Quotes by Alex Zanardi - Page 2

Having no legs doesn't mean you can't drive fast and I wasn't going to be happy scoring the odd point. I thought it was possible to win and went for it.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Legs
Odd
Scoring
Copy Quote
When you are in your twenties you just think the races are what matter the most. When you are in your forties you really appreciate what you do every day.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Twenties
Forties
Day Your Every Day
Day Every Day Your
Races
Copy Quote
Vancouver has always been a place of mixed results for me. I've always been fast there, but I've never been able to collect the kind of result I could have.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Able
Vancouver
Always Me Never
Collect
Fast
Me Always Never
Mixed
Result
Copy Quote
I see the human being is an incredible machine, totally undiscovered in many ways. Every one of us has a hidden tank of energy that comes out when it is needed.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Energy
Machines
Tanks
Copy Quote
Disabilities are a very relative condition, it is something that defines a situation, but if you can't jump over the problem then you can certainly go around it.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Problem
Relative
Situation
Condition
Certainly
Defines
Disabilities
Jump
Copy Quote
Obviously, my wife is very important, very important because in all this time she never watched me with that look that means 'I am sorry,' or that means 'poor you.'
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Sorry
Time Wife Look
Copy Quote
The first thought that will go through my mind in the morning when I open my eyes will be very much related to my current dreams, rather than to my past nightmares.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Related
Current
Copy Quote
The perfect life is the combination of great moments and bad ones, and under that point of view, my life is fantastic, because I've certainly hit more than one bump.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Bumps
Combination
Great Moments
Perfect
Perfect Life
Point Of View
Views
Bad Ones
Bump
Copy Quote
As a race car driver, I don't think I will drive forever, because it is not so much a question of being competitive, but of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
End Of The Tunnel
Forever
Race
Race Car
Seeing
Drive
Competitive
Driver
Question
Tunnel
Copy Quote
We all have expectations but sometimes the greatest thing is to be surprised with what happens and to find out that it is quite different from the way you imagined it.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Greatest Thing
Copy Quote
The important thing in life, not just in sports, is to be able to set a new target in front of you, which is very much related to the deck of cards you've got available.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Cards
Deck
Related
Target
Copy Quote
The accident for sure was one of the most important experiences of my life. During the course of my rehabilitation I had people who were exactly what I needed to be inspired.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Rehabilitation
Life Important People
Accident
Exactly What
Life My Life People
Copy Quote
I lost my legs in a big crash and, of course, after that, there were times, not so much of darkness, but certainly times where it was very uncertain of what my future would hold.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Crash
Legs
Uncertain
Copy Quote
Obviously my feelings for Portland are quite special because that's where I obtained one of my greatest career satisfactions; like the first love, you never forget the first win!
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
First Love
Love You
Never Forget
Portland
Special
Greatest
Quite
Career
Obtained
Copy Quote
It's not much different to Formula One where they are improving the cars constantly. The difference is every hand biker needs a different bike depending on their residual ability.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Bike
Formula One
Improving
Residual
Depending
Copy Quote
Everybody is calling me crazy because I want to do the Ironman. I'm not doing it to win it. I'm doing it to finish it. I'm racing myself, not a particular field or group of people.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Racing
Myself Me Crazy
Copy Quote
I don't think of myself as Superman, but if a genie came up to me now and granted me a wish to take my legs back, for sure I would take them - but it would take some time to accept.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Granted
Legs
Time Myself Me
Genie
Copy Quote
When my son was just a kid, I remember him going for a running race at school and winning and coming to hug me. I realized my heart was absolutely full of joy, there was no space left.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Hug
Copy Quote
The first time the doctors put on my prosthetic legs they made me much taller than I'd ever been. I then remember the doctor saying 'we need to shorten this man' and we all were in hysterics.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Doctors
Legs
Prosthetic
Shorten
Taller
Copy Quote
Vancouver is a street course in the true meaning of the word. There are a lot of places where you can lose the car and end up staying there at least for the session, or for the rest of the race.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Session
Staying
True Meaning
Vancouver
Meaning Of
Copy Quote
I shouldn't have survived that accident. Science didn't give me a single chance. I basically survived for about 50 minutes with less than one liter of blood. Science says that's simply impossible.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Survived
Accident
Copy Quote
I am very proud to become a BMW Brand Ambassador. BMW is like a second family, and over the past years we not only enjoyed great times together at the track, but we have also become close friends.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Family
Friends
Bmw
Close Friends
Enjoyed
Proud
Together
Track
Years
Family Great Together
Also
Ambassador
Brand
Family Great I Am
Close
Times
Over
Second
Copy Quote
I haven't done any of the things I have done to inspire others, but I am sure that if I am watching my story from the outside I would be joining the club saying, 'Wow, that guy really gets you going.'
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Inspire
Joining
Copy Quote
When you're young, not only do you not have any money, you don't think something can happen to you. I raced some races without insurance in the early days of my career. I didn't think about it at all.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Early Days
Insurance
Races
Copy Quote
I think you can learn from other people's mistakes and other people's strengths, and that is why I have always been watching, with particular attention, other drivers - and not only drivers at the top.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Drivers
Copy Quote
You have to let the car do the job and try to trust it, try to understand what you are doing, try to be smooth, and try to be incredibly smart to set the car up, because that is the most important part.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Important Part
Copy Quote
We all are limited in that none of us can fly and none of us can run faster than some animals, but we figure out a way to go to Tokyo if we have to, right? Or we run faster than an animal with a race car.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Faster
Race Car
Tokyo
Copy Quote
I finally returned to Lausitzring in 2003. The idea was to drive the 13 laps that I had been unable to complete because of the crash. I drove out and it was as if I was in the car the day before the accident.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Car
Crash
