For almost 20 years, BMW M GmbH has partnered with MotoGP organizer Dorna Sports as the "Official Car of MotoGP." That partnership has yielded some exciting safety cars to control the action during the FIM's motorcycle road racing World Championship series. At the final race of the 2017 MotoGP season in Valencia, Spain in November, the current official safety car—the BMW M2—will relinquish it's duties to the new head of the MotoGP support vehicle fleet: the 2018 BMW M5 Safety Car.
“A MotoGP Safety Car faces enormous challenges. It is vital to lead a field of unique, high-performance race prototypes safely through all sorts of conditions,” said Frank van Meel, President of BMW M GmbH. “Innovative motorsport technology is an essential part of this. The new BMW M5 forms the perfect basis for a safety car, as its technical features ensure perfect handling, even at the limits of driving dynamics—on the road and on the racetrack. Development never stands still in MotoGP, which is always pushing its limits further and further. The same is true for the BMW M GmbH—and the new M5 MotoGP Safety Car is an outstanding example of our pursuit of innovation and maximum levels of performance.”
The new BMW M5—and therefore the next MotoGP Official Safety Car—will be the first to utilize BMW M's newly developed M-specific all-wheel drive M xDrive. Designed to transfer the new M5's 600 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque from the car to the track with maximum traction in all conditions, the M5's optimized driving dynamics are as close to perfect as possible for a vehicle that needs to maintain control over some of the world's fastest racing motorcycles on world-class Grand prix tracks.
More power from the 4.4-liter M TwinPower Turbo v8 engine is complemented by the lighter weight derived from components such as the carbon fiber reinforced plastic roof. Being able to effectively and efficiently put the power down to the pavement lets the new M5 go from zero to 62 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds.
To prepare the newest MotoGP Official Safety Cars, BMW M in Garching fine tunes regular M5s and adds specific BMW M Performance parts such as side sills, rear diffusor, rear spoiler, front kidney grille, door mirror caps ,and air breather slats. The BMW M Performance sport exhaust system is perfect for the safety car since it is made of titanium with carbon exhaust tips, and was designed for use on the racetrack.
Next, the new M5 is fitted with special racing and safety equipment. The prototype front splitter was developed specifically for the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car. The hood latches are a race item, and the seats are lifted from the race-ready BMW M4 GTS. Safety cars must have roof-mounted lighting, and the flat light bar on top of the new M5 incorporates LED technology controlled by a special switch panel in the cockpit. Blue flashing LED lights in the front grilles and flashing corona rings for the headlights complete the safety car lighting package.
Further design elements of the new BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Cars are inspired by the new BMW M8 GTE race car currently under development by BMW M and BMW Motorsport to race at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.
Finally, the new BMW M5 Safety Car gets the special Motorsport colors applied to a special paint scheme. The full package—the paint, the lights, and the M Performance parts—applied to BMW's newest, most powerful, and most technologically advanced sports sedan—is breathtaking. We can't help but wonder how it would sell if BMW M offered it to retail customers—without the flashing lights, of course.—Scott Blazey.
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
