Alex Zanardi – Miracles happen (not only) at Christmas

When I was supposed to write an article about this accident, it didn’t work. I had the first two paragraphs done and then I just deleted them. It was hard for me and I just didn’t want to write it. And I was afraid of the times when I would have to write him an obituary, because Alex Zanardi is a hero to me. Idol. A symbol of the desire not only to survive but also to live

And today, more than five months after that tragedy, I learned that this warrior has not given up yet! The Italian daily Corriere della Sera published the report that “Alex Zanardi (54) hears, sees again and that he was able to respond with hand movements to the questions of doctors and his wife Daniela”. Miracles happen (not only) at Christmas!

So let’s sum it up. When Alex Zanardi was a schoolboy, his sister died in a car accident. At that time, he was already racing go-karts, and his parents continued to support him because they were afraid that little and enthusiastic Alex would start riding a motorcycle. In 1987 he already had the title of European Champion and in 1991 he raced three races in the F1 monopost of the Jordan racing team.

When he became a Lotus driver in 1993, he seemed to have a great career ahead of him, finishing sixth in the second race. But then he was hit by an inattentive driver while Zanardi was training his bike. He also raced with broken bones in his left foot, but during training for the Belgian Grand Prix his active Lotus chassis failed, the car flew from Eau Rouge to the fence, the car turns into a fireball and in the wild hours it hits the barriers on the other side of the track. A severe concussion ended his season and the following year it was more of a pain…

In 1996, Zanardi took a place with Chip Ganassi’s top team in IndyCar, finishing third overall in his first year, becoming the rookie of the year and a darling of the spectators with wild pirouettes in clouds of smoke after winning races. A year later he was the champion and in 1998 he defended the title! He is a star not only on the race track, he is also respected by rivals, he is loved by fans and journalists are enthusiastic about his immediacy, but also about how cunning he is.

Nevertheless, there is a (not successful) return to Formula 1 and then … “I thought it was over. I became a father, bought a boat and had a lot of time to think about whether this is the life I want to live, “Zanardi recalled in one of the interviews. But once you’re a racer … In the 2001 season, he returned to the CART races in Morris Nunn’s team with the support of Honda, who promised Nunn financial help with a second car if he got Zanardi.

However, the combination of a young team and little experience with technology takes its toll, the results are lousy. But gradually everyone on the team improved, and when the first race in Europe was to take place on the German Lausitzring, Zanardi felt a chance. He worked his way up to first place in the race, and when he left the pits after refueling to complete the last thirteen laps, the only thing running through his head was: “You will win this race!”

But then came a skid, a crash into the barriers that threw him back on the track, and then a fatal collision with Alex Tagliani’s monopost, who didn’t have a single chance to react. At a speed of 300 km / h, he hit the front side of Zanardi’s formula, which shattered and Zanardi lost both legs in a split second. There was a lot of debris everywhere, a sinister red spot formed around the car of a heavily bleeding driver, a sinister red spot and a battle with time broke out.

The impact was so strong that the injuries were said to resemble soldiers stepping on an infantry mine. The doctor, who hurried to him, kept sliding around the lap. He assumed it was the oil from the crashed car, but in reality it was blood.

Yes, he should have died. He lost more than four liters of blood, his heart stopped three times. But before he reached the operating room in Berlin, he received his last anointing. But he did it! After three days he was awakened from artificial sleep, after six weeks he was already behind the wheel of his new BMW and asked a technician how to work with manual steering. Rehabilitates, learns to walk on prostheses. From the end of the year, the whole world is amazed to see how he participates in go-kart racing in Monaco, and then at the Lausitzring he rode in a modified monopost for the last thirteen laps he had left for the finish.

“Everyone expected me to take an exhibition ride, but if you’re sitting in a well-prepared car and you feel like it, it doesn’t matter if you have legs or not,” Zanardi told a news conference. It was crowded, journalists were also standing in the hallway. Not to mention that Zanardi set the time that secured fifth place for the upcoming race!

“When I got out of the hospital, the reporters immediately asked me if I would get in the race car again,” Zanardi recalled in an interview with TopGear. “I’m the same person I used to be,” he told them. “I am the same person in my head. If I could find a way to connect my brain to a race car, I’m sure I’d be good enough to win races with the right equipment. ”And obviously it worked! From 2005 to 2009 he raced again, this time in the European Touring Car Championship, he managed to win four times, twice in Brno. He rode pits on a Segway and gave autographs with a wide smile.

And when it wasn’t for cars, he started to ride his handbike fully and in 2012 won two gold and one silver medal at the Paralympics in London, four years later in Rio he repeated his success and in the meantime he cut several Ironmans…

But on June 9 this year, Zanardi met again with death. During the handball relay race, he lost control of the steering wheel, drove in the opposite direction, where he collided with a truck. His driver had no chance to prevent the accident. “When I saw him approaching me, I pulled the steering wheel all the way to the right, unfortunately got skidded and flew right under the car. I did everything I could to avoid a clash. I think about it every night. I’m so sorry, “said Mark C., the driver of the truck.

The prospects of the 53-year-old were more than miserable. Doctors honestly said that if he survived, he would probably not hear, see, and have limited mobility. Fortunately, everything is different now.

Doctors confirmed to the Italian daily Corriere that Zanardi was able to move his hand and raise his thumb to signal “OK” and also turn his head to his wife Daniele. Zanardi can’t speak yet because doctors keep his trachea open as a precaution, but he’s recovering!

Miracles seem to happen (not only) at Christmas.