Former driver Alex Zanardi wins gold at the Para-cycling World Championships in Canada Alex Zanardi (@lxznr) tweeted this photo of his gold medal after winning the Time Trial event at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Canada. ALONG with Champcar champion, dual Paralympics gold medal winner and hero to millions worldwide, Alex Zanardi can finally be referred to by an accolade it seemed he might never achieve. World champion. The 46-year-old Italian sealed victory in the Time Trial in the H4 class at the UCI Para-cycling World Championships in Canada Friday morning AEST. "Well that's it, World Champion!" an exuberant Zanardi tweeted to his followers after the victory. At 47 I know it won't last but now I'm happy! Zanardi's pursuit of the title of 'Campione del Mondo' has been long and painful, and has come at great personal and physical cost. A winner in karting and along motorsport's junior ladder, Zanardi never quite cracked success in two separate tilts at Formula 1. A move to America to race in the CART Champcar World Series landed him many race wins and two titles. He also won the hearts of motorsport fans with his aggressive driving on-track and his cheery, upbeat attitude off it, expressing his love motorsport with celebratory donuts every time he won. But his 2001 return to the series ended in tragedy, a horrific crash in Germany cost Zanardi both of his lower legs and nearly his life. The dramatic change in life didn't get the better of him. Instead, Zanardi got on with adapting to life without legs and fought to return to the sport he loved. Two years on from his near-fatal crash, Zanardi hopped behind the wheel of a Champcar - equipped with hand controls - at the same German circuit and turned 13 high-speed laps, 'completing' the race that nearly claimed his life. He also returned to full-time racing behind the wheel of a BMW in the European and World Touring Car Championship, notching up four race wins. BMW gave him a test in their Formula 1 car to say thank you. But his greatest success in recent years has come away from motorsport, Zanardi turning his attention to para-cycling. Notching wins at the iconic Rome and New York City marathons, Zanardi reached the pinnacle of para-cycling last year at the London Paralympics, winning a pair of gold medals. Along with his Paralympic success and the Para-cycling World Cup crown he sealed with a second place just last weekend, Zanardi can now add a world championship title to his extensive and inspirational CV. Although his 47th birthday looms in October there are no signs that Zanardi has any plans to slow down. His new goal is to make it to the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Zanardi has received plenty of messages congratulating him on his win from friends he made in his motorsports career, many taking to Twitter to give their congratulations.