MotoGP Gets A New Safety Car

BMW has provided official safety cars for MotoGP for the last 20 years. Be it the M2 for 2017 24h Le Mans or the i8 for Formula E championship, BMW has continued to provide its cars to ensure safety on the track. BMW has been the official safety partner for Formula E since it first started in 2014. And now, the German manufacturer has showcased its new safety car for the 2018 MotoGP season and it is based on the new BMW M5, showcased earlier this year.

The design of the new M5 safety car is inspired from the manufacturer’s 2018 Le Mans racer, the M8 GTE. BMW has made quite a few changes to make M5 the safety-spec car. It gets a new M-specific all-wheel drive M xDrive system which, according to the manufacturer, offers better handling and traction. The weight of the new vehicle has also been reduced thanks to the extensive use of carbon fibre parts, like the carbon fibre reinforced plastic roof. Other parts like the side sills, rear diffuser, front kidney grille, door mirror caps and front air vents too get the carbon fibre treatment. It also gets a new prototype front splitter, designed specially for the safety car.

Powering the BMW M5 is a 4.4-litre V8 M-twin engine producing 600PS of power and 750Nm of torque, mated to an 8-speed M Steptronic gearbox. This combination is powerful enough to take the M5 from 0-100kmph in 3.4 seconds. Other additions include a new BMW M Performance Sport titanium exhaust system, designed specifically for the track.

Before taking up safety duties for the 2018 MotoGP season, the M5 safety car will make its debut at the MotoGP season finale in Valencia.