OCTOBER 10, 2001

Zanardi still upbeat

Double CART champion and former F1 driver Alex Zanardi, who cruelly lost both legs above the knee following a horrific accident in the German Champ Car race on September 15 is almost ready to leave hospital.

DOUBLE CART champion and former F1 driver Alex Zanardi, who cruelly lost both legs above the knee following a horrific accident in the German Champ Car race on September 15 is almost ready to leave hospital, and has his sights set on enjoying the rest of his life with his family.

"I feel fine, the worst is gone," he said. "Now I'm looking forward to going home. I have a lot of work, therapy and rehabilitation, ahead of me but my number one goal right now is to learn how to walk again. That sounds exciting to me. Obviously, it's boring to most people but just being able to walk again is something that will make me happier than you can imagine... I just want to be able to stand up, walk over to my son and put him on my shoulder."

The Italian's tremendous fortitude since the debilitating accident has, in Zanardi's opinion, stemmed from the love for his family and the positive mental attitude towards which he regards the rest of his life. Although some have said that he could even race again, given the advances made in prosthetic limbs, his sights are firmly focused elsewhere.

"Yes, races have been an important factor in my life, but now my priority is the family," he said. "I'm a person who likes thinking about the future. I can say that I made fun of death, so now the important thing is not what I have lost, but what I still have."