Zanardi Seriously Injured in Horror Crash (Updated)

A spectacular high-speed crash involving Italian Alex Zanardi and Canadian Alex Tagliani marred the official European debut of the American CART series on Saturday.

Zanardi had just come out of the pits after 142 laps in the 154-lap race at the Lausitzring oval when his Honda/Reynard was struck hard and destroyed by Tagliani's Ford-Cosworth/Reynard. The 34-year-old Italian spun across the grass and into the path of Tagliani, who was driving at an estimated speed of 320 km/h and could not avoid him. Both cars ended up crashing into a wall and the race was stopped.

Zanardi, a former Formula One driver for the Williams team, received care on the spot and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in nearby Klettwitz.

A CART spokesman described Zanardi's condition as "extremely critical", saying he had lost a lot of blood and had sustained severe injuries to both legs.

Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya, former CART champion, said the Italian driver was badly injured. "His legs are badly injured but he is conscious," Montoya told Atlas F1. "I understand that he is currently in critical condition and I'm waiting for more updates."

The race was later restarted and won by Swede Kenny Brack, driving a Ford Cosworth/Lola. Lausitzring and CART officials decided the race at this new circuit some 145 kms south of Berlin should go ahead despite Tuesday's terror attacks in the United States. Security was reinforced and most of the festivities scheduled around the race were called off.

The name of the event was changed from the German 500 to the American Memorial as a mark of respect for the victims of the attacks in the United States. The German race was regarded as a test for the promoters of Lausitzring, a state-of-the-art facility costing 310 million marks ($143.7 million) which was inaugurated in August last year and presented as the safest circuit in the world.

Former Formula One driver Michele Alboreto was killed during a testing session at the track last April. German investigators said a burst tyre was the cause of his fatal crash.