Jesus this is a tough one for me to read this morning , a gut punch, and I have some tears in my eyes right now. My wife and I just loved him, and I had to break the bad news to her this morning. Gone too soon at only 59. My wife and I met him in person a few times, I have some autographs, including some Wheaties boxes with him and Vasser on the front of the cereal boxes that they both signed for us. This news just sucks, I am very saddened by this even though we haven't really seen him in years as a result of his last accident. May he RIP.

I first met Zanardi at Michigan International Speedway, he was still an up and coming star in CART at the time. I had pit-lane tickets and you could catch the drivers as they finished their practice sessions coming out of their cars, it was amazing access to the drivers at the time. He was a true gentleman, and he stayed to the very last minute signing autographs no matter how tired he may have been. I know some other drivers who ignored you and just kept walking, but he stopped and stayed with the fans until everyone had his autograph, and he spoke to you like an old friend, he was so friendly with fans. It was amazing meeting him, and I was fortunate to see him a few times times in person at Michigan, Chicago, and Toronto, he was always the true gentleman each time. I have his book too. RIP Alex.

Alex Zanardi, auto racing champion who won Paralympic gold after life-altering accidents, dies at 59

 

I didn’t know who he was but he seemed like a great racer and person. RIP

 

Every time I read an article about him, one word came to mind: Indomitable

Rest in Peace Mr. Zanardi

 

Many refer to him as having "a heart of a lion" , I loved his infectious smile. HIs passion for racing created circumstances where he suffered greatly, but I think at the end he would have said it was all worth the risk.

 

I didn't know who he was so I looked for information.

 

Joey, I share your tears. I saw him race numerous times but never met him personally. I loved his book which I still have. I wrote the following at the end in a personal book I wrote about many of the greatest drivers of all time that I have met.

"In the 1990s I enjoyed seeing CART racers including my hero Alex Zanardi, along with Jimmy Vasser, Paul Tracy, Gil de Ferran, Greg Moore, Bryan Herta, Robby Gordon, and Scott Pruett.

Alex Zanardi was a hero both on and off the racetrack. He won the CART Indycar championship in 1997 and 1998. He attracted widespread praise for his return to competition in the aftermath of a crash in 2001 that resulted in the amputation of his legs! He returned to racing less than two years after the accident, competing in the World Touring Car Championship for BMW between 2003 and 2009. Switching sports, Zanardi took up competition in handcycling, a form of paralympic cycling, with the stated goal of representing Italy at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. In 2011 he won a handcycling silver medal; in 2012 he won gold at the London Paralympics, in 2016 he won a gold and a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro."

 

Always loved watching Alex race. A true natural talent just like Senna. They were two of the best to ever drive Honda powered open wheel cars.

 

I could not have said it any better Dave, I too enjoyed many of the racers you listed, and the 90's CART racers were great, and Honda was zooming to the top with many of them.

I will never forget our first encounter with Alex Zanardi. Has just starting out in CART after switching over from F1 and F1 test-driving. I immediately gravitated to him as he was Italian and then he got the ride with Honda. My wife loved watching him drive right from the start, and she knew nothing about racing up to that point.

My wife and I were at Michigan International Speedway in pit lane and the paddocks, and many of the drivers came off their last practice sessions and zipped away to their trailers. Alex was the last one coming off the track and we seen him through the chain link fence so we decided to stick around. We eventually got up right beside him as he exited pit lane, and about 10 race fans joined in with me to hang out with him. He wasn't having a good day, it was super hot and you knew he was tired. He had a bit of a disappointing smirk on his face, but it turned into that infectious smile as he saw fans waiting for him. He chatted with us like we were one-alike, he stayed there and signed every autograph, and would not leave until it was all done. I remember it like it was yesterday, I thought he was the most gracious driver, and it continued into the future as we met him at other races after he became much more famous.

I was going to sell my autographed Wheaties cereal boxes or give them away in recent years, but I held onto them and I still display them in my basement.

 

I continue to read and remind myself of what a special person he was.

" Zanardi died on 1 May, 32 years to the day after the loss of another motorsport icon, Ayrton Senna, a former on-track rival. In one way, the symmetry is a mere coincidence, but it feels so much more. Zanardi, like Senna, was a hero to millions across the globe. And, like Senna, his legacy will long outlive him."