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Quick prayer

31. Mar 2022 
by Ziv Knoll
7261 views

Rookie Alex Zanardi won his first Champ Car Series race at Portland (Oregon) in 1996, leading 88 of the 102 laps. About 30 laps into the race, a rain shower swept over the track, but Zanardi elected not to switch to rain tires.

Picture above: Alessandro Zanardi, in his Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard 96i, has a quick prayer during his last pitstop on his way to his first Champ Car victory, at Portland in 1996.

His 17-second lead evaporated, and Al Unser Jr. passed Zanardi for the lead on  lap 39. The lead was short-lived, as Unser’s rain tires began to fall off. Two laps later, Zanardi was back in the lead, and the rain stopped. The Italian pulled away for a 9-second win over Gil de Ferran.

Alex went on to win the CART Championship in 1997 and 1998, and took 15 wins in the series. After a spell in Formula One, he returned to CART in 2001 (picture below, here at Sebring), but a major crash at the Lausitzring resulted in the amputation of his legs. Showing extraordinary courage and determination, Alex later, wins several gold medals at the Paralympic Games.

Source: DR

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