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Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory : A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage
 
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Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory : A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage (Paperback)

~ (Author), Gianluca Gasparini (Author), Mario Andretti (Foreword)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory : A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage + Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver + The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One
Price For All Three: $44.11

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The racing world held its collective breath in 2001 when Alex Zanardi lost both his legs in a horrifying accident at the Lausitzring in Germany. The racing world again held its breath nineteen months later while witnessing his incredible return to racing. Bentley Publishers is thrilled to announce the publication of the North American edition of Alex Zanardi’s autobiography, which quickly sold over 50,000 copies in his native Italy. Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory recounts his incredible story as only Alex can tell it. He takes us from his childhood in Italy through his hard-fought racing success to the moving story of perseverance and love that motivated his recovery. Along the way, Zanardi presents his triumphs and setbacks in kart racing, Formula 3 & 3000, Formula 1, IndyCar and CART racing, culminating in back-to-back CART championships for 1997 and 1998. In riveting detail, Zanardi relates his terrible accident, the long path to recovery and his return to Lausitzring in a specially modified 750hp Champ Car to complete the 13 laps he didn’t finish in 2001. In addition to 32 pages of color photos, including many from the Zanardi family albums, Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory also includes the following new features: a foreword by Alex Zanardi’s friend and supporter Mario Andretti, a chronology of Alex’s racing career, and a new final chapter in which Alex discusses his return to competitive racing in the 2004 European Touring Car Championship driving for BMW Team Italy-Spain. Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory is an inspiring story of how personal strength and passion can triumph over even the most challenging circumstances.


About the Author

Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi was born in Bologna, Italy in 1966. He began racing karts in 1980 and made his Formula 1 debut eleven years later with Team Jordan. In 1996 he joined Ganassi Racing to compete in the CART Series and moved to the United States. He won consecutive CART championships in 1997 and 1998 before returning to Formula 1 in 1999 with Team Williams. In 2001 he rejoined the CART series with Mo Nunn Racing. On September 15, 2001 he lost his legs in a dramatic crash during a race at the Eurospeedway in Lausitz, Germany. In May, 2003, after 19 months of rehabilitation, Zanardi began his comeback by piloting a modified Champ car around the Eurospeedway to complete the "unfinished" laps of the tragic 2001 race. At Monza, Italy in October, 2003 he returned to competition in the European Touring Car Championship series, driving a specially modified BWM touring car. In 2004 he raced the full season of the ETCC for Team BMW Italy-Spain. He has also resumed two! of his favorite pastimes, swimming and skiing. Zanardi lives in Monaco with his wife Daniela and four year-old son, Niccolò. In response to the outpouring of support from the racing community and his fans since his crash, Zanardi has founded the Alex Zanardi Foundation to raise money for children's charities worldwide.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 387 pages
  • Publisher: Bentley Publishers (October 25, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0837612497
  • ISBN-13: 978-0837612492
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,902 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Alex Zanardi
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory : A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage
83% buy the item featured on this page:
Alex Zanardi: My Sweetest Victory : A Memoir of Racing Success, Adversity, and Courage 4.2 out of 5 stars (12)
$13.46
The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One
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The Mechanic's Tale: Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One 4.4 out of 5 stars (23)
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Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver
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Rapid Response: My inside story as a motor racing life-saver 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)
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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Real story of a real human, November 24, 2004
As a long time racing enthusiast, the pay off for me was watching the nuts and bolts of someone building a career. The fact is that Zanardi worked incredibly hard, and with huge focus to become a successful driver... and it worked! He is one of the most successful open-wheel racers in U.S. history. Then the crash and the whole battle of over coming incredible odds starts again -- bare bones.

I agree with the reviewer who says that Zanardi is definitely the center of his story, but it's a memoir. If it were fiction, I don't know how I'd feel, but it isn't. Alex does not promote himself as a saint or anything but a regular guy. He definitely didn't set out to become the poster-child for recovery; but he has tacked the challenges in his life with (a Mediterranean?) intensity.

Zanardi's childlike enthusiasm are core to his success and survival: He is very emotional guy. Most of the time, I find his tone and emotional honesty positive. Sometimes, the voice gets a little whiney, or just too emotional for me. But I was hooked, the basic story is incredible and inspiring. And it's the real deal. God help me if I have to deal with these challenges. I hope I'm half as graceful and positive.

