Para-athlete Alex Zanardi competing in 24 hour endurance race an early feel good sports story of 2019

by Julian Spivey
One of the biggest feel good stories in sports will be taking place this weekend, January 26-27, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. during the 57th annual running of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race when Alex Zanardi takes to the track.
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Zanardi has one of the most decorated resumes of any driver racing the 24 Hours of Daytona this weekend having won back-to-back CART Championships (a now defunct series akin to the IndyCar Series) in 1997 and 1998.

However, Zanardi’s experience is like no other driver in this race. Due to a horrific crash at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany in September 2001 while Zanardi was at the top of his game he lost both of his legs when he lost control of his car on cold tires coming off pit lane while leading the race and had his chassis ripped in two when contacted by Alex Tagliani. Zanardi was so close to losing his life that day that he was given last rites.

You would think that losing both legs in an accident would put an end to a driver’s career, but within two years of his horrific crash Zanardi was back on track in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for Team BMW with the help of hand brakes and accelerators. In 2003 he would finish seventh in his first race. Competing in the series from 2003 to 2009 he would help his team to four wins.

Zanardi would turn his athletic pursuits to handcycling with a desire to eventually compete in the Summer Paralympic Games in London in 2012. Zanardi didn’t just achieve his goal of competing in the 2012 Paralympics but won two gold medals for his home country of Italy. He would return to the Paralympics at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, where he would once again win two gold medals.

Last September Zanardi competed in a triathlon, using a handbike for the cycling portion and a wheelchair for the running portion, in his home country and broke the Ironman world record in the disabled category with a time that was good enough to finish fifth overall in that competition.

Zanardi has been quite the hero for people everywhere, especially those disabled and having lost their lower limbs.

Now, at 52-years old, he sets his sights to endurance racing in one of motorsports most important races and venues. Zanardi is competing for the No. 24 BMW team in the GT Le Mans class, the endurance race has multiple classes of vehicles competing, where he will be teamed with John Edwards, Jesse Krohn and Chaz Mostert.

The BMW is fitted with a custom-designed steering wheel that will allow Zanardi to accelerate, brakes and shift gears. The wheel will be removed when he hops out of the car and replaced with a standard one for his teammates. The driver changes that take place on pit road during the race are always among the most interesting aspects of the race, but Zanardi’s changes should be even more so. Video of Zanardi and his teammates, posted below, practicing these driver switches is riveting to watch.

The Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona begins just after 1 p.m. central standard time on Saturday, Jan. 26 and a bulk of it can be seen on NBC Sports Network.

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