DTM – Alessandro Zanardi in the BMW M3 on Thursday

We told you about it in your AUTOhebdo magazine last week, and BMW has just announced the date. Next Thursday, November 8 to be more precise, Alessandro Zanardi will carry out a test session on the German Nürburgring circuit at the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM. A model identical to the car behind the wheel of which Bruno Spengler recently triumphed in the German touring car championship. As a reminder, Alex Zanardi had to have both legs amputated in 2001 after a terrible accident on the Lausitzring oval in Germany.

The two-time gold medalist (plus one silver) at the last Paralympics was invited to Munich yesterday, where he and BMW Motorsport engineers went over everything needed to make running possible , both from a technical and security point of view. “We are delighted to be able to offer this drive in the BMW M3 DTM to Alessandro, underlines Jens Marquardt, boss of the sports branch of the propeller firm. He has been a member of the BMW family for a long time, and we wanted to give him this chance. We will obviously have to make some changes to the car. A DTM car is much more complex than a WTCC car. However, our engineers happily accepted the challenge. Alex has, once again, made history in London. He delighted fans during his appearance at Hockenheim (for the last round of the DTM. Editor’s note). He's a fantastic character. »

Zanardi is also happy, having not ridden competitively since 2009. “I would like to thank Jens Marquardt and all my friends at BMW Motorsport, continues the 46-year-old Italian. I always feel like I'm coming back to my family when I go here. When I was able to see the BMW M3 DTM up close at Hockenheim, I felt like a new racing driver after all these months in disabled cycling. It is an honor for all drivers to be able to get behind the wheel of such a car. I'm going to savor every single thing I've covered. »

Please note that the BMW M Power grandstand at the Nürburgring circuit will be open to spectators from 13 p.m. until the end of the session.