Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi who tragically lost both legs in a terrifying crash in the CART series's race held on the Lausitzring oval wants to contest the Rolex 24 at Daytona one day.
Zanardi, a two-time CART series' champion, returned to racing after his tragic accident, racing for BMW in the World Touring Car Championship.
The Italian had the idea to contest the Daytona 24 back in 2006, when he proposed the idea to leading Grand-Am team boss Chip Ganassi, with whom he won his two CART titles. Due to various reasons, the project never materialised.
Zanardi told Autosprint the Daytona plan was resurrected when he recently attended Team Ganassi's 22nd birthday celebrations in Minneapolis.
He said the plan would be to reunite five former Ganassi champions in the same car and do the Daytona 500.
The drivers would be Zanardi, Jimmy Vasser, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon. Zanardi would be able to drive the Daytona Prototype car using hand commands and specially adapted pedals.
Asked whether he had spoken to Chip Ganassi, Zanardi replied: "Yes we have. While on the celebrations stage he replied 'let's do it'. But I repeat, it's just an idea at the moment”.
Zanardi, a two-time CART series' champion, returned to racing after his tragic accident, racing for BMW in the World Touring Car Championship.
The Italian had the idea to contest the Daytona 24 back in 2006, when he proposed the idea to leading Grand-Am team boss Chip Ganassi, with whom he won his two CART titles. Due to various reasons, the project never materialised.
Zanardi told Autosprint the Daytona plan was resurrected when he recently attended Team Ganassi's 22nd birthday celebrations in Minneapolis.
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| Alex Zanardi in the specially equipped BMW WTCC car. (Photo: WRI2) |
He said the plan would be to reunite five former Ganassi champions in the same car and do the Daytona 500.
The drivers would be Zanardi, Jimmy Vasser, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon. Zanardi would be able to drive the Daytona Prototype car using hand commands and specially adapted pedals.
Asked whether he had spoken to Chip Ganassi, Zanardi replied: "Yes we have. While on the celebrations stage he replied 'let's do it'. But I repeat, it's just an idea at the moment”.