Alessandro Zanardi leaves the WTCC

Alessandro Zanardi has announced his retirement from the World Touring Car Championship. The 43-year old Italian has competed in the series with ROAL Motorsport since the formation of the WTCC in 2005, claiming four race victories in that time.

The former Formula 1 driver and two-time CART champion moved to full time tin-top racing after successfully undergoing intensive rehabilitation following a life threatening accident early in the millennium.

In September 2001, whilst driving in the CART series, he was involved in a horrible accident. The incident at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz cost Zanardi both of his legs, and many believed that would be the end of his racing career.

However, at the end of 2003 he accepted an invitation from the ROAL Motorsport team to work with them to prepare a car to work around his needs, and that they did.

He competed in the season ending round of the European Touring Car Championship, which was his home at Monza. He climbed from eleventh on the grid to claim a fine seventh place in the process.

The Oschersleben meeting in 2005 will perhaps stand out as being the most poignant victory of Zanardi’s WTCC career.

Not only was it only a short distance from the Lausitzring, but it was also very close to the 4-year anniversary of his accident.

Zanardi has always enjoyed good pace in the WTCC, and in 2008 he converted pole position to a race win at Brno, when he almost claimed victory in the second race as well.

Despite carving his way through the field from eighth, as a result of the reverse grid, he was held off by Gabriele Tarquini, and had to settle for second.

Brno proved to be a happy hunting ground for Zanardi, as he took another victory in the 2009 season. He qualified third, and profited from a bizarre accident involving two of his BMW team mates, Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx, to move into the lead and take the chequered flag.

Zanardi succinctly worded his retirement plans when speaking to AUTOSPORT, “I will not be back in the WTCC”, said Zanardi.

“It’s a shame, but when one door closes a bigger one may open”, he added, suggesting that he may look at other series to compete in, as well as a complete change of sport.

Zanardi has made clear his desire to compete for Italy at the London 2012 Paralympic games, in the Para-Cycling discipline. October witnessed his progress with victory in the Venice Marathon.

Alex Zanardi leaves the WTCC with four race victories from 105-starts. During his time in the series, he claimed one pole position and set four fastest race laps.

Everyone at TouringCarTimes.com would like to wish Alex the best of luck in whatever he chooses to do after the WTCC.