BMW works driver and Brand Ambassador Alessandro Zanardi is the first of three drivers named for BMW’s entry at the 22-24th November, joint DTM and Super GT race at Fuji.
The event is a first between the two series, dubbed the ‘SUPER GT x DTM Dream Race’ with one race on Saturday and one on Sunday.
Zanardi’s BMW team-mates for Fuji will be announced at a later date.
“Nobody has forgotten Alex Zanardi’s magnificent guest DTM start at Misano in 2018 (where the ex F1 racer and now 12-time Paracycling World Champion finished fifth in Sunday’s race). As such, we are delighted that he will now be returning to the wheel of the BMW M4 DTM as part of our dream team for Fuji,” says BMW Group Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Alex inspires people all over the world and it is fantastic to have him on board in Japan. We are confident that he will cause just as much of a buzz as he did at Misano and most recently at the 24 Hours of Daytona. We will reveal the drivers to complete our trio at Fuji at a later date.”
The dream race marks another major event where BMW have adapted their frontline racing machinery for Zanardi, a double-amputee after an accident in 2001, with modifications including a handbrake system and an accelerator ring on the steering wheel, allowing him to drive without his artificial legs.
In January 2019, the 53-year-old raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona in a similarly adapted BMW M8 GTE and he has previously contested the Spa 24 Hours and the Blancpain Sprint Series in GT3 BMWs.
In preparation for Fuji, Zanardi will return to the cockpit at the start of October, when he will drive a modified BMW M6 GT3 at the penultimate race weekend of the 2019 Italian GT Championship at Mugello.
“To compete in the Dream Race with the DTM and Super GT is something wonderful for me. The word ‘wonderful’ is probably used too often, but it is really appropriate in this case,” says Zanardi. “The mere fact that I am still able to go racing is like a gift for me anyway. However, the BMW M4 DTM is definitely one of the best race cars I have driven in my career. Plus, I will have an extra 100 hp under the bonnet this year. It is going to be fantastic, and I am extremely grateful to BMW Motorsport for this opportunity.
“I know that racing in the DTM is a huge challenge, as all the drivers are highly-professional and excellently prepared. And this time we will also have the drivers from Super GT too. As such, my expectations are not too great, from a sporting perspective. I just want to perform to the best of my ability and put on a display worthy of the event. On the whole, however, I am sure that this is going to be another great chapter in my motor racing career.”
Zanardi’s appearance at the ‘Fuji International Speedway’ is significant also for another reason. The racetrack will be the venue for the paracycling competitions at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Zanardi’s goal is to qualify for the Tokyo Games.
