It was a year later, on September 15, 2001, that the accident that changed everything happened.


Racing at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track in Germany, Zanardi was leading in the closing laps (pictured above). After a late pit stop, he attempted to merge back onto the track when lost control and spun into the path of Canadian Patrick Carpentier.

Carpentier avoided him, but Canada's Alex Tagliani, who was just behind Carpentier, could not.

His car smashed into the side of Zanardi's vehicle, severing the nose of the car in a sickening collision. Upon impact, Zanardi lost both legs - one at the knee and one below it - as well as nearly three-quarters of his blood volume.

It was only rapid medical intervention that saved his life. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where during three hours of surgery further portions of his legs were amputated to clean and help close the wounds.


After several days, Zanardi was fitted with two prosthetic limbs and he began an ambitious rehabilitation programme, which amazingly saw him start racing again with the aid of hand-operated brake and accelerator controls.

In a brave move, he returned to the EuroSpeedway Lausitz (pictured below) track to complete the final thirteen laps at the circuit that had nearly killed him in 2001. Then in 2004, he returned to full-time racing, driving for the BMW Team Italy-Spain in the FIA European Touring Car Championship. A year later, he won his first World Series race since his accident, and not long after that he decided to take up hand-cycling to keep fit.


He proved rather good at it and decided to enter competitions. A fourth place finish at the 2007 New York City Marathon (pictured below) after only four weeks of training showed he could become a major player so he decided to set his ambitions higher; targeting a place on the Italian cycling team at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Earlier this year his place on the team was finally confirmed. The selection announcement came shortly after the unveiling of the London 2012 venue for his sport: Brands Hatch racing circuit where he had his accident in 2001.

It was rather fittingly at the former F1 Grand Prix circuit near Sevenoaks in Kent that I met the 45-year-old after he had finished training at the London 2012 venue. He was in a relaxed and philosophical mood as we spoke together, but all the time his bright blue eyes were surveying the Brands Hatch track that could bring him his greatest achievement to date this September.


"I thought it was very funny when the Organising Committee announced that the course for my race at the Paralympics would be Brands Hatch circuit," the instantly likeable Italian chuckled.

"I thought it was very ironic.

"I was hoping that I would be able to take advantage of my previous experience because this is a track that I know very well from motor racing and a track that I love.

"But having raced it in my chair, I realise that it is a lot different from racing it in a car. In the chair, the circuit is so wide that you can navigate the bends without touching the brake. But it is technical and you have to be clever to push in the right areas in order to get round as fast as possible. That is maybe where I can get a slight advantage. I'm going to go home, analyse the data from this training session and hopefully correct things for September. But it has been great to come back here for this training day."

The training day itself is a long one for Zanardi (pictured below at the day) because, unsurprisingly, he has been the focus of all the media attention. Every single media outlet wants to speak to him, and he smiles again when I bring up the fact.


"If you speak to Paralympians, you will find many of them have very special stories," he said.

"I have my own story and, to some degree, I am proud of the fact that in a time where it was easy for me to surrender and give up all hope, I did not. I decided to fight as best as I could and that has given me the opportunity to encounter new things in my life that are making my life richer than ever before.

"But I am not naive.

"I know that being named Zanardi helps me a lot and that my name has opened a lot of doors for me that are closed for others. But at the end of the day, I guess we have to get the best out of what we have and that it what I try to do. I'm just happy to still be alive and to have the opportunity to be back here is a big bonus."

Zanardi's motor racing record at Brands Hatch is a modest one, with his best result coming way back in 1999 when he finished second while competing in International Formula 3000 in a race he started on pole.

Since his accident, he has competed there in the World Touring Car Championship every year from 2006 to 2009. His best finish was third in 2008, finishing ninth in 2006, 15th in 2007 and 12th in 2009.


Getting his first victory at the famous old track at the Paralympics almost feels like fate would be taking a hand, and I have to ask him if he believes in such a thing.

For the first time, he pauses.

"I do believe in fate," he says slowly.

"But I also believe you can correct what fate is trying to draw up for you.

"I'm trying to correct my own fate as much as I can but I'm very happy if fate has led me to something as special and great as the Paralympics.

"It is something I never thought I would be involved in.

"I started to think about it a few years ago, but it was just a distant dream back then.

"I worked harder and I began to realise that my dream of making it to the Paralympics could come true.


"Now it has come true and I am delighted, even if I am not totally surprised but what I have been able to do.

"You have to believe it is possible to reach your horizon and that has always been my philosophy. It doesn't matter how high you have climbed or how low you have fallen, you must always give your best and that can bring amazing results as I have seen."

So now that he has made to the Paralympics, does he believe he can win?

"Technically, I think a medal is possible," he said


"If I give everything I have and keep training as hard as I can, I think I have a chance to end up with a good result.

"There are many great competitors in this sport and they will not be easy to beat but this is the Paralympics and anything can happen on the day.

"It isn't just about who is the favourite, it is about who performs under the pressure."

With our time together drawing to a close, I ask if London 2012 will be the end of the line for Zanardi and his love affair with the Paralympics.

"I feel quite sad that my long journey to London 2012 is nearly over," he confesses. "If I could win a medal; it would be the fairytale ending for me. After London, I don't know what the future holds. Part of me would like to think that I can make it to Rio in 2016 but I am not a young man and I will be nearly 50 by then. Another option is changing sports and trying to go to Sochi in 2014 for the Winter Paralympics. That is definitely an idea I will consider.

"But quite frankly, if I could pick an option, it would be to add another wheel to my wheelchair, put a motor engine and steering wheel in it and to go back to motorsport because the training is much less tiring!"

Tom Degun is a reporter for insideworldparasport