MOTORSPORT: Another golden moment for Zanardi

Not only are Mark Skaife, Russell Ingall and Tony Longhurst going to race a BMW M6 GT3, so too is paralympian Alex Zanardi – this weekend.

Race day is still almost four months away for the Aussie trio at the Bathurst 12-Hour, but for Zanardi (who lost both his legs in an Indy car crash at Lausitzring in eastern Germany 15 years ago) it comes in the finale to this season’s Italian GT Championship.

It’s 15 months since Zanardi, who has prostethic legs he designed and built himself but uses specially-adapted hand controls to drive, last raced a car – in the Spa 24 Hours in Belgium.

He spent most of the time since preparing for the Rio Paralympics, where he won two golds medals and a silver in handcycling – as he had done in London four years earlier.

But motor racing remains the first sporting love of the Italian who won two (Indy-style) Champ Car titles, sandwiched between two stints in Formula 1. He also won four World Touring Car Championship races – with BMW, for which he’s an ambassador – after losing his legs.

“I always say that my life is a never-ending privilege of being able to do so many things, and this season is a classic example,” the inspirational Zanardi said.

“Preparing for Rio de Janeiro, approaching my 50th birthday [on October 23], not only being able to run [participate] competitively, but winning what I won [in Rio] is exceptional.

“But on top of this I will once more enjoy the privilege of indulging in my primary passion, being behind the wheel of a great race car.

“Since I saw the beautiful BMW M6 GT3 in the workshop in Munich I have dreamt about driving it. Now BMW is granting me the possibility to do so on one of my favourite circuits, Mugello [in Tuscany, owned by Ferrari and home to the Italian MotoGP].”

BMW Motorsport has had many years of experience modifying cars for Zanardi’s special needs. He tested the M6 last week and now “can’t wait to grab the steering wheel and drive to the best of my abilities”.

The car is entered by BMW Team Italia and ROAL Motorsport, the team of Italian former world touring car champion, Roberto Ravaglia.

BMW is not only celebrating its 100th birthday this year but its 50th anniversary in Italy.

The reign in Spain is mainly Volkswagen
Volkswagen can wrap up its fourth straight World Rally Championship (WRC) manufacturers’ title at this weekend’s Rally Spain if it scores at least 20 points more than Hyundai.

VW’s superstar Frenchman Sebastien Ogier will be the world champion driver too for the fourth time if he collects 16 points on the gravel of Catalunya, which would mean finishing third and picking up a point on the final power stage.

“Last year I made a mistake on the final stage [in Spain]. I promise that will not happen again,” said Ogier, who has won the past two rallies – on asphalt – in Germany and the French island of Corsica.

Ogier heads one of his VW teammates, Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen by 68 points (195-127), while Hyundai’s Belgian Thierry Neuville is 15 points back, with New Zealander Haydon Paddon fourth in another Hyundai, nine points behind his teammate.

Two WRC rounds remain after Spain – in Wales at the end of this month and Rally Australia at NSW’s Coffs Coast on November 17-20.

Extra round for Australian Rally Championship
The Australian Rally Championship will expand back to six rounds next year with the return of a Victorian round. The Eureka Rally near Ballarat will be the opening round of the championship on March 17-19.

Ballarat previously hosted ARC events in 1976 and ’78.

Next year’s championship will have a 3½-month break from the end of May until mid-September.

Canberra’s National Capital Rally has moved to the back end of the season in mid-October, with Rally Australia – the WRC event which incorporates a national round – is still provisional because of uncertainty about overseas events, especially in China.

2017 Australian Rally Championship calendar
Round 1: Eureka Rally, Ballarat, Victoria – March 17-19.
Round 2: Forest Rally, WA – April 21-23.
Round 3: International Rally of Queensland – May 26-28*
Round 4: Rally South Australia – September 15-17.
Round 5: National Capital Rally – October 13-15.
Round 6: Rally Australia, Coffs Coast, NSW – November 16-19*

* subject to Federation Internationale de l’Automobile confirmation.

‘Mr Versatility’ Ekstrom on cusp of World RX title
The World Rallycross Championship (World RX) is back at the Estering in Germany for its penultimate round, with Swede Mattias Ekstrom poised to clinch the title won the previous two seasons by Norwegian Petter Solberg.

Two years ago this venue (at Buxtehude, near Hamburg, the second oldest track on the World RX calendar behind Britain’s Lydden Hill) produced the closest finish in World RX history, with Citroen driver Solberg defeating Audi man Ekstrom by 0.005sec.

Ekstrom has foregone the final round of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) at Hockenheim as he tries to translate his 27-point lead over fellow Swede and Volkswagen driver Johan Kristoffersson into a title to add to the two he has won in the DTM (2004 and ’07) and three in the Race of Champions (2006, ’07 and ’09).
Solberg trails Ekstrom by 34 points after failing to make the semi-finals at the previous round in Latvia.

Ekstrom’s EKS leads the teams’ championship by eight points from the Team Peugeot-Hansen for which nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb races and won the Latvian round.

The final round of World RX is in Rosario, Argentina, on November 25.