BMW Blog reports that Alex Zanardi, the 47-year-old driver who lost both his legs in a 2001 CART crash, finished his comeback race in 13th place. Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Gotz took first place. Zanardi's modified BMW Z4 GT3 suffered mechanical issues late in the race. The clutch mechanism, specifically engineered to allow the double amputee to change gears, didn't work properly. He wound up driving the second half of the race entirely in third and fourth gear, and as a result, Zanardi slipped from the top 10 to 13th.
Despite the issues, he was the eighth fastest driver on the course. Not bad for being off the racetrack for 13 years.
WATCH: Alex Zanardi wring the life out of his BMW Z4 GT3
Via BMW Blog
Zach Bowman
Associate Editor
Zach Bowman is an editor with Road & Track. He splits his time between building Project Ugly Horse, an EcoBoost Fox Body Mustang, and hoping his ancient Cummins stays together. He's covered the automotive industry since 2007, and digs anything weird or built in a shed. Bonus points for weird things built in sheds.
