Former CART driver Alex Zanardi wins gold at Paralympics - Congrats!

D3ATHS1NBUNCH3S

D3ATHS1NBUNCH3S

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D3ATHS1NBUNCH3S
Former F1/CART driver Alex Zanardi has won gold in the hand cycle event at the London Paralympics. Zanardi lost his legs in a horrific crash in a CART race in 2001.

All I can say is, well done. Most people, including myself, would've given up after that much hardship, but you pushed on. Congrats.
 
Happy for him! Zanardi is one of my personal heroes, that guy doesn't know the meaning of giving up, a true gladiator to his very soul!
 
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http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/news/articles/zanardi-savours-brands-hatch-triumph.html

I was going to post this myself, then saw this was here.

Massively happy for the man. Imagine, in all those years, not a single race victory at Brands Hatch, then POW! Paralympic Gold!

I've known for a while that he was a dedicated hand-cyclist. Yet despite placing high in that Marathon a few years ago, I didn't expect him to be THIS good.

Even better news: Jimmy Vasser has promised him a seat for Indy if he won a gold. I think old Jimmy had better cough up. :lol:
 
Excellent news. I wanted to catch this on tv, but the Paralympics coverage has been quite poor here in Japan. Well done Alex.
 
What an absolute hero! The guy just doesn't stop pushing himself - firstly to even get back in a race car after his horrific crash (I watched it the other day, you'd have sworn he was killed seeing the impact) and WIN races in the WTCC, then step out of a race car, switch into an entirely different sporting discipline and rise to the top in that! SURELY there's got to be a Senna-style documentary in all of this?! 💡 What an inspiration, and a fitting tribute to folks like Dan Wheldon who weren't so lucky to survive.

On an aside, myself and my fellow motorsport-loving friend are going to Brands Hatch on Friday to watch Alex and co in action, we're very excited! We'll be Italians for the day in support of him :) Anyone else gonna be there?
 
I wish I lived less than half a wold away.

Zanardi is my hero. Full stop. I've watched Senna, Prost and Schumacher in their heyday, but Zanardi was the one who made racing exciting. If you've never watched it, look up "The Pass" on Youtuge, where Zanardi overtakes Herta on the final lap of a race at Laguna SECA, at the corkscrew. I also remember watching him once take a gamble on slicks just a few laps from the finish on a drying track, spinning a few times and then passing the leader for the win right at the finish line.

He was brash, sometimes reckless, but he was great fun to watch.
 
Although this is a spoiler, I'll let it slide. :)

After all, it isn't technically about motorsports...
 
niky
Even better news: Jimmy Vasser has promised him a seat for Indy if he won a gold. I think old Jimmy had better cough up. :lol:
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Oh man that's awesome! also good to see them having a strong friendship more than 10 years after they where teamates, and after all those media people calling it a publicity stunt!
 
niky
Zanardi is my hero. Full stop. I've watched Senna, Prost and Schumacher in their heyday, but Zanardi was the one who made racing exciting. If you've never watched it, look up "The Pass" on Youtuge, where Zanardi overtakes Herta on the final lap of a race at Laguna SECA, at the corkscrew. I also remember watching him once take a gamble on slicks just a few laps from the finish on a drying track, spinning a few times and then passing the leader for the win right at the finish line.

He was brash, sometimes reckless, but he was great fun to watch.
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The man certainly is an inspiration! I remember all those donuts after each win! Those where honest expontaneous donuts! The real deal and not the "encouraged celebrations" of today! I remeber CART officials warning him and even threatening to fine him for them, you could almost see the grin behind his visor and here comes the donuts! Awesome stuff!
 
Alex Zanardi is apparently trying to race in next years Indy 500.

Amazing!
 
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Cowboys965
Alex Zamardi apparently trying to race in next years Indy 500.

Amazing!
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I hope he doesn't end up in the kind of situation Jean Alesi did. This man is an inspiration and deserves an opportunity to compete at the top of the field once again.
 
Zanardi is the man, seriously. An inspiration to us all, congrats!
 
Jav
The man certainly is an inspiration! I remember all those donuts after each win! Those where honest expontaneous donuts! The real deal and not the "encouraged celebrations" of today! I remeber CART officials warning him and even threatening to fine him for them, you could almost see the grin behind his visor and here comes the donuts! Awesome stuff!
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Those days, I feel, were the heyday of American open wheel racing. International fields, tough competition, races in other countries. The CART cars were not quite as fast as F1, being heavier, but they had more power and closer racing. And yes, a bit of theater in all the threats of fines and fights. Zanardi had his share of both.

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I doubt he would be very competitive in Indy. And he will need special dispensation for the hand controls. This was the barrier of entry to F1, also, though they allowed it in WTCC. In WTCC, it was a big handicap, as he would have a hard time in certain tight corners, but in open wheelers, where you will never turn the steering more than a few degrees, it might just work.

The other big barrier is proving he can extricate himself from the car easily.
 
TomMcD
I hope he doesn't end up in the kind of situation Jean Alesi did. This man is an inspiration and deserves an opportunity to compete at the top of the field once again.
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Jean Alesi had a Lotus engine, which was kind of a joke.

Average Qualy laps were around 220s+, Lotuses were 205+.
 
Tired Tyres
So am I but very unhappy with C4 for not showing the race live. :banghead:
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I feel for you brother. I was lucky enough to be not only at the track, but on the start-finish line when he powered through to win his 2nd gold. It was an amazing moment!

The race was so so close, with 8 riders staying close together the whole race, no breakaways, and Zanardi lurked at the tail of that pack for most of the going...me and my friend saw him chatting with some of his opponents both on the grid and during the race, and I got a feeling that he had something up his sleeve...then rounding the final lap, the commentators didn't mention his name at all, and then we saw the field round the final corner and emerge onto the start-finish straight, and we saw the wily fox powering to the lead and just beating Van Dyke (World H4 Road Race champion) by a few bike lengths. Amazing scenes - totally worth getting sunburnt and standing in the heat for nine hours for! :cheers:
 
F1 fan
Nice. I see Alex hasn't changed his racing style.
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You fight very well, but I have a secret. i am not left-handed!


You are amazing! But I have a secret, too. I'm not left-handed, either. :D
 

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