There are actions, especially in motorsport, that can instantly make a name iconic: this is the case of Alex Zanardi, with the legendary overtake at the Laguna Seca corkscrew.
The world woke up this morning to tragic news, namely that of the death of Alex Zanardi, a fantastic driver and, above all, a fantastic man. Among the thousand adventures of his career, the one that has remained most impressed upon motor fans (especially overseas) certainly dates back to 1996, when the Italian driver was racing in the CART championship.
We are at the final round of the 1996 CART championship. Championship Auto Racing Teams was the most prestigious open-wheel championship in America for more than a decade, between the eighties and nineties and, specifically, Zanardi had sought success in this category.
The Italian, aboard a Reynard-Honda from the Target Chip Ganassi team, was chasing leader Bryan Herta. The latter had dominated practically the entire race up to that point and was preparing to achieve the first success of his entire career. Someone behind him did not think the same way.
The American track is known for its infinite ups and downs, starting from the first corner, eventually arriving at the world-famous corkscrew corner, The Corkscrew, with a total gradient of 13.1%, something out of the ordinary for open-wheel cars. Zanardi could not manage to get past his direct opponent, so he had to invent something outside the box.
The driver from Bologna decides to attempt the attack on the inside of the corner, something absurd and never seen before. He soon realizes that the maneuver is very difficult, but Alex, as usual, is not discouraged. The chicane, after the left-hand bend, becomes very tight on the right and Zanardi decides to cut it across the gravel, overtaking Herta off-track. A historic overtake, never seen before, which goes down in history. Zanardi becomes an idol in the United States, while Herta becomes “the one who was overtaken at the corkscrew”.
A bold move, risky, but decisive, which imprints the Italian driver’s name in the history books of motorsport. Only a fearless man like him could attempt such an overtake and become a legend in this way.
Photo: NBC Sports, BMW
