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PressClub USA · Article.
ALEX ZANARDI OFFICIAL BMW DRIVER IN 2004 FIA EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Wed Dec 17 19:30:00 CET 2003 Press Release
Agreement finalised between the Bolognese driver and the BMW Team Italy-Spain. Alessandro Zanardi will be back on the race track in 2004.
Press Contact.
Roy Oliemuller
BMW Group
Tel: +1-201-307-4082
Fax: +1-201-573-8416
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Author.
Roy Oliemuller
BMW Group
Agreement finalised between the Bolognese driver and the BMW Team Italy-Spain.
San Donato Milanese. Alessandro Zanardi will be back on the race track in 2004.
The surprising experience of October 19th, with the significant seventh-place
finish in the last race of the FIA European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) by
Zanardi, returning to official competition after a two-year absence, has
encouraged the BMW Team Italy-Spain and the Bolognese driver to tackle the 2004
season together.
"I'm happy to be able to participate in the European Touring Car Championship
with a BMW of the Team Italy-Spain and I want to thank the BMW Italy management
and the members of the Team for having always believed in this project,"
Zanardi said. "The experience in the last race of the season was encouraging:
it was a real thrill and a lot of fun. The car performed great, especially the
engine, and this makes us want to continue in development. The competition is
tough and no one is going to make it easy on us, but we're going to be facing
the 2004 season with the determination to be competitive right from the first
races."
Winner of the FIA-ETCC manufacturers' overall championship this year, BMW has
always been a standout in covered-wheel championships with a prize list that
contains 16 drivers' titles and 11 manufacturers' titles.
Zanardi will participate in the championship with a BMW 320i E46 with a
six-cylinder two-litre engine that delivers over 260 bhp at 8.700 rpm.
Zanardi will adopt the technical aids tried out successfully in the last race
of 2003: the accelerator is mounted on the steering wheel and the clutch is
operated with a potentiometer placed on the gearshift lever.
Development of the car is conducted by BMW Team Italy-Spain, which will draw on
the technical support of Fadiel Italiana for the onboard components.
For further information contact:
Andrea Neri
Phone: +39 02 51610230 Fax: +39 02 51610416
E-mail: Andrea.Neri@bmw.com