The Zanardi Corkscrew officially dedicated at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna SECA
Motorsport Legends, INDYCAR Champions and race fans gather to celebrate Alex Zanardi’s extraordinary talent, spirit and enduring connection to Laguna Seca
One of the most iconic stretches of pavement in all of motorsports now carries the name of one of th esport’s most unforgettable competitors.
Before a packed gathering of racing legends, industry leaders and race fans Friday morning, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca officially dedicated its famed Corkscrew as The Zanardi Corkscrew, permanently honoring two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi and his extraordinary connection to the legendary circuit.
The dedication comes 30 years after one of the defining moments in Laguna Seca and INDYCAR history. On the final lap of the 1996 race, Zanardi made an audacious move on Bryan Herta entering the Corkscrew, dropping wheels into the dirt and emerging ahead in a maneuver that became known simply as ‘The Pass.’ The moment remains one of the most celebrated overtakes in American open-wheel racing history and forever linked Zanardi with Laguna Seca.
Friday’s ceremony, however, celebrated far more than a single racing moment. It honored Zanardi as a champion, teammate, friend and inspiration whose talent, personality and spirit left an indelible mark on motorsports and on the people who knew him.
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca President and General Manager Mel Harder opened the ceremony by unveiling a rendering of the future permanent monument honoring Zanardi, his extraordinary talent, indomitable spirit and enduring connection to Laguna Seca.
The ceremony brought together many of the people who were there when Zanardi created some of the most memorable moments of his career, including team owner Chip Ganassi and Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull, providing a rare opportunity to hear the story of Zanardi and that remarkable era of open-wheel racing from those who experienced it alongside him.
Thirty years after Zanardi’s unforgettable 1996 drive at Laguna Seca, Ganassi returned to the very place where one of the defining moments in his team’s history unfolded. Ganassi reflected on Zanardi’s arrival at Chip Ganassi Racing, the enormous personality and talent he brought to the team, and the lasting impact he had on the organization. What began with a relatively unknown Italian driver joining the team in 1996 quickly developed into one of the most successful and memorable partnerships of the era, with Zanardi going on to capture back-to-back CART championships in 1997 and 1998.
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For Ganassi, the dedication offered a poignant opportunity to look back three decades later at not only what Zanardi accomplished behind the wheel, but the mark he left on the people around him and on Chip Ganassi Racing.
Mike Hull added his own stories and memories from those years, offering the crowd an inside look at Zanardi as both a fierce competitor and an unforgettable teammate. Hull’s recollections brought to life the personality behind the helmet, the determination, humor, confidence and passion that made Zanardi such a beloved figure within the team and throughout the racing community.
Zanardi’s life-long friend and fellow Italian Max Papis brought an especially personal perspective to the ceremony, sharing memories of his friend while also speaking on behalf of Zanardi’s wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.
INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and CEO Doug Boles spoke
about Zanardi’s enduring place in the history of the sport, while Bruce Canepa, representing Friends of Laguna Seca, shared a letter from Zanardi’s close friend and former Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jimmy Vasser, who was unable to attend.
The significance of the occasion was also recognized by local and state-leaders. The County of Monterey presented an official proclamation commemorating the dedication of The Zanardi Corkscrew, while the California State Assembly presented an In Memoriam recognition honoring Zanardi’s life, accomplishments and enduring legacy.
The capacity crowd reflected Zanardi’s extraordinary influence across generations of open-wheel racing. Among those gathered for the dedication were six-time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon, five-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou and four-time INDYCAR champion Dario Franchitti, along with motorsports personalities, team members and throngs of race fans who listened as those closest to Zanardi shared stories from his remarkable career and life.
Providing a striking connection between Zanardi’s era and the present day were two Chip Ganassi Racing INDYCAR’s displayed at the ceremony: Zanardi’s iconic No. 4 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and Palou’s current No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, which is carrying the unmistakable lightning bolts inspired by Zanardi’s legendary Target Chip Ganassi Racing livery during this weekend’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES finale.
The dedication took place during the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship weekend, creating a fitting connection between the champions and personalities who helped shape the sport and the drivers competing at its highest level today.
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