Munich. After his successful DTM guest appearance at Misano
(ITA), the next highlight will soon be upon Alessandro Zanardi
(ITA). In just over two weeks (26th/27th
January), the BMW works driver will contest the 24-hours of Daytona
(USA) in the BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE. For Zanardi this means the
transition between totally different challenges: from sprint to
endurance races, from the BMW M4 DTM to the BMW M8 GTE and from
racing alone to a shared start with team-mates. Nevertheless, the
DTM guest appearance in the BMW M4 DTM was the perfect test run for
the “Road to Daytona”.
The two DTM races at Misano each lasted 55 minutes plus one lap –
now, at Daytona, a marathon twice around the clock awaits Zanardi.
Whether sprint or endurance, the Italian loves both. “It is like
asking if you prefer meat or fish. I have the privilege of doing both.
For me it is always a gift to be part of such a professional racing
team and to drive such great cars as the BMW M4 DTM or the BMW M8
GTE,” he said.
On his DTM guest appearance at Misano, Zanardi was on his own in the
cockpit. Despite difficult conditions with rain and the dark, Zanardi
finished in a superb fifth place in the race on Sunday at Misano. A
sensational performance – and he reckons that over the distance of the
24-hour race at Daytona “theoretically it should be easier for me to
perform at the level it takes than it is on a single lap when you are
fighting against very talented guys in their mid-twenties.” The fact
that he achieved a strong result at Misano is “hopefully a good omen
for Daytona.”
At the 24-hour race at Daytona he will be part of a quartet and take
turns at the wheel with his colleagues John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn
(FIN) and Chaz Mostert (AUS). “At Misano I had a touch of independence
and self-centredness to satisfy my ego,” he said grinning. “Now it’s
time to prepare for this fantastic new adventure. I know that it will
be a great deal of fun to share the car with other drivers. I had this
experience at Spa in 2015, when I contested the 24-hour race there
with Bruno Spengler and Timo Glock. To this day it remains one of the
best experiences of my racing career.”
From the BMW M4 DTM to the BMW M8 GTE.
The BMW M4 DTM is a thoroughbred racing prototype, 4.725 metres long,
1.950 metres wide and with a base weight of 1,031 kilos. “In terms of
performance in the DTM, 100 percent is demanded,” said Zanardi. “You
have to go at full throttle and squeeze every ounce of performance out
of the car. The race only lasts one hour so you have to treat it in
the same way you treat qualifying. And that is exactly what the BMW M4
DTM is designed for. Every detail was developed purposely for racing use.”
By comparison, the BMW M8 GTE has a production brother: the BMW 8
Series Coupé. The cars were developed in parallel; BMW M Motorsport
engineers worked hand in hand alongside their colleagues from series
production. The BMW GT spearhead is 4.980 metres long, 2.050 metres
wide and weighs 1,220 kilos. While the BMW M4 DTM has carbon brakes,
the brake discs in the BMW M8 GTE are made of steel. However, it was
no problem for the BMW M Motorsport engineers to integrate the special
lever braking system for Zanardi into the GT racing cars after the BMW
M4 DTM. Quite the opposite, being able to test the system planned for
the race at Daytona from the outset in the DTM car was a stroke of
luck for both Zanardi and the engineers.
And what does Zanardi have to say about his vehicle for the 24 Hours
of Daytona? “The BMW M8 GTE is a fantastic car, perhaps the most
sophisticated that I have ever driven in my career – and a real
beauty. In terms of driving experience, it is between the BMW M6 GT3
and the BMW M4 DTM. The handling is terrific and the engineers in
Munich did an impressive job when they integrated the systems designed
especially for me into the car.”
Note to editors:
The following link is to a video of Zanardi in the BMW M4 DTM and the
BMW M8 GTE: https://youtu.be/2WsnBsRI42A.