Alex Zanardi Interview Session a Highlight of SAE Motorsports Conference

WARRENDALE, Pa., Nov. 16 -- Alex Zanardi will be featured via teleconference during the Nov. 30, 2004 session of the "2004 SAE Motorsports Engineering Conference & Exhibition" at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn in Dearborn, Mich.

Zanardi will phone into the conference to congratulate Dr. Markus Krug, BMW Motorsport, on receiving a certificate of special recognition from SAE Motorsports for the development of the adaptive controls he used in his BMW racing sedan. In addition to Zanardi (via phone) and Krug (on-site), Dr. Terry Trammel and J. Kirk Russell (both on-site) will be available in the 30-minute press conference.

In 2001, "the racing world held its collective breath ... when Alessandro Zanardi lost both his legs in a horrifying accident at the Lausitzring in Germany. The racing world held its breath again 19 months later while witnessing his incredible return to racing," according to Bentley Publishers, responsible for the North American edition of "Alex Zanardi -- My Sweetest Victory." Both Trammel and Russell were at the Lausitzring when the accident took place, and played integral roles during the drama.

In "My Sweetest Victory," '97 and '98 CART Champion Zanardi takes the reader from his childhood in Italy to the highs and lows of a brilliant racing career spanning Karting to Formula 1, IndyCar and CART racing. The story culminates with his description of the terrible accident, long road to recovery and triumphant return to the Lausitz facility where, in a specially modified 750 hp Champ Car, he completed the 13 unfinished laps from 2001.

"My Sweetest Victory" has already sold 50,000 copies in Italy, and the North American edition looks to be similarly successful. New features include a foreword by Mario Andretti and an added chapter in which Zanardi discusses his return to competitive racing in the 2004 European Touring Car Championship driving for BMW Team Italy-Spain. Zanardi's book is available now at bookstores and through http://www.bentleypublishing.com/ for $17.95. It will also be available on-site at the SAE motorsports conference bookstore.

The Nov. 30, 2004, press conference/teleconference is scheduled at noon/EST. The motorsports conference kicks off earlier in the day with a keynote address by FIA President Max Mosley, followed by the business panel consisting of Mosley, Tony George (IRL), Mike Helton (NASCAR), Tom Compton (NHRA) and Steve Johnson (SCCA). For media information regarding the conference and teleconference, see above.

SAE is a non-profit engineering and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of mobility technology to better serve humanity. Nearly 84,000 engineers and scientists who are SAE members develop technical information on all forms of self-propelled vehicles, including automobiles, aircraft, aerospace craft, trucks, buses, marine, rail and transit machinery. This information is disseminated through SAE meetings, books, electronic products and databases, technical papers, standards, reports, and professional development programs.