Zanardi could make racing return

[FourWheelDrift]

Top news, it's hard to keep a racer down for long.

Disabled former Champ Car king Alex Zanardi might make his return to racing in the final round of the European Touring Car Championship after a positive test in Ravaglia Motorsport's BMW 320I in Italy on Tuesday.

The Italian, who lost both his legs in a crash during the EuroSpeedway Lausitz Champ Car race in 2001, completed 27 laps of Misano in the specially adapted car, including a 14-lap sequence equivalent to a normal ETCC race distance. Zanardi lapped in 1m42.9s, 3.5 seconds slower than the benchmark set by reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, although Zanardi was driving an upgraded Super Production machine rather than a full-blown 2003 car.

This isn't the first time a high profile racing driver who has suffered major injury has returned to a racing career, Clay Reggazoni has raced since being paralysed in USA GP at Long Beach in 1980. Taking part in the Paris-Dakar Rally and in sportscar events with hand-controlled machinery.

[Podie]

Seem to recall he had a go in a modified car and was pretty much on the pace straight away.

A thoroughly decent bloke who seems to be beating the odds... really hope it works out for him.

[simon@63]

An absolute hero and a Gentleman too.

Good luck to him.

[smeagol]

Quite agree, nice bloke, and very sporting. Hope everything goes well for him.

[The DJ 27]

Should be fantastic. Be interesting to see how well he'd go on a circuit instead of an oval, which is what he drove the modified Champ Car on. Top bloke

[hornet]

Worth mentioning Jason Watt here I think - seem to recall he got to F3000 and was then paralysed in a motorbike accident. Now races in the Danish Touring Cars I think, might have dome some GT/Prototype racing too.

To go all Blackadder for a moment, the man's a bally hero.