Zanardi to have a go at 100th Indy 500 (Update)
"All the controls are there for him to use the clutch on the steering wheel and he can work the brake and throttle with his prosthetics, so it's very possible," Vasser told RACER. "I read the story, but he's said this before about doing the race, and I told him we'd be there, but didn't really hear back, so if he's serious, we need to hear from him. If he's serious, get out of the way because when Zanardi sets his mind to something, he gets it done. For now, I'm going to let him stew a little bit and decide if it's what he really wants."
Vasser also told racer.com the KV Racing Technology team he co-owns with Kevin Kalkhoven might be better served as a fallback position for the 48-year-old Zanardi.
"He said Chip might be the best chance-the right fit," Vasser continued. "He said he didn't want to risk our friendship by driving for me, which I don't really understand; nothing will ever come between Alex and I as friends, but we both drove for Chip, we both won our Indy car championships with Chip, and if Alex is serious about doing Indy next year, I do think he should talk to Chip first before looking at our team. We put some work into making it happen before with Alex, so if he wants to go down that road again, I'm going to help out any way I can. If he decides to do it, it will happen."
Like Vasser, Ganassi loves the idea of Zanardi making yet another triumphant comeback. Whether that idea becomes a reality is where the questions start to build.
"I love Zanardi and I'll do anything for his; I think he knows that, just as I'd do for Vasser or any of my former drivers…or most of my former drivers," Ganassi said with a laugh. "But you have to look at the fact that Alex is almost 50 years old, and hasn't raced an Indy car for an awful long time. I'm not saying he couldn't come back after all these years and qualify for Indy, because he could, but you have to look at the reason for going racing. Is it to make the show, or is it to win?"
"We all know Alex is capable of doing anything, but we've also seen how hard it is for any driver to come into the month of May and be competitive," Ganassi added. "I think he could qualify, but do I think he could challenge up front if he just steps in by showing up at the beginning of May? H's a hero, and an inspiration to everybody-including me, but his wife would shoot me…well, she'd shoot him first, then shoot me if we went off and did this."
07/28/15
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| Alex Zanardi in 2000 |
Alex Zanardi has revealed an ambition to compete in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time according to a report on Autosport.com.
The two-time CART champion, who lost his legs in an accident at the Lausitzring in 2001, said that racing at Indy remained one of his unfulfilled ambitions as a driver.
"I'm not going to be an unsatisfied old man if it doesn't happen, but I would love to do the Indy 500 if the right opportunity came up," said the 48-year-old.
Zanardi missed out on the chance to compete at Indianapolis when he was racing in US single-seaters courtesy of the split between CART and IndyCar.
He explained that he had talked about racing at Indy with his friend and former team-mate Jimmy Vasser, boss of the KV Racing Technology IndyCar squad.
"I've kind of been offered a drive by a friend of mine, who is Jimmy Vasser," he said.
"But we have never gone into detail to look at what we would need to get the job done."
Zanardi said that he doubted that he would pursue Vasser's offer because he didn't want to "blow the friendship with Jimmy".
He added he would probably only contemplate racing at Indy if there was a chance to do it with Chip Ganassi Racing, which masterminded his CART successes in 1997-98.
The Italian, who demonstrated a Reynard CART car at the Lausitzring two years on from his accident, explained that adapting an IndyCar for his disabilities would be relatively straightforward. Autosport.com