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BMW Developed a Z4 GT3 for Able-Bodied and Handicapped People

You probably already know about BMW’s newest Brand Ambassador, Alex Zanardi, right? As a matter of fact, if you know Zanardi, you also know that this latest title he acquired is the least impressive one on his shelf.
Alex Zanardi Testing Z4 GT3 37 photos
Photo: BMW
BMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsAlex ZanardiAlex ZanardiBruno SpenglerBruno SpenglerBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsTimo GlockTimo GlockBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheelBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheel adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheel adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheel adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheelBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheel adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 steeering wheel adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Z4 GT3 adapted for handicapped usageBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-FrancorchampsBMW Team for 24 Hour race at Spa-Francorchamps
The man is, simply put, a living legend. After surviving a terrible crash during his prime and having both of his legs amputated, the Italian pilot decided that won’t stop him from doing what he loves most and he came back, behind the wheel of a modified BMW and started winning races again.

That was on the track, but he also won gold medals in all sorts of events, including the Olympic games. Finishing triathlons became some sort of hobby for him and he’s still racing in various events thanks to BMW. The Germans offered him a specially modified Z4 GT3 and our good man is taking full advantage of it.

This year he will be racing in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps alongside his fellow BMW drivers, Bruno Spengler, and Timo Glock. Yes, you read that right, he will be sharing the Z4 with two able-bodied drivers. How is that possible? Well, the Bavarians put together a special car that can be taken to the track by both types of drivers.

“Our engineers have worked intensively and developed a whole series of modifications and features for the BMW Z4 GT3, which have already been well proven at the race track. We are proud of the great work done by everyone involved in that outstanding project, and can’t wait to tackle this 24h adventure with Alex, Bruno and Timo,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

The pedal box, clutch and steering wheel were revised

Apparently, five months of work went into making this possible and the changes done to the pedal box, clutch and steering wheel will be tested on the Belgian track starting today by all three drivers involved in this effort.

The pedal box, from right to left, now contains the brake pedal for Zanardi, a divider, the throttle and brake pedal for Glock and Spengler and, on the far left, a footrest for Zanardi. The positioning is lower than usual to help Alex brake more efficiently.

This solution seems to be working for both sides of the story as Zanardi needs the brake and acceleration pedals as far apart as possible while the other two drivers need them as close as possible.

As for the clutch, the engineers completely removed the pedal for it replacing the traditional system with a clutch-by-wire one that is controlled with two clutch flippers, similar to the gear shift pedals mounted on steering wheels these days.

The steering wheel was also changed. For Glock and Spengler, it will now be connected by an external cable and the manual clutch has been added to its backside, on one side. The two drivers can activate it with their hand to get moving. The two paddle shifters are also standard.

As for Zanardi, his steering wheel is completely new but based on the one he used last year in the Blancpain series. The throttle ring used to accelerate is still present, but it was fine-tuned this time around.

The shifting paddles on both sides have been replaced by a system that uses only one paddle on the right side. Therefore, while accelerating with the ring, he is able to shift up using the right side paddle. Downshifting can be done using the thumb.

Other changes include a new seat belt system, new engine software (as two accelerator pedal characteristic curves are needed) and air conditioning was added to the mix because Zanardi has no legs and his body temperature cannot be normally regulated.
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