Alex Zanardi
As Indycar attempted to pull itself apart in 1996, with the infamous split caused by the formation of the Indy Racing League, the CART World Series side of the deal received its best possible gift: Alex Zanardi.
From the ashes of Team Lotus in Formula 1, Zanardi signed for Chip Ganassi Racing. He partnered Jimmy Vasser, who won four of the first six races on his way to the 1996 title and today cites the Italian as his favourite team-mate. Their double act then led to Zanardi taking two titles of his own, before his return to F1 with Williams in 1999.
“Alex wasn’t just a great team-mate but a great friend,” says Vasser. “He was a comedian too. He was always so fun to be around – even when he was kicking your ass he’d make you laugh. He made life better when you were around him.
“He was a real animal to watch on the race track; I’d call him a lion. Within the team, he was helpful, he wasn’t trying to hide anything. We worked well together. I showed him the ropes when he first came over, especially with the ovals, but even in my championship year, when he could have won it too, he was still very helpful.”
Despite this, Vasser did find Zanardi to be a little reticent at first… “Maybe he was a little reserved to begin with – coming from F1, job number one is to murder your team-mate, right?” laughs Vasser. “It took a little while for him to warm up to the culture of our team. Like most drivers from there I think he realised, ‘Well, shit, this is a more enjoyable way of life – to actually have fun while you’re racing.’”
Zanardi’s life-threatening Lausitz crash in 2001, subsequent racing comeback and success in the Olympics have been overshadowed by the 2020 handbike crash that’s left him recovering from severe neurological damage at home in Italy.
“His Olympics success, it was so typical of the man,” says Vasser. “Pre-accident, post-accident, and even today, you give Zanardi a 1% chance of anything, and I’ll put my money on him.”