Alex Zanardi's successful return to racing

His determination, impressive. His driving skill, unsurpassed. For Alessandro Zanardi, two-time CART champion, an Indy car career ended in a terrible accident some three years ago. Immobilized from the waist down, his racing days appeared over.

That would have been the final chapter for most mortals. Using accelerator controls mounted on the steering wheel and a clutch operated via a potentiometer on the gearshift, Zanardi deftly collected a seventh-place finish driving a specially equipped BMW Team Italy-Spain 320i E46 sedan in the last race of the 2003 FIA European Touring Car Champ-ionship (ETCC). It marked his official return to competition after a two-year absence.

Alex Zanardi

"I'm happy to participate in the European Touring Car Championship with a BMW of the Team Italy-Spain," Zanardi said at the close of the competition. "I want to thank the BMW Italy management and the members of the Team for having always believed in this project. The experience in the last race of the season was encouraging. It was a real thrill and a lot of fun. The car performed great, especially the engine, and this makes us want to continue the development. The competition is tough, and no one is going to make it easy on us, but we're going to face the 2004 season with the determination to be competitive right from the first races."

Winner of the FIA-ETCC manufacturers' overall championship this year, BMW has always been a standout in covered-wheel championships, with a prize list that contains 16 drivers' titles and 11 manufacturers' titles. Zanardi's sedan continues the trend. A six-cylinder 260-horsepower engine operated via the special hand controls powers the car. Because of his success in the ETCC circuit during 2003, BMW will field the Zanardi-driven sedan for the entire 2004 season. Development of the car is conducted by BMW Team Italy-Spain, which will draw on the technical support of Fadiel Italiana for the onboard components.

Said Zanardi of his amazing return to competitive racing: "The last image people had when they switched the television off was me being taken away in a helicopter, leaving a big trace of blood on the circuit. The next thing they see of me, I'm driving another car flat-out. It's obvious that the first thought they have is, 'That's a miracle!'"