Munich. Alessandro Zanardi (ITA) has his next assignment in a
BMW race car at the beginning of October. The BMW works driver will
contest the penultimate round of the 2019 Italian GT Championship
season at Mugello (ITA) with BMW Team Italia from 4th to
6th October. Zanardi will share the cockpit of a modified
BMW M6 GT3 with BMW Motorsport Junior Erik Johansson (SWE) and
Stefano Comandini (ITA).
Zanardi has very special memories of Mugello. He contested the
Italian GT Championship finale there back in 2016. It was his debut in
the BMW M6 GT3, and he celebrated a victory cheered on by the whole
paddock in the Sunday race. Now, Zanardi returns to Mugello with the
BMW M6 GT3 and Italian team principal Roberto Ravaglia’s BMW Team Italia.
“We’re really looking forward to competing with Alex again at
Mugello,” said BMW Group Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “The
emotions of his win there three years ago are still very real to us
all, as are the many impressions that his guest start at the 24 Hours
of Daytona in January left on us. It’s great to see him at the wheel
of a BMW race car again, and we’re confident that the weekend at
Mugello will be fantastic.”
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend at Mugello, for many
reasons,” said Zanardi. “For one thing, it has been a few months now
since my last race at Daytona and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel
again. BMW Team Italia managed by my old friend Roberto Ravaglia is
also like a second family to me – as are the engineers at BMW M
Motorsport, who have been close by my side for many years. Now we are
all returning to the track together. And last but not least are the
memories of the win in 2016, on my debut in the BMW M6 GT3. It was an
unforgettable and indescribable weekend. I already know that I will
enjoy the preparation and race at Mugello from the first to the final moment.”
Unlike in 2016, when two sprint races were held at the finale and
Zanardi was the sole driver of the car, this time it is a three-hour
endurance race. That is why Zanardi will share the cockpit with the
two regular drivers Johansson and Comandini, who are contesting the
entire season for BMW Team Italia. The BMW M6 GT3 will be specially
modified by BMW M Motorsport engineers. The continuously developed
systems that enable Zanardi to race have been perfected further based
on insights from the 24-hour race at Daytona (USA).
Zanardi will also drive without prosthetic legs at Mugello, since
this proved to be the ideal option for him. He will brake using the
hand braking system fitted in the BMW M8 GTE at Daytona. This will be
combined with the standard pedals in the BMW M6 GT3 that Eriksson and
Comandini use. Zanardi’s steering wheel with gas ring is also familiar
from his GT appearances and his DTM guest start at Misano (ITA) last
year. The steering wheel will be changed during the driver change. The
modifications to the BMW M6 GT3 also include the fully-automatic
centrifugal clutch, which worked well at Misano and Daytona. This
system has the major advantage for Zanardi that he doesn’t need to
operate a clutch level with his hands as well. The software for the
handbrake, steering wheel and centrifugal clutch will be adapted to
the requirements of the Mugello appearance. Zanardi has already tested
with the car.
It’s intensive weeks for the Italian, as between testing the BMW M6
GT3 and the race weekend and Mugello there has been another highlight
on his schedule: the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships at
Emmen (NED). Zanardi continued his amazing success story in the world
of para-cycling in emphatic fashion and won two gold medals and one
silver medal. Zanardi took gold in the team relay with the Italian
national team on Wednesday and in Friday’s time trial – securing his
paracycling world titles numbers 11 and 12. He was also second after
an incredibly close finish in the road race.
“I obviously travelled to Emmen with great expectations, but these
results probably exceed even my optimistic goals,” said Zanardi. “I am
very proud, particularly of the world champion’s jersey, which I won
in the time trial, as that is one of the toughest races of all. I gave
it my all in the road race too. It went fantastically and everything
was perfect, including the final corner, when I was still leading the
race. In the end, however, Tim de Vries was simply stronger than me.
He deserved the win and I am very proud of my second place.”
Zanardi’s results in Emmen proved once again that he is one of the
very best in the world of paracycling. His goal is to qualify for the
2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. This coming weekend, however, Zanardi
will focus on another of his passions: triathlon. On Saturday,
21st September, he will compete in the ‘Ironman Italy
Emilia-Romagna’ at Cervia (ITA). Last year, he set a new world record
at the event with a time of 8:26.06 hours, the fastest time ever
recorded by a triathlete with physical disabilities over the Ironman
distance. On Sunday, Zanardi will then contest another triathlon over
the half Ironman distance at Cervia.