Early Years
Alex Zanardi was born in Bologna, Italy as the son of Anna and Dino and moved with his family to the village of Castel Maggiore on the outskirts of the city when he was four. His sister Cristina was a promising swimmer until her death in an automobile collision in 1979 with his parents attempting to keep him away from public roads.
Zanardi began racing karts at the age of 13. He built the kart from wheels used from a dustbin and pipes from his father's line of work. In 1988, he joined the Italian Formula 3 series finishing with only a 5th place as his highest finish. In 1989, Zanardi took two pole positions and three podiums despite suffering from his team switching to unleaded fuel which reduced the engine power in his car. In 1991, he moved up to the Formula 3000 series with the Il Barone Rampante team, who were themselves newcomers to the series. Winning on his F3000 debut, he went on to score two more wins that season, en route to second in the championship.
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