http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story/?ID=222195&hubname=auto_racing
Once upon a time, there was a famous race car driver, he won everything and had everything he ever wanted, he was exuberant and talkative and a bit arrogant (okay VERY arrogant). He wasn’t my favorite driver and I never saw what everyone else saw when they looked at him. He won championships like they were water and he went off to Formula 1 which was his dream. But, things didn’t work out and he came back to our series. But when he came back, he came into one of the lesser teams and not everything worked out for him and he had hardship. But, he never lost his smile and his outlook on life. I actually started to like him as a driver and a person.
Then on September 11th, 2001 the world came crashing down and the entire series was overseas in Germany. Debate was had, but we decided the show needed to go on, we needed to show that living is what life is all about. So, the largest contingency of US citizens outside of the United States (who were not of the military) put on a race.
The theme of the race had changed and there was not a dry eye in the house when the green flag finally fell upon the field and the race started.
It was a race like any other race, till a fateful pit stop and Zanardi’s car shot onto the race track where it was t-boned by Tagliani’s car.
I was in Timing and Scoring; I had monitors, views of race tracks and radios… I don’t remember a lot from the moment. Snapshots of time, deep dread in the pit of my stomach. Seeing the car on the track, completely cut in half, our cars aren’t supposed to look like that. Liquid seeping down the track, thinking it was fluids from the car, not realizing it was blood, and helicopters flying away. Afterwards silence and wandering around the press room, wondering and wanting information, people shaking their heads and thinking the worse had happened.
Later finally hearing that he had lost both legs, less than a cup of blood left in his body, not looking good. Then the word that he would live, but life would never be the same, the exuberant laughing man, full of life having to overcome one of the hardest things for an active man; The loss of his legs all the way to his hips.
But Zanardi wasn’t like normal men, his life and exuberance allowed him to not only overcome what to 90% of the population would be the end of their life, but he goes out and lives life and lives it Brilliantly!
A lesson for all of us, it is not our situation but instead it is our ability to overcome and live life that matters.
