Munich. BMW works driver Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) returns to
the cockpit of a race car: at the DTM races at Misano, Italy
(25th/26th August), the 51-year-old will make
a guest appearance in a BMW M4 DTM. The DTM umbrella organisation,
the ITR, as well as the two other manufacturers involved in the DTM,
Audi and Mercedes-Benz, have given the green-light for this guest
start. The BMW M Motorsport engineers, who have worked with Zanardi
in the past, are currently collaborating with him on the development
of a system to modify the BMW M4 DTM to suit his needs. The DTM race
appearance at Misano is another step on the way to Daytona (USA),
where the Italian will contest the legendary 24-hour race in January 2019.
Zanardi’s preparation for his guest start gets underway this weekend
(1st to 3rd June), when he will accompany the
BMW DTM teams and drivers at the Hungaroring near Budapest (HUN), to
familiarise himself with the details of procedures, structures and
processes in the DTM. A roll-out and test drives are additional steps
planned for the coming weeks. Dates and locations will be announced at
a later date. In addition, with regard to the technical feasibility,
BMW Motorsport is working closely with the DMSB, who supports the project.
The BMW works driver and brand ambassador has already visited
numerous DTM events and has also been behind the wheel of a BMW DTM
race car many times. In recognition of winning two gold medals at the
Paralympic Games in London (GBR), Zanardi completed a sensational test
in a modified BMW M3 DTM at the Nürburgring (GER) in 2012. At the 2015
DTM season finale at Hockenheim (GER), he was at the wheel of the BMW
M4 DTM race taxi. However, starting a DTM race is a first for Zanardi.
Zanardi has enjoyed success in BMW racing cars for many years. In
2003, just two years after his accident in the CART race at the
Lausitzring (GER) in which he lost both legs, he contested the
European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) season finale at Monza (ITA)
in a BMW 320i adapted to his needs to the delight of fans. 2004 saw
Zanardi contest the entire ETCC season, and between 2005 and 2009, he
competed in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCC) with BMW
Team Italy-Spain – ROAL Motorsport. On 28th August 2005,
Zanardi caused a sensation in Oschersleben (GER) when he became the
first physically impaired driver to win a world championship race. He
celebrated a total of four wins in the FIA WTCC. Since 2010, Zanardi
has focussed on his second passion, para-cycling. He began a
successful career in this discipline, in which he has won a total of
four Paralympic gold medals and ten world championship titles to date.
2014 saw Zanardi return to the race cockpit and contest the entire
season of the Blancpain GT Sprint Series in a modified BMW Z4 GT3. The
next highlight came in 2015 when, with Timo Glock (GER) and Bruno
Spengler (CAN), he participated in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
(BEL) in a BMW Z4 GT3. The trio battled for a top five position down
to the wire, but a technical defect forced them to retire in the final
hour of racing. Zanardi’s last official race outing was on
16th October 2016 as a guest starter at the season finale
of the Italian GT Championship at Mugello (ITA), where he made his
debut in the BMW M6 GT3 – and celebrated a sensational win in the
Sunday race.
Quotes on Alessandro Zanardi’s guest start.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Alex Zanardi as a guest starter in Misano – that will be a real
sensation in an already spectacular DTM season. The fans can look
forward to a fantastic race weekend in Misano: the DTM’s first guest
appearance at this track, the first ever night race in the DTM and
Alex Zanardi, who as the ‘local hero’ will play his part in making
this event a special experience for everyone. Our thanks go to the ITR
and our colleagues from Audi and Mercedes-Benz for giving the
green-light for this guest start. Our engineers are currently using
all their expertise and ideas to work on modifying the BMW M4 DTM to
suit Alex’s requirements. We are looking forward to having Alex in our
BMW DTM family.”
Alessandro Zanardi:
“I am incredibly excited about racing the BMW M4 DTM at Misano
because I always dreamt of adding the DTM experience into my ‘book of
best moments’ in my motorsport career. DTM has for many years been one
of the motorsport disciplines that are the pinnacles of racing
regarding technology, the speed of the car and the level of the
competition, which these days is higher than ever. The skills of the
drivers competing in DTM and the preparation of the teams are, in my
view, as good as in Formula One. They are top of the game and you
can’t get any better than that. And on the other hand that is what
concerns me and will make me to approach this challenge with a lot of
respect, knowing that it will be one of toughest things I have ever
done in my racing career. I am really grateful that BMW offered to
start this project and to all the engineers in Munich who are already
preparing the car. I will do my very best to represent them in such a
competitive field.”
Gerhard Berger (ITR Chairman):
“We are delighted to welcome such a well-known guest starter to the
DTM for our debut at Misano. Alex Zanardi is very popular, not only in
his home country of Italy. His extraordinarily impressive performances
as an athlete, as well as his unwavering optimism and his humanity go
way beyond sport and have already inspired an audience of
millions around the world. Alex doesn’t approach any task
half-heartedly – quite the opposite is true. So, we know he will be
preparing for his DTM guest appearance extremely professionally and
full of ambition, so as to deliver a top performance in front of his
home crowd. Welcome to the DTM dear Alex!”
Note to editors.
During the ITR’s telephone press conference on Tuesday
29th May, Zanardi will be available to answer questions
from media representatives from 2.00 p.m. (CEST) on. After having
dialed in at +49 (0)1805-1009, please enter the access code 386 386.
At a media round table on Saturday at 10.20 a.m. (CEST) in Budapest,
both Zanardi and BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt will be on
hand to answer questions.