The engineering know-how acquired by Dallara over 50+ years in motorsport represents a wealth of competences which extends far beyond the world of racing. Our extensive knowledge of composites, expertise in aerodynamics and excellence in designing lightweight, high-performance structures also finds application in special projects.
Guiding this commitment is also one of the most authentic levers in our work: curiosity. It is curiosity which drives us to explore new territory, take on ever-different challenges and take our competences outside the confines of motorsport.
Through its team of highly specialized designers, Dallara transfers the development methods typical of motorsport – from numerical simulation and wind-tunnel testing to structural analysis and rapid prototyping – to innovative solutions which respond to the most complex technical challenges in various industrial sectors.
This ability to adapt and apply racing expertise to apparently very different areas is testament to the versatility of Dallara’s approach and its bent for continuous improvement.
Z-bike: Dallara Engineering on the Tracks of the Paralympics
The Z-bike project is an extraordinary example of a special partnership between Dallara and Alex Zanardi, a friendship which transformed a personal challenge into a team victory.
After 2001, Alex chose not to give up, but rather to take on a new challenge: return to competing at the highest level.
With the same determination he has always shown, he designed a handbike which would not only allow him to achieve his goal, but also to offer other athletes a revolutionary vehicle able to significantly improve their performance.
The Z-bike designed for Alex is not just a vehicle, but a powerful symbol of determination and innovation.
Developed by Dallara technicians, this handbike stands out for its unique ergonomics, exceptional versatility and superior performance. The carbon-fiber frame, designed to offer maximum rigidity and ensure minimum energy losses, was designed to adapt to athletes’ different needs and requirements.
Its design was carefully studied to ensure the highest levels of comfort, with numerous adjustments allowing each rider to perfectly adapt the bike to their riding style and specific needs.
The strength of the Z-bike project lies in its ability to combine advanced technology with the deep human bond between Alex and the Dallara team. This synergy led to extraordinary results: Zanardi won three Paralympic medals between London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016, an incredible achievement.
A new challenge also came out of the collaboration between Alex and the Dallara team: to design and manufacture a commercial version of the Z-bike, accessible to all and suited to different kinds of disabilities.
This new version maintains the versatility and comfort which made the original model famous, but introduces adjustable components such as the customizable backrest and anatomical handles, unique details designed to support athletes throughout their competition.
Today, the Z-bike project continues to bring innovation to the adaptive mobility sector, and is available both for athletes with disabilities and for athletes without disabilities through the Z-bike brand (www.zetabike.it).
This evolution demonstrates how passion, engineering and determination can overcome any limit, transforming competences developed in motorsport into solutions which generate value in apparently very different fields.
The development of this innovative vehicle at the Varano R&D center followed the same rigorous high-tech methodology used for race cars. The process began with the 3D digitization of the athlete and his vehicle, followed by in-depth aerodynamic analysis using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) – the same sophisticated technology used to optimize the performance of race cars.
The design continued with detailed FEM (Finite Element Methods) structural analysis and rigorous laboratory tests, replicating the high standards of motorsport. The focus on comfort and ergonomics, a key aspect in motor racing, translated into the creation of a dedicated manikin to optimize the comfort and riding position, thus ensuring optimum performance under any condition of use.
E-sports: a New Era in Sim Racing
Dallara-AK Esports is an initiative born of Dallara’s decades of experience in simulations. A strategic partnership with AK Informatica which aims to redefine the standards of sim racing at a global level.
This project is the natural development of a journey which has always seen simulation as an integral part of our engineering approach.
The partnership took its first steps in Indianapolis, a symbolic city in the motorsport landscape and a place with lots of history for Dallara, but then expanded with new centers in Paris, in the e-motion center, and at our headquarters in Varano, a town which now aims to become a landmark in the sim racing landscape as well.
This partnership brings together Dallara’s expertise in the simulation and virtualization of vehicles with the experience of AK Informatica in the e-sports sector, creating a solid, ambitious synergy which is unique in its field.
The Dallara Esports Championship, developed on Assetto Corsa, represents a concrete example of this fusion. The virtual competition is based on sophisticated mathematical models, derived from real data gathered on the track and in the wind tunnel, in particular for the Dallara Stradale and Stradale EXP.
The partnership with AK Informatica allowed these complex models to be transferred into an engaging virtual environment, offering participants the ability to race on historic tracks such as Mugello, Imola, and Spa.
Born as a response to the limitations imposed by the pandemic, the project evolved into a strategic initiative to attract new generations to motorsport through technology.
One particularly innovative aspect of the program is offering the best virtual drivers concrete training opportunities at Dallara and track testing, thus creating a tangible bridge between the virtual experience and the real one.
This initiative demonstrates how traditional motorsport expertise can be successfully applied to the e-sports sector, contributing to its growth and professionalization.
To find out more about this partnership and the world of sim racing, visit the website: https://dallara-akesports.com/
Dallara for Valentina Greggio
Dallara’s partnership with Valentina Greggio, world champion speed skier, represents one of our company’s most interesting projects.
A meeting between two apparently very different worlds, but brought together by the same passion: the search for maximum performance.
It all began with an email which Valentina sent directly to Giampaolo Dallara
It was a request for help, motivated by the need to compete on equal footing with her international rivals – above all the French and Swedish – who could count on the support of their respective national industries to develop technically advanced equipment.
Determined and tireless, Valentina Greggio is the fastest woman in the world on skis – she holds the all-time record of 247.083 km/h set in Vars in 2016 – and is the most successful competitor in the discipline’s history, with a record number of victories and gold medals at the biggest events. She has been working with Dallara since 2023, and this partnership has allowed her to further extend her record-breaking trophy haul. On 2 February 2025, in the second stage of the World Cup in Vars, she made history by becoming the first and only woman to have recorded a speed greater than that of the men in competition.
The project focused on the creation of critical components to improve aerodynamic performance: helmet, boot spoilers, and pole tips. Despite the limitations imposed by the rule book, Dallara’s technicians employed the same methodological rigor used for racing cars.
The first phase was an in-depth analysis of the athlete’s posture when competing, followed by an intense design phase. Each component was made to measure, taking into consideration the physical characteristics of the athlete and using the same technologies as for cars: from CAD systems to aerodynamic analysis, right through to construction of the final helmet made from carbon fiber.
The wind-tunnel testing phase represented a further challenge. Structures normally used for motorbikes were adapted to test Valentina’s equipment, with her demonstrating a remarkable ability to stay in position even with wind speeds of 130-140 km/h.
The results were not slow to come: right from the very first events of the 2024 season, Valentina dominated the competition.
Today, the relationship between Dallara and Valentina Greggio continues to evolve, in the constant search for improvement while balancing performance and safety.
y of this partnership is the perfect representation of how Dallara’s engineering expertise can also find applications in fields apparently very different from motorsport, guided by the same curiosity, enthusiasm and dedication which drives all of our projects.
