A 60-minute film focused on Alex Zanardi’s return to endurance racing has been released on YouTube. The documentary, titled “No Limits – Impossible Is Just a Word,” arrived online shortly after his passing on May 1 at his home in Padua, Italy. He was 59.
Zanardi built his name in racing long before that story took shape. He claimed CART IndyCar titles in 1997 and 1998, then survived a violent crash in 2001, which resulted in the loss of both legs. That moment changed everything. Or almost everything.
He did not step away from the competition. Instead, he adapted. He went back on track using cars fitted with hand-operated controls, then expanded into handcycling. Results followed. Four gold medals came from the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games. Not a small detail.
The film does not rush through those years. It focuses on a specific return, the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Preparation started three months before the event, beginning with an initial meeting at BMW Motorsport headquarters in Munich.
From there, the story moves into the garage. Zanardi joined forces with Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler under ROAL Motorsport. Their car, a BMW Z4 GT3, was heavily reworked. Throttle inputs were handled by hand. Braking relied on a dedicated system, with assistance from a prosthetic leg. The setup looks complex at first glance. It is.
Director Tim Hahne follows the process using race footage and behind-the-scenes material. The film does not stage moments. It shows them.
On track, the pace held up. At one point during the night, the car climbed as high as fifth place. For most of the race, it stayed inside the top 10. Then things shifted late. A sound from the engine bay pointed to a problem. By lap 500, with roughly one hour left, the car was out.
The result did not close the story. Four days later, Zanardi was already in Switzerland, competing again, this time defending his handbike title. The timeline feels tight. It is.
Recognition followed for the film itself. It received Best Documentary honors at the London Motor Sport Film Festival and again at the IFA International Film Festival Beverly Hills. Production was handled by StereoScreen, the same team behind “Adrenalin,” a project covering 50 years of BMW Motorsport touring car history.
Now available online, the documentary keeps one specific chapter visible. Not the whole career. Just one part of it.
Alexandro Zanardi – Photo Gallery
