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I think about Alex Zanardi at least a couple of times a week. And he always comes to mind whenever I hear anybody say "nevertheless". He is my all-time favourite driver and his story is so sad.
He is not my favourite because of race wins or season championships. He became my favourite before I really even knew who he was. I was in the paddock in Detroit in his rookie year and Alex was nearby. I recognized him as a driver only because of the firesuit. And so I approached him hoping that he'd autograph his page in my program. I was embarrassed because I didn't know who he was, so I couldn't open the book to the proper page. Instead I just handed him the program. Instead of simply signing the cover, or looking directly for his page, he leafed through it with me. As each individual driver's page appeared, he spoke highly of his competitors. I distinctly remember him turning to Greg Moore and mentioning that he would be a great driver. He had nice things to say about everybody. Finally he found his own picture and autographed it for me. (This was the moment that I realized who he was). He must have spent the better part of five minutes talking to me. So kind and so friendly.
I walked away with a new favourite. And this was before he'd won a single race.
Godspeed, Alessandro.
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