Gregor Grant: Alex Zanardi

Showing the same indefatigable spirit that led him to two CART titles, Zanardi made an emotional return to the cockpit of a Champ Car at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, the scene of his horrific accident. In a demonstration run aboard a specially adapted Reynard, Zanardi showed he had lost none of his speed or skill, lapping at a pace that would have put him right at the sharp end of the grid for the race!

Towards the end of the year, Zanardi made a return to competitive racing, driving a BMW 320i in the final round of the European Touring Car Championship at Monza. Although he was taken out of the opening race in a first corner shunt, Zanardi bounced back to feature strongly in the second race of the day.



The award ensures the popular Italian of a place in the history books, as he becomes the first person to win a second Gregor Grant award. He was first given one of the special awards in 1998.

Zanardi wasn't at the Grosvenor House to accept his award in person, but in a special video message said: "When I got into the Champ Car and did my first laps, everything came back. It was a great emotion. I want to thank AUTOSPORT. To win this award again is a great honour."