Zanardi eyes DTM with BMW

Sep.18 (GMM) With fresh Paralympic gold around his neck, Alex Zanardi is eyeing the German touring car series DTM as his next goal.Since losing his legs in a 2011 crash, the former F1 driver has completed the last laps of that ill-fated CART race, w...

With fresh Paralympic gold around his neck, Alex Zanardi is eyeing the German touring car series DTM as his next goal.

Since losing his legs in a 2011 crash, the former F1 driver has completed the last laps of that ill-fated CART race, won world touring car races for BMW, tested a BMW-Sauber, and soared to the very top of the world of hand-cycling.

According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, he is now keen to smell burning rubber again.

A spokesman for BMW confirmed that the 45-year-old Italian has been in contact -- about DTM.

"If he had his way," said the spokesman, "he would be with us at the next race.

"We are not saying categorically no, but also not categorically yes."

BMW motor sport director Jens Marquardt added: "There are many issues to be considered first of all, from a purely design point of view, and also for safety."

And the spokesman explained that there is probably not time to explore the possibility this season.

Before winning four races in a hand-controlled WTCC car for BMW Team Italy-Spain, Zanardi contested 44 grands prix for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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