WINNING AGAIN; More than six years after his near-fatal crash, Zanardi is about a lot more than racing.(Competition)(Alex Zanardi)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

Alex Zanardi is on the cell phone from Italy, where he returned three years ago from Monte Carlo to give his young son, now nine, an Italian education. As he pulls into his garage in Padova, near Venice, after a 45-minute call, he apologizes for needing to hang up.

"The next duty is to cook dinner for my family,'' he says. "Tonight we're going to barbecue stuff in the fireplace.''

That's Zanardi, 41, a man who seems to grow finer with age.

A decade ago, he might have been lost as just another Formula One castoff, but he continues to wow those around him today with his dedication to the racing world and to the human race.

Zanardi, who lost both legs in a horrific Champ Car accident at EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany, in 2001, is not only back on firm ground in a race car-he drives a BMW in the World Touring Car Championship-but he also leads a charge to help others who are missing limbs.

Zanardi recently created a charity called Bimbi in Gamba, which means "Kids on Legs'' in Italian. The goal is to raise money to help children who need them receive prosthetic arms and legs. The charity has raised about $150,000 to date, with Zanardi even using a hand cycle to pedal for the cause. In November 2007, he tackled the New York City Marathon on a three-wheeled bike, finishing fourth in his class.