Accident
Drive
Complete
Drove
Finally
Laps
Returned
Unable
Copy Quote
It would be completely wrong and arrogant of me to say that this is what I am, an inspiration to others. During the course of my recovery, I bumped into people with amazing stories, far more amazing than mine.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Arrogant
Recovery
Bumped
Copy Quote
Everything I do through the course of my life, every day I do it with my arms, and it means that by using this muscle so much I have changed gradually the state of my muscle, turning my muscle into red fibers.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Arms
Life Day My Life
Muscle
Fibers
Gradually
Copy Quote
I know that I am a lucky guy. I know that after an accident like the one I had, you know, only one guy out of a thousand can really go back home and still live. And I am that one. So I am totally aware of that.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Lucky Guy
Thousand
Accident
Copy Quote
Proving to my friends, family, and the people that I love that they were wrong - that in spite of my age and my lack of experience, I could change sport and achieve something really special - gives me a lot of satisfaction.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Satisfaction
Spite
Love Change Family
Proving
Copy Quote
At the time I was asked if I would ever step back in a race car, but what was very important for me was to go into the bathroom and pee on my own, but I could not do that. I had to be helped. That was my number one priority.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Car
Bathroom
Race
Race Car
Time Me Step
Asked
Time Car Me
Number
Car Time Me
Helped
My Number One
Step
Copy Quote
My heart stopped seven times and I had to be resuscitated seven times. It's incredible I'm still here so every day I feel happy to have a second chance but I'm sorry to say I didn't see any tunnel or any light at the end of it.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Happy
Chance
Heart
Light
Second Chance
Seven
Sorry
Times
Every Day
Still
Incredible
Second
Tunnel
Copy Quote
I got into hand-cycling to prove to myself that I could do it and get back into some form of competition, and now it's led to this. If someone had suggested a few years ago that I would be taking it to the Ironman, I would have asked them what they were smoking.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Smoking
Suggested
Copy Quote
As you approach the finish line, you go through a tunnel of people, all of them cheering and encouraging you. Then I heard the speaker say, 'Alessandro Zanardi, you are an Ironman!' It was something phenomenal, something amazing... I got very emotional at that point.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Encouraging
Finish Line
Cheering
Speaker
Tunnel
Copy Quote
I have to give this comment about the American people - they are very good fans. But they are very protective. I think they would prefer it if their great stars are born in America. They are the ones that only stay in the hearts of the fans. And that's understandable.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Comment
Fans
Protective
Stars
Good Great People
American People
Prefer
Hearts
Understandable
Copy Quote
The question I asked when I woke up was not how am I going to live without legs - but how am I going to do all the things I want to do without legs? There was no doubt that I was going to do them, I was just curious to find out how - but I knew I was going to find a way.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Curious
Legs
No Doubt
Woke
Copy Quote
There are times I'm approaching turns with my right hand on the brake lever, I'm downshifting with my fingers, I'm controlling the throttle with my left hand and steering into the corner with only one hand on the wheel. I feel a bit like Jimi Hendrix: I play with both my hands.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Brake
Fingers
Hendrix
Steering
Approaching
Controlling
Corner
Lever
Right Hand
Wheel
Copy Quote
I bump into a lot of people that have similar problems that I have but less titles or magazines than I have, and they just challenge their adversity with the same tenacity, with the same enthusiasm, with the same will to succeed because life is one and you've got to take advantage.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Adversity
Enthusiasm
Tenacity
Titles
Life Adversity People
Bump
Take Advantage
Copy Quote
I said I preferred Daytona to LeMans if I were to race. LeMans is a great event, don't get me wrong, but here in the U.S. is where I turned my life around, where I have a lot of friends, where I feel have my greatest following - not in terms of quantity but of quality - of racing fans.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Daytona
Quantity
Racing
Life Great Me
Preferred
Copy Quote
The memories are vague of the accident. I remember coming out of the pitlane with cruise control, letting it go and then losing control of the car. I remember my hands frantically operating the steering wheel trying to recover control of the car, then this big, big noise and nothing more.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Cruise
Losing
Memories
Noise
Steering
Accident
Letting
Operating
Recover
Copy Quote
I guess, when I go there in the centre, when I do my rehabilitation, I look at the people with only one leg and I actually envy them because I'd love to have one leg. I guess the ones that only have one leg, they envy the ones that they are only missing one leg below the knee, and on and on.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Centre
Envy
Missing
Rehabilitation
Love Look People
Below
Leg
Copy Quote
When I arrived in Champ Cars, which at the time used to be called Indy Cars and then got renamed CART and then renamed Champ Cars, I was racing against Jimmy Vasser, my team-mate, but more than him, I was racing against Michael Andretti, Emerson Fittapaldi, Al Unser Jr. - guys that had big names.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Car
Jimmy
Racing
Al
Cart
Champ
Michael
Emerson
Guys
Indy
Copy Quote
Portland is a permanent road course built in a beautiful state, which is for me a fantastic area for many reasons. The downside is that the weather is so unpredictable that it's not uncommon to start the race on the dry and end with the rain as it happened to me in 1996 when I won my first Champ Car race.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Dry
Permanent
Portland
Rain
Uncommon
Unpredictable
Weather
Champ
Downside
Copy Quote
My accident was the result of incredible fate, with me spinning in a place I shouldn't have, with a car coming at a speed it shouldn't have, and hitting me with the sharpest and strongest thing that it has, which is the nose, in the most vulnerable part of the car, which is between the side part and the front wheel.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Fate
Hitting
Speed
Accident
Front
Nose
Result
Sharpest
Copy Quote
Your trip in this life is very provisional, but the best thing you can do in your life to live in the right way is to take every day as a great opportunity to do what you can and when you're as lucky as I have been in life in getting so much attention and exposure, you learn that you can move mountains with a very small effort.
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Exposure
Great Opportunity
Right Way
Life Best Great
Much Attention
Provisional
Trip
Copy Quote
My wife has always been positive. In the hospital my brother-in-law was trying to prepare her for the worst, but she said, 'Hold on, I don't want to hear that. He'll be all right. I'm going to ring BMW now and order a car with manual controls because the first thing he'll want to do when he leaves hospital is drive.' She knew her husband!
Alex Zanardi / Racing Driver
Bmw
Brother In Law
First Thing
Hospital
Leaves
Manual
Prepare
The First Thing
Copy Quote

