"NEXT YEAR I WILL COME HERE TO WIN!"   

December 15th, 2002 - One year later, same place, same ovation, Alessandro is returned on the box of the "Teatro dei Congressi" (on the left) of his hometown, Bologna (Italy), to receive the umpteenth "Casco d'Oro" (Golden Helmet Award) (on the right).
Last year he was able to move the members of the audience leaving his wheelchair for the first time, standing in front of the stalls and enjoying of the huge applause, this year he received the same demonstration of affection while he was going up the staircase unaided and walking with two walking sticks only.
He received the same award in 1991 as best Italian driver, in 1996 after the first season in the CART Series, in 2001 because of his exciting recovery after the huge accident at Lausitzring, while this year the reason was his return to the racing even if only for the kart race of the last week at the Motorshow.
He was called to retire his award at the end of the celebration as special guest and many questions gave to him the possibility to reveal some interesting things .

"Last saturday you was very upset about the result of the kart race, we can say you was too demanding with yourself?"
"When you lower the visor of the helmet, you forget many things, the spirit of the competition come back an I believe that is one of the innate quality of a real driver. I continue to have that spirit and the desire to fight on equal terms with the other driver is the main thing so I become angry when a silly thing prevent me to have a good result"

"What kind of error do you rebuke to yourself?"
"No, it was not a real error, the reason is that I didn't test the kart enough. The brakes on a kart, are studied in function of the power that is possible to produce with the left foot but, unluckily, I was not able to do the same with my hand so, after a couple of laps, I was very tired. This year I was here to take part to the race, next year I will come here to win!".

At a certain point, it was asked to him to give a special Golden Helmet Award to Juan Pablo Montoya (on the right) as the fastest driver of the F1 history thanks to the pole position he obtained last september in Monza at the breath-taking speed of 259,8 kph.
That was the occasion to joke with the Colombian driver and also to tell a couple interesting anecdotes: "In 1998, I left my seat at the Chip Ganassi Racing to Juan Pablo and since I was grateful to Mr.Ganassi to have changed my life, when he called me to take a look to Montoya at the first test, I went to the USA to do a sort of driving school to that young driver for the first time at the wheel of a so demanding car on an oval. I drove the car for a few lap finding the right set-up and then I left the car to Montoya. He was cautious for a few laps but then I realized that he was trying to control the car in the middle of the corners at 350 kph like an expert driver and then I asked to myself why they called me to do that useless trip!".
(on the left Montoya and his wife interested in the anecdotes told by Alessandro)

Alessandro and Juan Pablo have had both Ralf Schumacher as team mate and concerning that (bad?) experience, Alessandro told a little story that reveal the character of the German driver: "I wish to had a pill of gossip, now that I'm out from the milieu of the F1, I can reveal an episode I had with Ralf. There are person with class and other person without class, I don't want to tell in which category Ralf is .... A day, I was reading the overall standing of the CART Series and at the first place there was the name of Montoya. Ralf said :'Montoya is not a strong driver, in that championship everybody can win ...' it was like he would have said 'You won there, that means that everybody can win there'. Then I replied that 'Montoya is a good driver, I have seen him to do fantastic things!' and Ralf 'Nooo!, if Montoya will arrive in F1, he could arrive within the first ten places sometimes, no more!' ... that is Ralf!".