26 years ago: “The Pass”, Zanardi’s exceptional overtaking at Laguna Seca

The 2022 championshipIndyCar sees its conclusion at Laguna Seca (California), as was already the case in 1996. This race entered the minds of American fans due to the legendary overtaking undertaken by Alessandro Zanardi in the final lap on Bryan Herta.

On September 8, 1996, Bryan Herta chased his first victory in CART (former name of IndyCar). The man who now manages his son's career, Colton Herta, leads most of the race, thanks in part to a driving error by Alessandro Zanardi.

The Italian comes back with long strides on his opponent until starting the final loop less than a second behind Bryan Herta. The rest is American motorsport history, with a maneuver that was nicknamed “The Pass” in the Corkscrew. The one and only :

Twenty-six years later, this attack would have been immediately punished with a penalty due to Alessandro Zanardi passing well beyond the limits of the track! But at the time, there was total ecstasy over this attack coming from extremely far away and Zanardi would be declared the winner.

“Laguna Seca is a place where it is very difficult to overtake, unless you are a second faster than the driver in front of you, explained Alessandro Zanardi in 2019 on the sidelines of the 24 Hours of Daytona. I was waiting for an opportunity to present itself to me, for him to make a mistake, but he drove perfectly, lap after lap. So, I began to hatch my evil plan (laughs).

I was hoping that on the last lap, Bryan would relax a little bit after negotiating Turn 5, which is normally the last place where you could have a chance of overtaking someone. I was ready to dive, I swear to God! I must admit that the execution of the maneuver was slightly different from what I had thought possible. I thought I could keep all four wheels on the asphalt. I dove into the Corkscrew, I was very scared!

I was able to regain control of the car, after a brief moment when I was only a passenger in the car, which was moving in all directions. The difference between being seen as a hero or an idiot is very fine..."

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