The Incredible Life Of Racing’s Alex Zanardi Comes To An End At 59

Alex Zanardi as a CART rookie on March 31, 1996 at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. (Photo by Darrell Ingham/Allsport/Getty Images)

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Alex Zanardi, the ultimate tragedy to triumph hero, died on May 1 at 59 years of age.

Zanardi’s family announced his death on Saturday, saying that he passed away on Friday night.

“Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him,” the family said in a statement without providing a cause of death.

The driver from Italy was a racing star and two-time CART Champion in 1997 and 1998 with Chip Ganassi Racing before leaving for Formula One in 1998. He would later return to CART and lost both legs and nearly bled to death in a gruesome crash in a CART race in Germany on September 15, 2001.

CART’s lead Medical Official, Dr. Steve Olvey, applied heavy pressure with a tourniquet as Zanardi was in a race against time to a hospital in Berlin to keep Zanardi from bleeding out after losing three-quarters of his blood volume.

Members of the CART Safety Team with Alex Zanardi after the devastating crash on September 15, 2001 at Lausitzring in Germany. (Photo by: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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Zanardi’s life was saved, but his legs were lost in one of the most grisly crashes in history.

But Zanardi had one of the most positive and upbeat personalities of any driver in racing. When his friend and former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jimmy Vasser visited Zanardi in the hospital, Zanardi smiled.

“Hey Jimmy, would you like some new shoes?” Zanardi quipped, referring to the fact he no longer had feet. “Now, I can be as tall as I want to be.”

Some may view that humor as dark and gallows, but Zanardi always looked at the positives. After all, he was still alive and even without legs, he would have plenty of life to live.

"When I woke up without legs, I looked at the half that was left, not the half that was lost,” Zanardi said afterwards.

He would eventually return to the Lausitzring, the track where he was nearly killed, and completed the final 13 laps in a race car using hand controls before the German 500 in 2003.

Alex Zanardi pumps his fist after his ceremonial 13-lap run at the German 500 World Series 2003, Euro Speedway/Lausitz; Alessandro ZANARDI/ITA (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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The 13 ceremonial laps were the laps that remained in 2001 when Zanardi was involved in his horrific crash.

Alex Zanardi’s Incredible Life And Career

Zanardi was a competitor and loved racing. So, he reinvented himself and became a Paralympian.

He would go on to become a Gold Medalist in Cycling in the Paralympics.

Zanardi was an inspiration to millions, proving that there is life after near tragedy and individuals can triumph over extreme adversity.

He also was responsible for creating the victory celebration known of “Doughnuts” when he was competing in CART. After Zanardi would win a race, on the victory lap, he would come to a stop, hit the accelerator and light up his rear wheels, while turning in circles, to smoke the tires. That would leave burnt rubber “doughnuts” and became his signature victory celebration.

Alex Zanardi in the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race on April 14, 1996. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Allsport/Getty Images)

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Behind the wheel of a Chip Ganassi Racing car in CART, Zanardi was brilliant.

He arrived a rookie in 1996 and won three of the 16 races in a season where his teammate, Vasser, won the championship. In 1997, Zanardi took charge, winning five races and the first of his back-to-back CART Championships. In 1998, Zanardi won seven of the 19 races on the CART schedule to win a second championship.

By then, the racing world took notice of Zanardi’s brilliance. Having conquered CART, Zanardi left for Formula One to drive for Williams F1.

Zanardi actually came from Formula One, driving three races for Jordan in 1991, on race for Minardi in 1992, 11 for Team Lotus in 1993 and 10 for the team in 1994.

CART team owner Chip Ganassi recognized Zanardi’s brilliance and signed him to his racing team. Although Vasser was his first champion, Zanardi’s success launched Chip Ganassi Racing into the dominant team that it continues to this day.

“Chip Ganassi Racing and the whole racing community has lost more than a legend — the world has lost one of its most extraordinary human beings,” Chip Ganassi said in a statement on X. “Alex Zanardi was the definition of resilience, courage, and grace. He was integral in shaping Chip Ganassi Racing into what it has become. From the highest levels of motorsport to his incredible achievements beyond it, he showed us all what it truly means to fight, to adapt, and to live with purpose.

“His strength inspired millions, but it was his humility, kindness, and unwavering positivity that made him unforgettable. He didn’t just overcome adversity — he redefined what was possible. Rest in peace, Alex. Your legacy will continue to push us forward, on and off the track.”

Chip Ganassi (left) and Alex Zanardi (right) pose for a picture after they accept an award during the CART Year End Banquet at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire /Allsport

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Zanardi’s return to Formula One with Williams, however, did not produce the results many expected. He competed in all 16 races in F1, but his best finish was seventh at Monza in 1999.

The Moment That Changed Alex Zanardi’s Life Forever

He returned to CART in 2001 with Mo Nunn Racing and hoped to once again achieve stardom. He had finished fourth in Toronto on a team that was beginning to show promise.

