Alex Zanardi

Alex Zanardi is an Italian racing legend who won the 1997 and 1998 Grands Prix of Long Beach, the same years he also won the CART Championship. A 15-time winner in Indy cars, Zanardi also had two stints driving in Formula One and is credited as being the first driver in American racing to do the now-familiar “victory donuts” after his first race win in Long Beach. In 2001, Mr. Zanardi was involved in a major crash at the CART American Memorial at Eurospeedway Laustiz in Germany, resulting in the loss of his legs. Less than two years later, he returned to racing and later scored four wins in the World Touring Car Championship between 2005-09 driving a car with hand controls. Zanardi went on to become a Paralympic champion in handcycling, ultimately winning a gold medal at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He is currently recuperating from an accident suffered in Italy in 2020 while continuing his handcycling training program. Mr. Zanardi’s former teammate Jimmy Vasser will accept the honor on his behalf at the ceremony.