Alessandro Zanardi born October 23, 1966 is an Italian racing driver. He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver. More recently, he has attracted widespread praise for his return to competition in the aftermath of a crash in 2001 that resulted in the amputation of his legs. As of 2009, he competes in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for BMW Team Italy-Spain.