Champ Car Series Race at The Lausitzring in Germany

We remember a great open-wheel series and one of its greatest drivers as we reach the aniversary of Champ Car series race at the Lausitzring in Germany.

Champ Car (aka Championship Auto Racing Teams – CART) has long since settled into the sunset, but then Champ Car driver Zanardi, also a successful F1 driver (replaced at Williams in 2000 by Jenson Button), was racing out of the pits during an  open wheel Champ Car series race at the Lausitzring in Germany on September 15, 2001 when his world changed.  

Zanardi was leading in the closing stages when, after a pitstop, he accelerated in the wet conditions and spun into the path of Alex Tagliani (another Champ Car driver). Tagliani was travelling at 205mph.

Motorsports racing without a doubt is one of the most dangerous sports, and Champ Car had suffered many human losses (both drivers, and spectators) during its tenure.

But life goes on, and we honer the memories of those fallen. The series has some-what merged into the current flavor of US open-wheel racing called Indy Racing League or Indy car, and Zanardi has declared: “My goal is to win the World Touring Car Championship and maybe compete in the Daytona 24. But the dream is to be at the Olympics in London. That is what I am building towards.”