Alessandro Zanardi: “I’m looking forward to starting a spectacular race weekend”

Racing legend Alex Zanardi will be making his DTM debut this weekend in the seventh round of the season at Misano, which will also be the first ever series’ night races.

The Italian and BMW Motorsport have prepared intensively for a special weekend of ‘firsts’ for both parties – with Zanardi delighted to hve the chance to join the grid for the first time.

“In my career I have been fortunate enough to drive beautiful cars, especially in my days in the United States,” said Zanardi. “But I’ve always looked at DTM like one of the things that down the road I want to do in my racing career.

“I’ve always been very much intrigued by that type of car that in my view looks really sexy and performs incredibly well. So I’m finally having this opportunity and I’m very glad and thankful to BMW.”

The 51-year-old spent two days of testing at Vallelunga a fortnight ago in order to familiarise both himself and the team to each other.

Zanardi was left impressed by the car he’ll drive this weekend.

“It is indeed a real race car,” he said. “It’s made out of carbon fibre; it is created to perform. The suspensions are racing ones, as are the brakes, the engine is a race engine, the gearbox is incredibly fast, it’s manufactured the way you would manufacture a Formula One gearbox for instance.

“Around the turns, the BMW M4 DTM is capable of producing amazing speeds. You can brake basically in the blink of an eye when you go from 300 km/h to taking a second gear corner and the car re-accelerates out of it very rapidly as well. It’s an impressive machine.”

Zanardi will participate at the wheel of a seventh, non championship scoring, wild card entry M4 DTM, which has been specially adapted to the double-amputee’s needs.

Previously, the Italian had raced with a braking system attached to his prosthetic legs, but will now used a hand-activated system for the first time, and he is ready for the physical effort required.

“I have to apply a pressure of 60 to 65 kilos on the hand-operated brake lever, but evidently my arms are strong enough to do that and to do it again the following lap, he said “And when you decelerate at those speeds actually the longitudinal forces are helping you. They bring the weight of your body to lean on the lever anyway, so it’s harder in the garage than it is actually when you do it on the circuit. And my fitness condition, with what I have been doing on my hand cycle in the past few years, does not hurt. It definitely helps.”

Safety was also another aspect the 51-year-old had to prepare for, with DTM regulations establishing that a driver must be able to get out of the car within seven seconds on the driver’s side and nine on the passenger’s side.

An official test will take place at Misano ahead of the first free practice session, but Zanardi is prepared for it: wearing a helmet and HANS device, 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. “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.”

Despite the huge interest in Zanardi’s participation, the Italian remains realistic about the expectations about what results he can expect this weekend.

“I know that DTM these days is probably the most competitive field of motorsports, no doubt about it,” he said. “In DTM, the level of the drivers is incredibly high. The drivers are all good, there are no amateurs. Cars’ performances are really close and often you see the entire field being packed into less than a second.

“This of course suggests that for an old guy like me, with the lack of experience I have, with my personal problem, with my age, it will be very, very tough for me to collect a very good result. I will try to get the best out of it, and for sure in any case it will be a very enjoyable experience. The important thing is that I walk away from Misano knowing that I have done my best.”

Zanardi will carry number 12 on his BMW this weekend, as a gesture to a special friend.

“I was in Vegas recently and I had a great time with (former CART champion and former rival) Jimmy Vasser and some good friends,” he said. “I raised the glass and promised I would soon find a way to honour our friendship!”