Let's hear it for Zanardi!

We can only hope that we would have the determination, strength and attitude of this man in such a life changing tragedy.

From F1-Live

Zanardi will make his racing come-back
At Monza in ETCC [17/09/03 - 17:34]

Zanardi will fulfil his dream

MW announced today at the Frankfurt International Motorshow that Alessandro Zanardi will make his racing come-back on 19 October in the last round of the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC).

This announcement comes in just over 2 years after Zanardi lost his two legs in an horrific accident during a CART race organised on the German circuit of Lausitzring.

Mario Theissen made the official announcement that Alex Zanardi will be back in competition in ETCC at the wheel of a BMW 320i. “It’s an honour for us that Alex is able to make his dream come true in a BMW," said Theissen on BMW Motorsport's official web site. "We are extremely happy to provide him with the support of all our expertise and engineering skills. His project reflects the BMW Motorsport philosophy of always searching for new frontiers. Whatever the result of the race, Alex has already won through as far as I’m concerned.”

Alex Zanardi will be the third driver in the Ravaglia team, alongside Fabrizio Giovanardi and Antonio Garcia. “Two years ago I escaped death by a whisker,” mentioned Zanardi. “Although the situation was really bad at the time, I set myself the goal of leading a normal life again at some time in the future. Today, I can walk, I swim, I go skiing, and on 19 October I will complete my vision by competing seriously in a race. I believe that sometimes in life it’s difficult to regain your courage after a stroke of bad luck. If I manage to keep pace in Monza in October, I shall have reaffirmed my faith in myself: where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Alex's car for the event is adapted with only one pedal for braking, while all the other commands are operated on the steering wheel.

Alessandro Zanardi was born on 23 October 1966 and started in Formula One at Jordan in 1991. After that he drove for Minardi and Lotus before heading to North America. Alex became a star in the CART series by winning the championship in 1997 and 1998. The Italian made his come-back in F1 the following year at Williams but the season didn't turn out well for him and he was dropped by the team before the end of his contract. After a one-year sabbatical, Alex was back in the CART championship until he had his terrible accident in Germany near the end of the season. Since then Alex has been dreaming of making a come-back in racing. His dream will come through on 19 October at Monza this year.

Cheers to Alex. I've always been a fan, and what happened 2 years ago (almost to a day) was really devastating for me. He was just getting to grips on his return to cart and his career was in no way over. He's a strong man, much stronger than me. I cannot imagine someone losing one's legs, and yet he hasn't given up. Unfortunately, I cannot watch that race as I don't have the "correct" channel, but I'll be watching the news, without really expecting much in terms of results.

best news i have heard in a long time.

Good luck to him in his race!

Brave guy.. sometimes the worst scenario brings out the best in a man

Zanardi is truely a great guy. His accident occured shortly after the events of September 11 and had an even bigger impact on me than that tragedy.

Best of luck to Alessandro!