Alessandro Zanardi did not have a good outing at the season-opening race of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Brazil.
Alessandro Zanardi did not have a good outing at the season-opening race of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Curitiba, Brazil, on Sunday. And yet, by just participating in the race, the 41-year-old Italian added one more chapter to his incredible story of courage, determination and indomitable will power.
Zanardi is no ordinary driver. Despite being involved in a horrific 300km/hr crash that resulted in both his legs getting amputated, he not only managed to overcome his handicap but also raced for BMW full-time in WTCC.
Speaking to DNA, Zanardi said he did not want his life to end in a hospital. “There was lots of blood, wires and tubes around. I wanted to get out of it very badly. I wanted to pick my son over my shoulder… to go out with my family… to dive in swimming pool… to ski…”
Zanardi, whose F1 career spanned from 1991 to 1999, has been an inspirational figure the world over for making a stunning recovery in a short time. After rehabilitation and getting fitted with two prosthetic limbs, he was back in a racing car on the same track where the accident had taken place one and a half years back.
He however, thinks there is nothing miraculous in what he has done. “I kept trying and saw if there was a way to do it. I am passionate about motorsports. In order to succeed, I have to be determined and work hard like all others do. When you are so passionate about something, you cannot talk about sacrifice and will power,” he said.
When asked as to how he felt driving a race car for the first time after the accident, Zanardi said that he was happy but not surprised. “Mentally, I knew I still could drive a car. Technically speaking, I am not the same driver I used to be. Nevertheless, I am fast every now and then. Winning some races and enjoying some success has brought me great satisfaction,” he said.
He admitted that it was understandable people thinking his return to be a miracle. “(After the accident), people thought I had lost blood rapidly and only a miracle could save me. Naturally, when people see me one and a half years later doing the same thing this could lead them to believe it was a miracle.”
He said that the real miracle, for example, is the relationship between a father and a son. “I get touched when a young kid does something and his father starts crying with joy. Life is a miracle.”
When asked as to what message he had for those who had suffered tragedies, Zanardi said that they had to get up and do what they could. “They should do their part, and who knows, along the way they could end up getting lucky.”
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