Zanardi’s appearance in Misano will be his first time racing without
prosthetic legs. The BMW M4 DTM has been modified to allow him to
accelerate and brake using just his hands. Zanardi also has no
concerns about the safety aspect of driving without prosthetic legs.
The regulations specify precisely how quickly a driver must get out
of the car after an accident. “When an accident occurs, all DTM
drivers must be able to get out of their car on their own. This cannot
take longer than seven seconds on the driver’s side and nine seconds
on the passenger side,” explained Christian Schmidt, Technical
Delegate for the DTM. “This is to ensure that no-one has to wait for
outside assistance if a fire breaks out on board, for example. An
official fitness test will take place at the weekend and Alex will
have to pass this. After that, there will be nothing to prevent him competing.”
Zanardi has already trained extensively for this test – and he has
stayed well within the specified time limit. Sporting a helmet and
HANS system, he needs around four and a half seconds to get out of the
BMW M4 DTM. “I am not worrying about this test,” confirmed Zanardi. “I
have always been convinced that I will pass it easily. There are
plenty of handholds in a DTM cockpit that I can use to pull myself
out. I wouldn’t say that I am faster at getting out than the other DTM
drivers but I am certainly no slower.”
He views the fact that he will not be wearing prosthetic legs as an
advantage. “I can move much faster without my prosthetic legs. There
would be a greater risk of getting stuck somewhere with the
prostheses.” Zanardi is also more agile without prosthetic legs
outside the car, when leaving the vehicle quickly in the gravel trap,
for example. In this case, Zanardi simply runs on his hands, which is
easier than with his prostheses.
Zanardi is well prepared – the DTM Technical Delegate has absolutely
no doubt about it: “We have come to know Alex Zanardi as an
unbelievably enthusiastic racing driver with a real eye for detail and
we are sure that he meets all the conditions to drive a DTM car right
at the limit – with the technical adjustments required due to his
handicap,” emphasised Schmidt.