By: RACER Staff August 7, 2018 11:58 AM Alex Zanardi has been racing BMW race cars since 2003, but this month’s drive at the DTM race weekend in Misano will mark something new: For the first time ever, he will race without his prosthetic legs.

Here’s how Zanardi explained the rationale for racing without the prosthetic:“Cool! I took off, I looked down and.. Boy! Didn’t I forgot something?!? 4 the 1st time I’ll use my hand to push the brake and not my leg, which will stay in the garage.. Anyhow, with the BMW M4 DTM, I regain all the sensations from my singleseater days!”To prepare, the 51-year-old is at Vallelunga today and tomorrow for a series of intensive tests with the modified BMW M4 DTM. Zanardi is adjusting to several modifications in the cockpit which will allow him to push the DTM car to its limit without using his prostheses.BMW Motorsport engineers have developed many technical innovations for his start in the DTM and at the 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona, including a hand-operated braking system for the first time. Here are some of the changes:

Hand-operated brake systemZarnardi will have a newly developed hand-operated brake system at his disposal for the first time. This replaces the combination of brake pedal with a permanently attached artificial leg, which Zanardi has used to brake on his previous outings in BMW race cars. The advantage of this new system is that it requires less effort and is thus far easier to operate.


The brake lever is located to the driver’s right, in the center console area. The brake lines have been extended and laid from the footwell to this lever. As a result, the pedal box, with the throttle, brake and clutch pedals, is no longer necessary. The footwell in Zanardi’s BMW M4 DTM is empty. The large brake cylinder has been adjusted slightly, meaning Zanardi need not apply quite as much pressure by hand as a regular DTM driver must with his foot to achieve the required braking effect. Where a regular driver must apply 100 to 120 kilograms of pressure (220 to 260 pounds), a maximum 70 kilograms (154 pounds) is sufficient for Zanardi. As well as the size of the brake cylinder, the improved leverage of the handbrake lever also makes the whole braking procedure easier.