Zanardi, Auberlen to be inducted into Long Beach Walk of Fame

The 16th annual ceremony, a collaborative effort by the City of Long Beach and Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, will be held on April 7 at 11am on South Pine Avenue in front of the Convention and Entertainment Center in the build up to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Two-time CART Indy car champion Zanardi won the 1997 and ’98 Grands Prix of Long Beach, the same years he won the CART Championship. His final race at Long Beach came in 2001 (ABOVE), the same year his U.S. open-wheel career, which yielded 15 victories in total, was ended by the devastating accident at Lausitzring.

Despite losing his legs, Zanardi returned to motorsport, clocking up touring car victories in a BMW operated by hand controls, and went on to become a Paralympic champion in handcycling.

He is currently recuperating from a handcycling accident in 2020 and so the honor will be accepted on his behalf by friend and former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jimmy Vasser.

Auberlen, a native of Redondo Beach in California, is the most successful IMSA driver of all time with 63 wins to his name. Two of these triumphs came at Long Beach where he has a total of nine top-five finishes, and has twice won his class in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. His career continues, currently racing a BMW M4 for Turner Motorsports in IMSA’s GT Daytona class.

“Alex Zanardi and Bill Auberlen are icons in the auto racing world, and it is a privilege to honor them this way in our Motorsports Walk of Fame,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.

Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian added, “With their records here in Long Beach and elsewhere, Alex and Bill are very deserving to be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame. Their contributions to the sport of racing around the world are undeniable and we’re pleased to acknowledge their outstanding careers with this honor.”