Fast friends … for life

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001 | 10:18 a.m.

It was, quite simply, the worst week of Jimmy Vasser's life.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, Vasser was in Germany preparing for a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) race when he learned of the terrorist attacks in the United States. The 35-year-old Las Vegas resident couldn't wait to get home to be with his family and friends.

Four days later, his best friend and former teammate, Alex Zanardi, lay in a Berlin hospital in critical condition after losing both his legs in a horrific crash during the race at EuroSpeedway. Although Vasser had to race the following Saturday in England, he didn't want to leave his friend's bedside.

Immediately after finishing seventh in the race in Corby, England, Vasser returned to Berlin, where Zanardi had been brought out of a drug-induced coma. After Vasser and fellow driver Tony Kanaan spent two days visiting with Zanardi and his wife, Daniela, Vasser returned to the States, albeit with some misgivings.

"It's real good to be home but also I have an overwhelming urge to be with Alex," Vasser said. "I talked to him (Monday) and he's coming along better than you can even imagine."

Zanardi's legs were amputated at mid-thigh after his car spun on the warm-up lane leaving the pits and was struck broadside by a car driven by Alex Tagliani, another Las Vegan. CART's traveling medical staff managed to stem the flow of blood and was credited with saving Zanardi's life.

Vasser is far more than a concerned fellow driver. During their three years as teammates at Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, the two formed a close friendship that is uncommon among racing teammates. There wasn't the usual bickering or petty jealousy when Vasser and Zanardi battled for the CART championship for three years from 1996 to 1998.

Zanardi genuinely was happy and supportive when Vasser won the CART title in 1996, and Vasser returned the favor when Zanardi captured the championship in 1997 and 1998.

They remained tight even after Zanardi left for Formula One in 1999, and their bond grew even stronger when Zanardi returned to CART this season after a year off from racing.

Vasser receives almost daily updates on Zanardi's condition. Although the 34-year-old Italian still is fighting an infection in one of his legs, Vasser said the news from Berlin continues to be uplifting: Zanardi has been out of bed in recent days and maneuvering around the hospital in a wheelchair.

"He won't be in that (wheelchair) very long, I'll tell you that," Vasser said. "I think he's handling it fantastic -- as good as anybody could. He's a strong-willed person. He's just focusing on getting up as quick as he can and making life as normal as he can for his family and for himself as well."

Vasser said he wasn't surprised when Zanardi began joking with him and Kanaan the first time they were allowed to see him after he was brought out of the coma.

"He's just grateful to be alive," Vasser said. "Daniela told me for a day or two after he woke up that he was still fearful that he was going to die. He's just grateful to be alive because he has his son (3-year-old Niccolo) and his wife and his family and friends. He's going to have a great support group around him of people who love him."

Vasser said after Zanardi is released from the hospital in Berlin, the driver and his family would return to their home in Monaco for a few days before leaving for Bologna, Italy -- Zanardi's birthplace -- to begin rehabilitation and get fitted for prosthetic devices. Knowing Zanardi as he does, Vasser said he expects his pal to handle his rehab with a typical racer's attitude.

"Amazingly, Bologna has one of the best (rehabilitation) places in the world and it's four miles from where he grew up and where his mom lives," Vasser said. "He'll be going there to start his rehabilitation and start the process of getting familiar with his prostheses.

"It's going to be a bit of a process; they will start him out on simple units and the more advanced he gets, the more technical the prostheses get. I told him he'll be the guy that's on the cutting edge of new development on those things; he'll be changing the setup and getting them working better."

As for Zanardi's future in motor sports, Vasser said he didn't know if Zanardi might stay involved in the sport -- perhaps as a team owner.

"We never really have discussed that," Vasser said. "He did mention about coming to some races next year but at what level, I have no idea. I think that those ideas will develop over time. I know he enjoys his time with family and time in his boat. If you had to ask me, I'd say probably not, but his motivations could change and people change their minds all the time."

Although the CART community has been rocked by the deaths of two drivers and the injury to Zanardi in the past two years, Vasser said he hasn't had second thoughts about driving racecars in excess of 200 mph for a living.

"Obviously, you pause and reflect -- more about Alex and the times that I've had with him and how much I love him and all those things -- but I don't think any racecar driver has those second thoughts," Vasser said. "Or, maybe you do ... but when you do, it's time to retire.

"We've had tragedy in our sport -- a bit too much recently -- and it really hasn't affected (my desire to race) yet. The day that it does will be the day that I wrap it up. I think if you talk to racecar drivers, probably 90 percent of them will tell you that you don't think those things are going to happen to you; you just don't think about those things."