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Alex Zanardi back in the driver's seat with BMW

If there's ever been an inspirational story in the pantheon of motor racing history, surely it's that of Alessandro Zanardi. The Italian driver worked his way up the motor racing ladder, making it into Formula One and winning two CART championships for Chip Ganassi Racing back before the series re-merged into IndyCars. Tragedy struck in 2001 when he lost both his legs in a crash at the Lausitzring in Germany, but rather than accept his fate, Alex pushed on. Fitted with prosthetic limbs, he learned to drive a racing car with hand controls and got back in the driver's seat.
Zanardi drove for BMW in the European Touring Car Championship and then in the World Touring Car Championship that replaced it, landing on the podium several times despite his physical disadvantage. He left racing in 2009 to train for the Paralympics, winning two gold medals in London, but Alex apparently couldn't shake the racing bug. BMW modified one of its M3 DTM racers with hand controls for him to test later that year. And now he's returning to motor racing full time.
BMW has just announced that Zanardi will be driving a Z4 GT3 in the Blancpain Sprint Series, the successor to the FIA GT Series and short-distance counterpart to the Blancpain Endurance Series. The car has been modified with the hand controls the Bavarian automaker's racing department fitted to the aforementioned M3 DTM and will be fielded by the ROAL Motorsport team with which Alex challenged for the European Touring Car Championship last decade.

BMW readying impressive track-focused M Power App

There are a lot of questionable automotive apps that people put on their smartphones these days, but BMW has created what could be one of the most useful and integrated car apps ever. The new M Power App, which will be available this summer only for Apple iPhones, allows BMW owners a whole new way to record their performance on the street or on a track. During the launch of the recent BMW M6 Gran Coupe, BimmerPost was able to get a full demonstration of how this new app works.
Far more involved than the current M Power Meter, the M Power App records data from in-car sensors and acts as a telemetry tool to allow drivers to see how they did on a particular track. Aside from an overlay on a track map showing acceleration and braking applications as well as head-to-head comparisons, the app also shows a line graph of everything from brake and throttle inputs to g-force, fuel mileage and engine speed. A small visual on the screen also shows steering angle, and lap times and speeds can all be stored as well. The data can even be shared with others, whether for bragging rights or instruction purposes.
This app works on any newer BMW equipped with the BMW Apps option, but the phone must be tethered to the car and the data understandably cannot be viewed while driving. Scroll down for the video demonstration recorded recently at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.

2014 BMW 2 Series earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ [w/video]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has just certified its latest Top Safety Pick+, honoring the all-new BMW 2 Series with the coveted rating.
IIHS cited the 2 Series' crash test ratings, which were rated as "Good" in the small overlap, moderate overlap, side and rollover. In the tricky small overlap test, the crash test dummy was at a "low risk of any significant injury."
The Institute was also complimentary of the 2 Series' head restraint system and its collision prevention system, including forward collision warning and City Braking.