea he had gone on to achieve such great things following his accident.

Some bloke!!

[2loud]

Words fail me : 10/10

[darreni]

monthefish said:

I had no idea he had gone on to achieve such great things following his accident.

Some bloke!!

He is a glass half full type of guy, for sure.

Remarkable.

[m8rky]

It would be incredible to see and I don't think for a minute he won't be up there at the front.

[PhantomPH]

I want to be able to rate this story : 10.

[richb77]

My father-in-law mentioned "some Italian driver" had won a Paralympic medal.

I doff my cap to you Alex in humble appreciation.

I REALLY hope you make it back to the Indy 500. You bloody well deserve it.

[Vocal Minority]

An absolute bloody hero that man.

An example to anyone who just gives up.

[Johnboy Mac]

Befitting words fail me. 11/10

[Mr E]

His biography is well worth a read.

[Parabola]

2loud said:

Words fail me : 10/10

Can't really add much to this.

What a truly fantastic bloke.

[georgetuk]

This would be great to see, amazed at what he has achieved, what an athlete.

Come on Vasser do it!

[RenesisEvo]

I do hope he will get a crack at the Indy 500, he has achieved so much already despite that horrendous accident (seriously, don't Google it at work). Moreover, he has shown no resentment or anger about what happened to him, he's simply carried on doing great things. I think Alex Zanardi is one of the very few race drivers in history who truly deserves to be called a hero, in every sense.

[bob1179]

A true legend.

[GTRene]

amazing, he's a real fighter.

[binnerboy]

check out his interview at the paralympics, he described the crash as his qualification !
good luck to him, genuine hero

[Ex Boy Racer]

Lewis - take a really good look at this guy...

[DanDC5]

One story that always makes me chuckle about Zanardi, he had his false legs custom made as he couldn't find any on the market suitable for him to use in a racing car. When he had his test in a 2006 BMW F1 car he couldn't quite get comfortable in the cockpit with his false legs, so he decided to adjust them himself by filing material off them to make them fit better. All the while the mechanics looking on in a sort of semi-shock and Zanardi working away with a big grin on his face as he saw the mechanics faces

[ewolg]

Ex Boy Racer said:

Lewis - take a really good look at this guy...

Lewis and indeed a number of others too. Truly an inspirational man and really hope he gets to go to Indianapolis to realise his ambition.

[decadence]

Ex Boy Racer said:

Lewis - take a really good look at this guy...

The man is God.


Regards the above quote, not really fair is it considering we dont know how Lewis or anyone would react to nearly dying and losing both legs do we?
Dont spoil celebrating Alex by taking cheap bitter shots against Lewis....cheers.

[dele]

PhantomPH said:

I want to be able to rate this story : 10.