Alex Zanardi

“Whether it is a small thing or big one, step-by-step you can make things happen.”

“I'm a wild horse, to say the least, and with age, I haven't calmed down completely.”

“In para-cycling I am a veteran with Olympic medals now.”

“I think you can learn from other people's mistakes and other people's strengths, and that is why I have always been watching, with particular attention, other drivers - and not only drivers at the top.”

“It would be completely wrong and arrogant of me to say that this is what I am, an inspiration to others. During the course of my recovery, I bumped into people with amazing stories, far more amazing than mine.”

“The first thought that will go through my mind in the morning when I open my eyes will be very much related to my current dreams, rather than to my past nightmares.”

“It warms my heart, no doubt, to inspire people. In reality, people see in others what they want to see in themselves.”

“You have to accept the fact that as long as you are alive, you have something to lose. Living is dangerous.”

“When I arrived in Champ Cars, which at the time used to be called Indy Cars and then got renamed CART and then renamed Champ Cars, I was racing against Jimmy Vasser, my team-mate, but more than him, I was racing against Michael Andretti, Emerson Fittapaldi, Al Unser Jr. - guys that had big names.”

“My accident was the result of incredible fate, with me spinning in a place I shouldn't have, with a car coming at a speed it shouldn't have, and hitting me with the sharpest and strongest thing that it has, which is the nose, in the most vulnerable part of the car, which is between the side part and the front wheel.”

“I haven't done any of the things I have done to inspire others, but I am sure that if I am watching my story from the outside I would be joining the club saying, 'Wow, that guy really gets you going.'”

“I'm just a very curious guy who has a lot of possibility.”

“It's not much different to Formula One where they are improving the cars constantly. The difference is every hand biker needs a different bike depending on their residual ability.”

“I bump into a lot of people that have similar problems that I have but less titles or magazines than I have, and they just challenge their adversity with the same tenacity, with the same enthusiasm, with the same will to succeed because life is one and you've got to take advantage.”

“There are times I'm approaching turns with my right hand on the brake lever, I'm downshifting with my fingers, I'm controlling the throttle with my left hand and steering into the corner with only one hand on the wheel. I feel a bit like Jimi Hendrix: I play with both my hands.”

“Everything you do tends to make you accomplish another step on the road to complete yourself.”

“Of course, when I can get an Indy Car or Champ Car race on television, I never miss the opportunity.”

“It may look weird to an outsider to watch me jump out of the car basically walking on my arms. Of course, it's very easy for me.”

“At the time I was asked if I would ever step back in a race car, but what was very important for me was to go into the bathroom and pee on my own, but I could not do that. I had to be helped. That was my number one priority.”

“When you are in your twenties you just think the races are what matter the most. When you are in your forties you really appreciate what you do every day.”