One of the most inspiring figures in motorsport has passed away. The family of Alex Zanardi has revealed that the Italian race car driver and Paralympic athlete died peacefully on May 1. The two-time CART champion and Paralympic gold medalist was 59.
Zanardi began his racing career by building a kart himself and racing it at age 13 and eventually rose through the ranks in F3 and Formula 3000. At age 25 he became a test driver for the Footwork Formula 1 team before getting stints with the Jordan and Minardi teams, then a full-time seat at Lotus with which he finished as high as sixth at the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix.
In 1995 Zanardi switched to CART, landing a seat at the Chip Ganassi Racing, which paired Honda’s turbo V8 engines with a Reynard chassis, and immediately began to shine on the track. In 1996 he won Rookie of the Year, thanks in part to an incredible final-lap pass at the famed Laguna Seca corkscrew in the last race of the season.
That set the stage for back-to-back CART championships in 1997 and 1998. To commemorate the wins, Honda released a Zanardi Edition NSX in 1999, similar to the Japanese Type S spec but for the US market.
It was a lightweight variant that weighed 149 pounds less than the stock NSX-T. It saved pounds with a fixed roof panel, lighter weight rear spoiler, single-pane rear glass, lightweight battery, and manual steering rack. It came with exclusive gray BBS wheels and only in R150 New Formula Red, the color of Zanardi’s Indy racer. Only 51 examples were made for the US market.
In September 2001, tragedy struck at EuroSpeedway Lausitz. As Zanardi accelerated out of the pits, his car abruptly spun into the path of Alex Tagliani. The crash took off the front half of Zanardi’s car, and with it, both of his legs. It was reported that Zanardi lost 75 percent of his body’s blood, but thanks to the incredible skill of the doctors on site and at the hospital he was airlifted to, Zanardi’s life was saved.
That would have ended the career of most, but Zanardi returned to racing in 2005 behind the wheel of specially modified cars with hand controls to operate the throttle and brake. Zanardi drove for BMW in various series, from WTCC to Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters to the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Simultaneously, Zanardi dove in to handcycling. He won two gold medals each in the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, and between 2013 and 2019 won 12 gold medals in the Paracycling Road World Championships.
In June 2020 tragedy struck a second time, when Zanardi was involved in another crash while competing in an Italian national handcycling road race. He suffered life-threatening injuries when his handcycle collided with an oncoming truck head-on. He was hospitalized for an extended period with multiple surgeries, and it took months for him to regain his ability to speak. It is believed that complications from this accident are what ultimately led to his death.
Alex Zanardi showed the world that it’s possible to face profound adversity with grace and an indomitable spirit. Even against insurmountable challenges, he competed on his own terms. Ultimately, Alex Zanardi will be remembered not just for the trophies he won, but for the impossible odds he defeated.
Images courtesy of Honda, Paralympics.
Lost a childhood hero today. RIP, Mr. Donut, may God rest your soul.