Alex Zanardi’s achievements before his devastating Lausitzring accident in 2001 made him a hero within motor sport. His achievements afterwards allowed him to transcend racing’s narrow scope and become a hero to the wider world.

Those achievements aren’t limited to his well-publicised Paralympic gold medals in 2012 either; earlier this year Zanardi became para-cycling road relay and road time trial world champion.

This video comes from Adrenalin, a documentary on BMW’s touring car history being made by production company Stereoscreen. That in itself is exciting enough, but the candid footage of Zanardi in training is something special. His time in the WTCC wasn’t exactly filled with glory, but the four wins he took for BMW over five years were his first since the crash that robbed him of his legs and so he holds a special place in the company’s lineage. He’s still part of the family too, contesting this year’s Blancpain Sprint Series in a Z4.

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