IndyCar: 17 years later - Alex Zanardi's devastating crash

Seventeen years ago today, one of the most devastating crashes in IndyCar history left Alex Zanardi without either one of his legs.

Four days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, tragedy struck again in the IndyCar world in the CART race at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, a three-turn, 2.023-mile (3.256-kilometer) superspeedway located in the village of Klettwitz in the state of Brandenburg, Germany that somewhat resembles Pocono Raceway.

With just 12 of 154 laps remaining in the American Memorial 500, which was renamed from the German 500 as a tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, Alex Zanardi, who was 34 years old at the time, came into the pits with the race lead.

But Zanardi lost control of his car while coming out of the pits, causing him to spin through the grass and up onto the track in front of oncoming cars.

Patrick Carpentier drove past the spinning Zanardi, and he came within inches of slamming in to him. Here is what Carpentier had to say about the matter, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"“I almost hit Zanardi. He came up the track and I went sideways and almost hit the wall to avoid him…I knew somebody was going to hit him because he was going up the track and we were at full speed.”"

Carpentier was right. Alex Tagliani could not avoid hitting Zanardi like he did, resulting in a massive accident.

Here is a video of this horrific crash.

WARNING: The crash and the images associated with it are extremely graphic. If you are sensitive to this kind of material, do NOT watch.

After the crash, Zanardi was hospitalized and in stable but critical condition. He was breathing on his own and had not suffered any significant internal injuries. However, both of his legs were amputated. Tagliani was also hospitalized, but he did not suffer any major injuries as a result of the accident.

Zanardi’s open-wheel racing career, which also included a few part-time seasons and one full-time season in Formula 1, ended as a result of this horrific accident. In less than four seasons driving in CART during which he competed in 66 races, he racked up 15 victories, 28 podium finishes and 10 pole positions.

More from IndyCar

Zanardi finished in third place in the championship standings in the 1996 season with three victories, six podium finishes and a career-high six pole positions in 16 races before winning the championships in both the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

In the 1997 season, Zanardi secured five victories, seven podium finishes and four pole positions in 16 races, and in the 1998 season, he secured a career-high seven victories and a career-high 15 podium finishes in 19 races. He returned to the series in the 2001 season after a two-year hiatus and competed in 15 races before his career-ending accident.

In an interview from 2016, Zanardi discussed what he thought would happen and how he would feel if he were to ever experience a crash with the magnitude of the one he experienced. Here is what he had to say.

Needless to say, Zanardi took a different path than the one he thought he would take given where he is now. Once his accident happened, he was determined not to give in like he thought he would when he previously considered how he would react to an accident such as the one he experienced if he ever experienced it.

The Italian driver persevered and powered through the adversity that he was faced with. In fact, he started racing in the World Touring Car Championship less than four years after the crash that nearly took his life. He raced there from 2005 to 2009 and won four races during that span — as a double amputee.

In 2014, Zanardi competed in the Blancpain Sprint Series, and he finished as high as fifth place in a race. He took up handcycling and competed in the 2012 Paralympics in London, England in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a result of it. He won multiple gold medals in both of his Paralympic appearances.

This year, Zanardi has competed in the first two Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters races of his career, and he finished one of those two races in fifth place.

Here is what Zanardi had to say about his recovery back in 2016 after he won a gold medal in the Paralympics just one day before the 15-year anniversary of his devastating crash, according to the BBC.

"“I feel very lucky, I feel my life is a never-ending privilege…Normally I don’t thank God for these type of things as I believe God has more important stuff to worry about, but today is too much, I had to raise my eyes and thank him.“Even my accident, what happened to me, became the biggest opportunity of my life. All the things I am doing today are related to my new condition. When you find yourself in a certain situation you have to identify where you want to go and focus on what you can achieve on that given day.“Whether it is a small thing or big one, step-by-step you can make things happen. At the time I was asked if I would ever step back in a race car, but what was very important for me was to go into the bathroom and pee on my own, but I could not do that.“I had to be helped. That was my number one priority. Day by day I managed to regain control and strength, regain some confidence and concentrate on different things and here I am now.”"

Next. Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark

Alex Zanardi’s post-crash journey as a double amputee has been one involving a ton of strength and determination. Now 17 years old, the 51-year-old’s journey has still not ceased to amaze.

IndyCar: 17 years later – Alex Zanardi’s devastating crash

By Asher Fair | Sep 15, 2018

Seventeen years ago today, one of the most devastating crashes in IndyCar history left Alex Zanardi without either one of his legs.