Fresh off his triumphs at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games where he won two golds and a silver medal driving his hand cycle, BMW Brand Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi will be back on a different track, driving a very different vehicle.
From October 14 through 16, BMW factory driver Alex Zanardi will be contesting the season finale of the 2016 Italian GT Championship from the cockpit of a BMW M6 GT3 in Mugello, Italy.
The M6 GT3 is campaigned by BMW Team Italia and ROAL Motorsport and has been specially modified with hand controls for Zanardi. Alex already tested the car in Mugello a week ago.
The last time Alex drove a BMW race car in the heat of competition was the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium in July 2015. That car was the BMW Z4 GT3. He then suspended his auto racing to train for and compete in para-cycling competitions, culminating in his victories in Rio in September of this year.
The Mugello race will be Zanardi’s first in the BMW M6 GT3, but it will also be the celebration of three anniversaries. First, a week after the race, Zanardi will celebrate his 50th birthday. It will also be the 50th anniversary of BMW Italy and as we all know, 2016 is BMW’s 100th centenary.
“It is great to see Alex back in the cockpit after he had fully focused on para-cycling for one year,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “We followed his races in Rio de Janeiro full of excitement—and I have to say that, once more, he proved what an outstanding athlete he is. Alex tackled his mission Rio de Janeiro with determination, passion and professionalism, and this commitment was rewarded with two gold and one silver medal. We really have to say: hats off! But now we are happy to have Alex back in our BMW racing family and in a BMW race car. It is a first for him to compete in our new BMW M6 GT3, and I am sure he will really enjoy taking it onto the track. Based on the experiences of all these years working with Alex, our engineers developed the special modifications for the BMW M6 GT3. We are looking forward to see him racing in Mugello—when celebrating his and BMW’s special birthdays.”
Zanardi was also thrilled, explaining, “I always say that my life is a never ending privilege of being able to do so many things, and this season is a classic example. Preparing for Rio de Janeiro, approaching my 50th birthday, not only being able to run competitively, but winning what I won is exceptional. But on top of this I will once more enjoy the privilege of indulging in my primary passion, being behind the wheel of a great race car. Since I saw the beautiful BMW M6 GT3 in the workshop in Munich I have dreamt about driving it. And now BMW is granting me the possibility to do so on one of my favorite circuits, Mugello. Therefore, thank you to everyone in Munich who made themselves available to work on this project, thank you to BMW Italy for thinking about this opportunity and I also want to thank all the people in the Italian GT Championship, who are welcoming me into their field. So I am very, very happy and I can’t wait to grab the steering wheel and drive to the best of my abilities.”
Alex Zanardi is an inspiration to racers and athletes and people in general. We always enjoy it when BMW wins, but it’s even more special when Zanardi is on the track.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
