The team at MotorSport Vision was deeply saddened when the news broke this weekend that Italian motor racing and Paralympic hero Alex Zanardi had died.
Initially a star in single-seaters, Zanardi reached F1 where he raced for Jordan, Minardi and Lotus. But it was following a switch to the CART series in the United States, that he truly became a superstar. There, during a title-winning spell with Chip Ganassi Racing, he frequently delivered victories with as much colour and personality as skill.
A brief return to F1 with Williams followed, before he made a fateful decision to rejoin CART with Mo Nunn Racing for 2001. It was late that season, at the Lausitzring in Germany, that he was involved in a horrific, life-altering accident which cost him his legs and almost his life.
The remarkable thing about Zanardi was that, in some ways, this was just the beginning. After a period of recovery, the charismatic Italian set about not only living a full life, but also pursued a full-time return to international motorsport.
Just four years following his accident, he was a winner at the top level once again, achieving the first of several World Touring Car Championship victories with BMW. It was during this period too that he returned to Brands Hatch, even standing on the podium, just a few years before he would become associated with the venue for another extraordinary achievement.
That’s because, in between reviving his career as a professional racing driver, Zanardi had also undertaken the task of transforming himself into a paracyclist. This is something he managed to achieve with distinction, becoming one of the very best amputee cyclists in the world within his category. And when the Paralympic cycling events took place at Brands Hatch during London 2012, Zanardi returned once more to the top of the rostrum, claiming two Gold medals.
Remarkably, Zanardi followed this up once again with another double Gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, whilst still dovetailing his preparation with high-level motorsport outings. This career too, was sadly taken from him following another accident, whilst competing in a paracycling road race in his native Italy.
MSV Chief Executive, Jonathan Palmer, paid tribute: "It is of course extremely sad that Alex Zanardi has died, after a lifetime of ambition, determination and achievement. However his courage after the horrendous accident that left him an amputee leaves a legacy of huge inspiration to so many.
"I got to know Alex in my days commentating for BBC F1 TV and he was always approachable and engaging. So it came as no surprise that, after the devastating accident which transformed his life, he approached his situation with determination, optimism, and humour. It was wonderful to see him return to the track, but it was the greatest privilege to witness him win a Paralympic Gold medal at Brands Hatch in 2012. My thoughts are with his wife Daniela and son Niccolò.”