Related Racing Driver Authors

Valtteri Bottas
Racing Driver
Monday, Aug 28, 1989
Tom Kristensen
Racing Driver
Friday, Jul 07, 1967
Thierry Boutsen
Racing Driver
Saturday, Jul 13, 1957
Sergio Perez
Racing Driver
Friday, Jan 26, 1990
Scott Dixon
Racing Driver
Tuesday, Jul 22, 1980
Sam Bird
Racing Driver
Friday, Jan 09, 1987
Rudolf Caracciola
Racing Driver
Wednesday, Jan 30, 1901
Monday, Sep 28, 1959
Rubens Barrichello
Racing Driver
Tuesday, May 23, 1972
Romain Grosjean
Racing Driver
Thursday, Apr 17, 1986
Rodger Ward
Racing Driver
Monday, Jan 10, 1921
Monday, Jul 05, 2004

View All Racing Driver Quotes

Top Authors

Mother Teresa
Saint
Friday, Aug 26, 1910
Friday, Sep 05, 1997
Yogi Berra
Baseball Manager
Tuesday, May 12, 1925
Tuesday, Sep 22, 2015
Barack Obama
44Th U.s. President
Friday, Aug 04, 1961
Thomas Aquinas
Priest
Tuesday, Jan 28, 1225
Wednesday, Mar 07, 1274
Vince Lombardi
Football Player
Wednesday, Jun 11, 1913
Thursday, Sep 03, 1970
Plato
Philosopher
Thursday, Jan 01, 1970
Thursday, Jan 01, 1970
Robin Williams
Actor
Saturday, Jul 21, 1951
Monday, Aug 11, 2014
Oscar Wilde
Writer
Monday, Oct 16, 1854
Friday, Nov 30, 1900
Lucy Larcom
Poet
Friday, Mar 05, 1824
Monday, Apr 17, 1893
Billy Graham
Professional Wrestler
Monday, Jun 07, 1943
Ernest Hemingway
Author
Friday, Jul 21, 1899
Sunday, Jul 02, 1961
Muhammad Ali
Professional Boxer
Saturday, Jan 17, 1942
Friday, Jun 03, 2016
Epictetus
Philosopher
Isaac Newton
Physicist
Sunday, Jan 04, 1643
Monday, Mar 31, 1727
Leonardo Da Vinci
Painter
Thursday, Apr 15, 1452
Friday, May 02, 1519

View All Authors

Alex Zanardi Quotes - Page 2

App & Tools

Related Racing Driver Authors

Popular Topic Tags

Top Authors

Share This Page

Stay Connected

App & Tools

Related Racing Driver Authors

Popular Topic Tags

Top Authors

Share This Page