Two-Time INDYCAR SERIES Champion Alex Zanardi Dies at 59

Two-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Zanardi, who inspired millions globally with his courage and perseverance after a life-changing accident, died May 1 in his native Italy, his family announced. He was 59.

Zanardi (photo, top) won series championships in 1997 and 1998 while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He recorded 15 victories, 10 pole positions and 28 podium finishes during his INDYCAR SERIES career, which spanned from 1996-98 and 2001.

“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.”

Zanardi lost both of his legs in a horrific accident in September 2001 during a race at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Lausitz, Germany. His fight to recover from those injuries inspired fans around the world, and in 2003, he used hand-operated brake and accelerator controls before a Champ Car race car at Lausitz to ceremonially finish the final 13 laps of the 2001 race. It was one of the emotional scenes in racing history, and Zanardi’s ceremonial time on track would have qualified him in the first few rows of the actual race.

That fighting spirit embodied Zanardi for his entire career, especially after the accident. He went on to compete in a variety of series, including touring cars and sports cars, around the world with prosthetic legs that he helped to design to facilitate more speed in a race car.

Another highlight of his later racing career was a return to a Formula One car in November 2006 in a test session for BMW Sauber, driving a car specially adapted with hand controls. Zanardi competed in F1 from 1991-94 and again in 1999 with the Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams teams.

Zanardi also captivated fans of another form of wheeled racing, cycling. He worked to become a champion handcyclist, winning two gold medals for Italy in both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Paralympics. He also won 12 UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in various categories.

But tragedy also struck in that discipline of racing for Zanardi, who suffered serious neurological injuries in a road collision in June 2020 while competing a handcycling race in Italy.

The charismatic Zanardi received numerous honors for his accomplishments on and off the track during his career. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2014, inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2013 and the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame in 2022.

After his first foray in Formula One ended in 1994, Zanardi came to North America and tested with Chip Ganassi Racing, signing in late 1995 to drive for the team in 1996. He became a rookie sensation in 1996, winning three races and six poles, finishing third in the standings behind teammates Jimmy Vasser and Michael Andretti.

That rookie season also featured the classic move of his INDYCAR SERIES career and one of the most iconic passes in motorsports history when Zanardi used a risky maneuver in the dirt to pass race leader Bryan Herta in “The Corkscrew” turn at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Fans still refer to the maneuver simply as “The Pass.”

Zanardi ruled the series in 1997, winning five of 17 starts en route to his first title. He was even more dominant in 1998, capturing another championship with seven victories and 15 podium finishes in 19 races.

His famous practice of spinning his car in tight, doughnut-shaped circles after victories became instantly popular with fans and was emulated by drivers around the world.