Quick prayer
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.