When Zanardi and CART arrived at Lausitz, Germany that day, the world as already dealing with tragedy from the 9/11 attack on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Sporting events around the world shut down. Air travel to North America had ceased while the world collectively dealt with the horrifying reality of seeing the World Trade Center in New York City collapse after two passenger planes high-jacked by followers of Osama bin Laden flew them into the towers. A third passenger jet crashed into The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania, presumably on its way to Washington, D.C. to crash either into the White House of the US Capitol.

A group of passengers on that last flight were able to storm the cockpit, attack the high-jackers and have the jet crash into an open field in Pennsylvania, instead of creating even more damage in Washington, D.C.

A fiery blasts rocks the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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As this was happening, the North American-based CART Series was in Europe as part of a two-weekend tour of the schedule that would include the Germany race.

September 11, 2001, was a Tuesday. After the attack, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, Formula One, NASCAR and the Indy Racing League all halted their schedules.

But CART decided with all the teams and equipment already in Germany, to run the race at Lausitzring as scheduled. It was the first international sporting event held after the 9/11 attack and would be treated as a tribute to those who had been killed while signaling a return to normalcy.

That all changed after Zanardi made a pit stop, came out of the pits and left the pit exit in Turn 2, he drove up to the racing line in front of Alex Tagliani’s car at full speed.

Alex Tagliani driving the Team Players Ford Reynard (blue car) collides with Alex Zanardi Mo Nunn Racing Honda Reynard in the horrific crash at the Lausitzing in Germany on September 15, 2001. (Photo by: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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The nose of Tagliani’s car speared into the cockpit of Zanardi’s vehicle, severing both legs in a massive impact. Because of the work of Olvey and his medical crew, along with trauma doctors in Berlin, Zanardi’s life was saved.

During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics — he joked that he made himself taller — and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the most accomplished athletes in the world. He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon and set an Ironman record.

When he won a Paralympic race in 2012 at Britain’s Brands Hatch circuit where he had competed as a young driver, Zanardi celebrated the full-circle moment by holding his bike aloft one-handed as he sat on the track.

Alex Zanardi celebrates after winning the men's team relay competition in the 2016 Palalympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 16, 2016.(Photo by Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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“Probably a lot of people watching me doing (this) to some degree against all odds maybe they are going to say, ‘Bloody hell, if Zanardi did this, I can try. I can try,’” he told The Associated Press at the time. “A good attempt always brings a result.”

His spirit, will, and determination gave the beloved Italian a larger-than-life persona. When he returned to the U.S. in 2019 to compete for BMW at the Rolex 24 of Daytona without his prosthetics, he was the most revered driver in a field that included F1 champion Fernando Alonso.

Alex Zanardi’s Suffers Devastating Adversity A Second Time

That was before another life-altering incident hit Zanardi in 2020 when he crashed into an oncoming truck on his handbike during a relay event in Tuscany. Zanardi suffered serious facial and cranial trauma in the crash and was put in a medically induced coma.

Zanardi was praised by Pope Francis after his 2020 crash as an example of strength amid adversity. Francis penned a handwritten letter of encouragement assuring Zanardi and his family of his prayers.

Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of F1, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend,” calling Zanardi “truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete.”

“He faced challenges that would have stopped anyone, yet he continued to look forward, always with a smile and a stubborn determination that inspired us all,” Domenicali added. “While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong.”

Zanardi’s death came on the same day — May 1 — that fellow driver Ayrton Senna died in a crash during an F1 race in Imola, Italy in 1994.

According to the Associated Press, Zanardi’s family added that it “thanks everyone who is sharing their support right now and asks for respect during this time of mourning.”

Funeral details were still to be announced, the family said.

A moment of silence was to be observed in Zanardi’s honor before Saturday’s F1 sprint race in Miami Gardens, Florida. Also, the Italian Olympic Committee called for a minute of silence to be observed at all sports events in Italy over the weekend.

Zanardi, who was born in Bologna, is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.

Zanardi was one of the great drivers in IndyCar history, but he never had a chance to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Beginning in 1996, teams from CART chose to boycott the race over the creation of the rival Indy Racing League. The two sides eventually unified in February 2008, seven years after Zanardi had lost both legs.

“Alex Zanardi was a magnificent IndyCar Series champion, and his remarkable abilities on track are legendary and timeless,” IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “His list of wins and accomplishments run alongside an even more impressive legacy of courage, inspiration and determination, which he showed during his life’s journey.”

“Alex will always remain one of the most admired racers of our sport and is a shining example of the attributes it takes to be a champion.”

Had Alex Zanardi been able to race in the Indianapolis 500 in his prime, it would have been magical.

But Zanardi’s life was magical in many ways, as he was able to overcome devastating adversity, reinvent himself in another sport, and smile to nearly everyone he encountered.

Alex Zanardi certainly led an incredible life.

Alex Zanardi on December 1, 2016 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

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This article was originally published on Forbes.com