Whether One Or Five Thousand
Whether One Or Five Thousand
There are simply times when it is difficult to focus, especially upon that which we might think trivial in the scheme of things.
Auto racing is that -- trivial in the great scheme of things. True, it's a great sport, bringing entertainment to millions around the world. It's also a huge business, generating income for thousands of people directly and indirectly.
But it's trivial, especially when an act of war occurs and thousands of one's fellow citizens lie dead in heaps of rubble.
And then something happens to remind you that auto racing is part of life, that it is more than a business or entertainment, that at its core it involves brave men risking their lives in pursuit of being the best.
This week that something was a slight mistake that ultimately cost Alex Zanardi his legs.
Leading the race, working a pit strategy that promised to put his Mo Nunn Racing entry in the winner's circle, Zanardi bobbled slightly while exiting the pits after his final fuel stop. His car spun into the path of the Team Players entry piloted by Alex Tagliani and was cut in half in the collision.
The grim details of the accident weave through every story about the race the promoters and CART chose to rename The American Memorial 500 following the tragedy in New York and Washington. Kenny Brack won, but I'm sure he cares little. Like the rest of us, he'd prefer Zanardi well and gleefully celebrating a win.
Zanardi was a gift to CART, a talented driver who celebrated his wins, a friendly man who was honored by the adulation displayed by his fans. He left for F-1, and his fans expected his success to continue. It didn't, but that didn't change the respect his fans had for him.
And neither did the struggles he had in his return to the series after a year off. Alex was Alex, after all, and we who appreciated his talent and his joyous attitude, knew it was but a matter of time before he'd be up front again.
Alex Zanardi may never race again, but he's alive. In a week during which it seemed the bad news would never end, I can be happy with that news.
According to the Target Team Ganassi Web site, a team for which Zanardi drove in his two championship seasons, "Daniela Zanardi has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the World Children's Fund at the following address:
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