Alex Zanardi

The second U.S. 500 wasn't billed as a Demolition Derby, but it seemed to turn out that way. Nine drivers led during the 500 miles Sunday, but six of them never made it to the finish line. One after another, the leader and the contenders dropped out--either because of hitting the wall or engine failure brought on by hot temperatures and high speeds. At the end of CART's longest race, Alex Zanardi, the talkative little Italian from Chip Ganassi's Target team, was left.

Results Results of the Marlboro 500 CART FedEx Series race at California Speedway, with starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown or country, type of car, laps completed and reason out, if any: 1. (2) Jimmy Vasser, Las Vegas, Reynard-Honda, 250. 2. (9) Greg Moore, Canada, Reynard-Mercedes, 250. 3. (18) Alex Zanardi, Italy, Reynard-Honda, 250. 4. (27) Adrian Fernandez, Mexico, Reynard-Ford, 250. 5. (6) Mauricio Gugelmin, Brazil, Reynard-Mercedes, 250. 6.

His auto racing days may be over, but Alex Zanardi is piloting a hand-operated BMW these days, not driving around in circles, but moving forward in life, despite the loss of his legs. Zanardi was nearly killed last fall in the quickly renamed American Memorial 500 champ car race in Germany, only days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when his car was struck broadside by Alex Tagliani's.

Alex Zanardi knows it is easier to win a race by starting on the pole, staying out in front and out of trouble, but there's something in his adventurous Italian psyche that loves the thrill of coming from deep in the pack, clawing and scraping his way to victory. His spirit will be tested today when he starts 20th, on the outside of the 10th row, in the 27th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Doctors performed a follow-up operation on Alex Zanardi on Monday, saying the two-time CART champion was not out of danger after losing his legs in a crash. "In the moment, he's stable, don't get me wrong. But it could change at any moment," said Walter Schaffartzik, head of the team of doctors treating the 34-year-old Italian. "It's too early to say if he's out of danger. "But it's my impression that he's getting more stable."

While Alex Zanardi lies in a Berlin hospital, half conscious and his legs gone, the CART community is gathering in Rockingham, England, for a race on Saturday. In racing, as in the theater, the show must go on. Even after Zanardi's car was sliced in half in a horrifying 200 mph accident last Saturday in Klettwitz, Germany, the American Memorial 500 continued.

Alex Zanardi was released from a hospital in Berlin on Tuesday six weeks after his legs were amputated. He spoke of possibly racing again. "I feel I brought home the best and the most of myself," the two-time CART champion said. "I didn't lose much. I got to know the importance of the love of family and friends. Sometimes in life we forget what we have." Zanardi, one of CART's most popular drivers, said his first priority is to walk using artificial legs.

Pole-sitting specialist Alex Zanardi, who has been quoted as saying he drove a pizza truck two years ago in Rome when he was temporarily out of racing, put an end to the story Friday during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. "It was a joke, a joke between me and Jimmy [Vasser] over a Target commercial we did together a year ago," the Italian driver explained.

Alex Zanardi, who would rather be known as Alessandro, had a feeling it was a good omen Friday when he went to pay his bill at a fancy Long Beach restaurant and found that an anonymous diner had already paid it. Sunday, in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, winning was more gratifying for the Italian driver, and just about as easy. In one of the more uneventful races of the 23 run through the streets of Long Beach, Zanardi drove his Honda-powered Reynard to a 3.

Alex Zanardi may not spin any of his trademark "doughnuts" in the Century Plaza lobby Saturday night, but he'll probably feel like it when he collects checks adding up to $2,096,250 as the PPG CART World Series champion. The exciting and excitable Italian driver will be guest of honor at the awards banquet, where president and chief executive officer Andrew Craig will hand out the season's prize money.

Alex Zanardi won his first race Sunday since losing both legs in an accident in Germany in 2001. Zanardi won the seventh race of the world touring cars championships in his BMW 320i. The former Formula One driver and two-time CART champion lost his legs in a collision during a CART race on Sept. 15, 2001. He walks and drives with the help of two prostheses.

Former Formula One and CART driver Alex Zanardi will drive full time with the BMW Italian team in the 2004 European touring car championship. Zanardi, who lost both legs in a horrific crash during a CART series race in Germany two years ago, returned to racing in Monza, Italy, last October with encouraging results for the BMW team. Italian team manager Roberto Ravaglia announced Zanardi's full-time return Thursday.

His auto racing days may be over, but Alex Zanardi is piloting a hand-operated BMW these days, not driving around in circles, but moving forward in life, despite the loss of his legs. Zanardi was nearly killed last fall in the quickly renamed American Memorial 500 champ car race in Germany, only days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when his car was struck broadside by Alex Tagliani's.

First one out is not a good thing. Tony Kanaan kicked a retaining wall and put his helmeted head in his hands. Kanaan stared at his No. 10 Pioneer-WorldCom/Mo Nunn Racing Honda-Reynard. The car's engine had died, just stopped. The fast car stood still and Kanaan had just become the first driver out of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday. In two events this season, Kanaan has scored zero points. For a moment Kanaan's spirits were low. But not for long. Kanaan, a 27-year-old Brazilian whose father had raced stock cars on a Brazilian circuit Kanaan says "is as big as NASCAR," has an understanding of his life and the place racing has in it. He walked off the track waving and smiling at the fans.

Alex Zanardi, who lost both his legs on Sept. 15 in a crash during a CART race at Lausitz, Germany, stood for the first time on artificial legs during a ceremony in his hometown of Bologna, Italy. "I'm so emotional that my legs are trembling," he said after presenting a Golden Helmet award to Formula One champion Michael Schumacher. "I can't walk yet, but this is the first step of the most important race. I have an extraordinary team beside me.

Alex Zanardi was released from a hospital in Berlin on Tuesday six weeks after his legs were amputated. He spoke of possibly racing again. "I feel I brought home the best and the most of myself," the two-time CART champion said. "I didn't lose much. I got to know the importance of the love of family and friends. Sometimes in life we forget what we have." Zanardi, one of CART's most popular drivers, said his first priority is to walk using artificial legs.

Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi came out of an induced coma Thursday, signaling a faster-than-expected recovery from a gruesome crash that forced the amputation of both legs. "It's encouraging the way he's getting better," Dr. Walter Schaffartzik said. "He was pulled out of the induced coma in phases." Zanardi began emerging from the coma Wednesday night after doctors reduced drugs that induced the state to cut the chances of organ failure.

While Alex Zanardi lies in a Berlin hospital, half conscious and his legs gone, the CART community is gathering in Rockingham, England, for a race on Saturday. In racing, as in the theater, the show must go on. Even after Zanardi's car was sliced in half in a horrifying 200 mph accident last Saturday in Klettwitz, Germany, the American Memorial 500 continued.

Doctors performed a follow-up operation on Alex Zanardi on Monday, saying the two-time CART champion was not out of danger after losing his legs in a crash. "In the moment, he's stable, don't get me wrong. But it could change at any moment," said Walter Schaffartzik, head of the team of doctors treating the 34-year-old Italian. "It's too early to say if he's out of danger. "But it's my impression that he's getting more stable."

Two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi lost both legs Saturday when his car was hit by another traveling about 200 mph in a race that was renamed the "American Memorial 500" after last week's terrorist attacks. The 34-year-old Italian was leading with 12 laps left in CART's first race in Europe. As he exited the pit area after a stop, Zanardi seemed to accelerate too early, lost control and swerved sideways across a grassy area and into the path of Alex Tagliani's car.