Overall, I can only give Zanardi, and his book, my best rating.

For what it's worth, the book has more color photos than I can remember seeing in a relatively cheap book. It's got an interesting, if cheerleading, foreword by Mario Andretti, and a more or less complete career chronology at the back, with maps. My best $12 read in a long time.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book of an extraordinary story, October 5, 2004
By Gabriele Pedone (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Being Italian I had the opportunity to read the original book. I began reading at night time, and it was a big mistake because I could not put it down. The book is really cool it has funny parts and you really laugh. But the book makes you emotional when Alex talks in details about the horrific racing accident. My mother, who does not like racing, liked the book a lot and found it very inspirational. I think it's a story that crosses the motorsport community. If I could paraphrase Lance Armstrong I would say "It's not about the car". I just bought the US edition because I'm eager to read Mario Andretti's foreword and the exclusive new chapter that was not in the Italian edition. My suggestion is buy it, it's worth it!
Ciao
Gabriele
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than any self-help book on the power of optimism, December 1, 2004
By Lyra B (Danvers, MA) - See all my reviews
This book taught me the power of approaching life with a positive attitude. Throughout Zanardi's life and career he keeps coming up against people who tell him, "that can't be done." Then Zanardi brings to the situation his unique passion, curiosity, and optimism -- and proves the doubters wrong. And nowhere is this approach to life more evident than in the way Zanardi deals with his rehabilitation after losing both legs in a racing accident. He refuses to accept the limitations that people want to impose on him as a double-amputee. Instead he gets curious, focuses on solutions instead of problems, and ends up walking, swimming, skiing, and racing competitively again.

The book is written as if Zanardi were sitting down to a long dinner with you and telling you the story of his life. His story-telling is rich with details and he completely charms you with a combination of bravado and self-effacing humor. It was very interesting to learn what it takes to rise up through the world of open-wheel racing. Any young person who wants to race professionally could learn a lot about how it's done from this book (and how difficult a career choice racing is).

And he tells with the same level of detail the devistating story of his accident, the slow recovery from the edge of death, and his challenging adjustment to life with no legs. His curiousity and determination during his rehabilitation are infectious. There's no room for pity in Alex's story. Instead he has you laughing as he speculates about what height he'd like to be with his new prosthetic legs!

In his Author's Note at the back of the book, Zanardi claims he wanted to share his story in case it could give hope to any other people who have had to face difficult challenges in their lives. I'd have to say by that standard, this book is a great success!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars worth the time
Alex is quite honest concerning his emotion, lack of discipline and mistakes. In addition the arrogant reputation of race car drivers are dashed (in this case anyway) as his... Read more
Published 20 months ago by W. Loeb

5.0 out of 5 stars Alex Zanard
Absolutely fabulous.

Alex Zanardi, who lost both legs in a horrific crash that nearly claimed his life, tells his story with humor and an eye for detail... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Patricia A. Rivers

1.0 out of 5 stars Who edits these things?
If the purpose of a memoir is to provide readers with an unedited and disorganized stream of consciousness (that completely lacks psychological insight), then Alex Zanardi... Read more
Published on April 14, 2007 by Thierry Guedj

4.0 out of 5 stars Zanardi does not disappoint
Alex Zanardi was a truly inspirational competitor on the track and one of the best characters off it. Read more
Published on September 15, 2005 by S. Kolinjavadi

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have!
If you are a race fan, you will really enjoy this one. Alex is truly a hero.
Published on August 15, 2005 by Daniel S. Dickinson

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and moving tale
The way that Zanardi deals with his adversity is humbling and inspirational. Anyone who likes adventure or sports biography will really enjoy this title.
Published on April 7, 2005 by Gerry

5.0 out of 5 stars Many thanks to Alex
Although this book has moments when the narrative loses its rhythm, it is still organized and it is meaningful. Read more
Published on January 19, 2005 by Michael LaDeau

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Story
It's great to finally hear Alex tell the inspirational story of his racing career, as well as the terrible accident in Germany. Read more
Published on November 22, 2004 by Paul

1.0 out of 5 stars A TERRIBLE DISAPPOINTMENT
Unfortunately, the book just doesn't flow very well, lacks critical explanations, has little depth and fails to add anything to our understanding of the sport or his part in it... Read more
Published on November 17, 2004 by Glenn Heald

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